Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, provided feedback from Cabinet’s recent meeting on Thursday. Picture: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS
The South African government Cabinet has approved the submission of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Bill to help professionalise the public service and improve transparency.
Cabinet has also extended its mandate to municipalities and public entities.
The amendments to the bill will enable the PSC to operate as an independent and impartial constitutional body, with the view of improving its effectiveness and efficiency within the public service.
By extending the mandate of the PSC to municipalities and public entities, it would provide a legislative framework for the PSC’s oversight role in the implementation of the National Framework on the Professionalisation of the Public Sector, Cabinet said.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) welcomed the bill’s expansion of the mandate of the commission to include municipalities and public entities, saying there was a dire need to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service in those sectors.
Outa said it would like commissioners to be appointed from non-governmental sectors, such as the legal profession, business, academia, and civil society.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, provided feedback from Cabinet’s recent meeting on Thursday.
The changes to the PSC are likely to be implemented in the next term of government after next year’s elections.
The PSC Bill was approved by Cabinet in May 2023 for approval for publication for public comments by June 9, and since it was approved by Cabinet for submission to Parliament, it will now go through all the parliamentary processes and any other relevant consultation processes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa last week outlined the work under way in government departments to discourage corruption, including the completion of over 11,000 lifestyle audits of public servants in the national government.
Earlier this week, he commended public servants who get on with their tasks in relative anonymity, serving the South African people with diligence.
September marks Public Service Month.