Cadre deployment affects service - HSRC
"Incompetent and unqualified people are unable to deliver services efficiently and effectively"
WHAT A HEADACHE! (generic image)- Political patronage, family jobs - and high phone bills
- Government workers 'got 50% of tenders'
- 'Flouting of procurement laws to blame'
- Nombembe states his case on report
- War on graft
- Sex pest gets another top State job
- Public funds books magically balance despite missing booty
- Municipal tender goes to failed bid
- Call to sack 'corrupt officials'
- Municipalities are R2bn in the red
- State departments in multi-million debt
- Residents drinking polluted water
- R52m down the drain
The ANC’s policy of cadre deployment is adversely affecting public services, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) said.
“One conclusion that seems to be common is that the ANC’s deployment strategy systematically places loyalty ahead of merit and even of competence, and is therefore a serious obstacle to efficient public service,” HSRC researcher Modimowabarwa Kanyane said at a seminar in Pretoria.
Politically connected incompetent people were often deployed to public positions, which led to a demoralised public service.
“Incompetent and unqualified people are unable to deliver services efficiently and effectively. Competency and ethical standards are critical for an... effective public service.”
He said managers with the relevant skills only constituted 0.4 percent of the country’s public servants, and the majority of them served in national departments.
“Skilled people are concentrated at the national and provincial levels, but when you go deep into the municipalities, that is where we have a deficit of skills. So we don’t have an even distribution of skills, even though it is in limited demand,” Kanyane said.
“There is also a high level of turnover of middle and senior managers, due to stressful working conditions and the high demand for qualified professionals in the private sector and international opportunities for bright South Africans.”
He said almost two-thirds of national departments did not have the basic capacity to investigate charges of corruption and bribery levelled at public servants.
“Officials who are found guilty generally receive very lenient punishments such as written warnings, and these matters are not reported to the police.”
Kanyane said the country needed to accelerate its move towards a single public service — one that unified the three spheres of government.
“I think the aggressive, giant leap to move towards a single public service is a merited success, but I [also] think... we have not really found a way of regularising that and making it possible,” he said.
“The advantages of the single public service brings with it coherent and integrated planning... to evaluate and monitor public service holistically. To me... a single public service is urgent so that we will be able to integrate our [public service] systems.”
He said more research needed to be done into the number of municipalities and provinces, and how reducing them would benefit the public service sector.
Researcher Gregory Houston said it was unfair to place all the blame for incompetent public servants on the African National Congress.
“The ANC has acknowledged the flaws in their cadre policy. It also has to be said that not all people deployed by the ANC are incompetent,” he said. “In addition, the past 18 years have seen the transformation of the public service from an extensive and expensive bureaucracy to one which is more flexible... from a public service dominated by one race group to one in which all race groups are represented.”
Most Popular
-
No Viewed Articles yet
Comments
rahima
And why did it need a study to tell us this? This has been plain for everyone to see for at least 14 years.Lets face it. The 'freedom fighters' cannot run a government. Face the facts.
Report Abuse
1tsotsi
Cadre deployment has been ongoing ever since the old regime.... its nothing new.Report Abuse
WakeUpSouthAfrica
LOL, we've been saying this for how many years now?The STUUUPID, INCOMPETENT and CORRUPT cadres are killing South Africa.
Report Abuse
kataleya
forward with cadre deployment forward.cadre deployment it going to stay until jesus come ppl must get used to it,its either you are in or outReport Abuse
WakeUpSouthAfrica
1tsotsi - And the old regime managed to develop the 1st pebblebed nuclear reactor in the world, and sold the patents to Germany. Developed nuclear weapons.The current cadres cant even distribute textbooks.
Report Abuse
WakeUpSouthAfrica
kataleya - Haha, with that thinking, Jesus is coming back soon! Incompetent cadre deployment will lead to the first WHITE woman president in South Africa.Report Abuse
kataleya
wakeupSouthAfrica@in your dreams madam boyReport Abuse
WakeUpSouthAfrica
kataleya - Your ANC is busy burning dude. Thats reality :P DA stole 9% of your voters from you. Its going to steal even more dude :PReport Abuse
Secretary
@rahimaOrder chief. The freedom fighters can run the goverment. This can happen if they are educated. The first step to the solution of the presented article is to get the educated leader who unstands our history. Educated president will attract academics that would be deployed to show their fruitful knowledge at different positions. Most of academics compete with knowledge not with wealth. Zuma is our drawback in our country
Report Abuse
tumzangwana
Cadre deployment affects service - HSRC;;;;;;;;
wow and you are just noticing this now?
Report Abuse
Read all 23 comments