By BAKANG MOKOTO
24 April 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Wednesday expressed concern over government investment in training and upskilling public servants, with little visible improvement in services and performance. The committee received a briefing on the Department of Public Service and Administration and its entities, including the Public Service Commission (PSC), the National School of Government (NSG), the Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS) and the Centre for Public Service Innovation’s annual performance plans for 2025/26 and strategic plans for 2025 – 2030.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Jan de Villiers said government departments submit these plans to parliamentary committees to ensure accountability, transparency and effective resource management. De Villiers said this enables committees to scrutinise departments’ performance and spending and hold them accountable to the public.
“During the State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the seventh administration’s priorities, including building a capable, ethical, and developmental state and strengthening the role of the PSC.
“The committee learnt that the department’s priorities in these plans align with the government’s efforts to professionalise the public service, focusing on digital transformation and building public trust by addressing corruption and inefficiencies, among other objectives,” he said.
De Villiers further said among the department’s top policy priorities are improving government credibility through effective discipline management and the speedy resolution of suspensions, enforcing lifestyle audits, and modernising service delivery systems using e-government. He added that, however, several committee members expressed concerns about ethics and the prolonged disciplinary processes in the public service.
“They questioned whether lifestyle audits and disciplinary investigations translate into accountability. Members believe finalising disciplinary cases still takes too long, eroding public trust.
“The department acknowledged the delays in finalising disciplinary cases. It informed members that a new national database system for disciplinary cases is underway, which will help identify and reduce bottlenecks and financial losses due to prolonged suspensions,” said de Villers.
He said members also interrogated the implementation of the professionalisation framework and sought assurance that the department is monitoring compliance across departments. De Villiers said several members questioned the effectiveness of public sector training, especially training provided by the NSG and ongoing professionalisation efforts.
“The committee questioned the return on investment in training and upskilling, given the limited visible impact on service delivery or employee accountability, particularly in light of the high number of disciplinary cases across the public sector.
“Members emphasised the need for more effective mechanisms to measure the impact and improvement in performance following these training programmes. Responding to these concerns, the department explained that PSC reports inform training interventions, especially in building an ethical and professional public service,” he said.
In addition, de Villiers said some committee members highlighted career progression issues in the public sector, noting the frustrations of public servants with extensive workplace experience but no formal qualifications, who are often overlooked for promotion. He said the committee wanted to know how the NSG can support recognition of prior learning, especially for older employees with substantial experience.
“Moreover, the committee called on the NSG to centrally coordinate tracking education levels, upskilling and productivity in the public service. Members also enquired about the impact of ethics training, specifically its role in reducing corruption and enhancing governance and performance.
“Questioning the performance bonus system, some members suggested this may be vulnerable to abuse and patronage, especially in senior management. They emphasised the importance of performance incentives tied to actual service delivery outcomes,” said de Villiers.
He said reflecting on digital modernisation efforts, several members highlighted citizens’ frustrations with the lack of digital access to government services and requested clear timelines for implementing digital platforms. De Villiers said members were also interested in how the department and Centre for Public Service Innovation would support the digital transformation of frontline services, particularly in under-resourced rural areas.
“On the human resources front, the committee highlighted senior management vacancies as a risk to institutional stability and continuity. Members sought more details on how the vacancies affect departments’ abilities to implement reforms and execute their mandates.
“The department acknowledged the long timelines in filling vacancies, especially senior positions, and committed to working with the Presidency to accelerate hiring processes, particularly for funded posts. Members heard that a tool is being developed to monitor delays and ensure timely appointments,” he said.
The Guardian 