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ACCOUNTABILITY: National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel addresses parliament during the handing over of the revised national development plan to President Jacob Zuma.

 Manuel targets 11 million jobs 

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The NPC has also slammed the manner in which the government appoints directors-general of departments, saying the current practice "blurs the lines of accountability".

In its national development plan 2030, titled Our Future - Make it Work, which was tabled and presented to President Jacob Zuma in Parliament yesterday by National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel, the NPC tore into government's cadre deployment policy though it did not mention it by name.

"In South Africa the current approach to appointments blurs the lines of accountability. The requirement for cabinet to approve the appointment of heads of departments makes it unclear whether they are accountable to their minister, to the cabinet or the ruling party," says a section of chapter 13 of the NDP.

The plan also criticises the powers cabinet ministers have to appoint senior officials working directly under D-Gs.

In terms of the current practice, ministers have the prerogative to choose their own deputy directors-general with cabinet's concurrence, while the cabinet approves the appointment of D-Gs.

There have been concerns in government circles that some D-D-Gs, who enjoy close relationships with their ministers,I were undermining their D-Gs, while some D-Gs have had frosty relations with their ministers.

The cadre deployment policy, which has been blamed for deteriorating service delivery, was criticised by ANC delegates at the party's national policy conference in Midrand in June where the party revealed that it would start deploying educated and well-trained people to senior positions in government.

The NPC has proposed that:

• The role of the public service commission in recruiting senior government staff be strengthened;
• A hybrid approach to top appointments be adopted to allow "the reconciliation of administrative and political priorities";
• An administrative head of the entire public service be set up to manage "the career progression of heads of departments, including their performance assessments and disciplinary procedures"; and
• Give senior officials "full authority" to appoint staff in their departments.

"We seek a professional civil service which can weather changes in political administrations," Manuel said.

Turning to the economy and job creation, the document contains recommendation on how to tackle the economy over the next 20 years.

Crucial proposals on the economy and employment included raising exports, while taking steps to prevent excessive over-valuation of the currency.

The 484-page document also calls for improving skills development, and breaking disincentives to hiring young people.

It also focuses on strengthening the social wage to raise the living standards of the unemployed and those with lower-paying jobs.

Political parties broadly welcomed the plan even though most of them said that they doubted the government's ability to implement it.

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Sat May 25 13:21:51 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 16, 2012

MorenaWaPolelo

This will not sit well with some people I know!!! Some people like being owed favours and having those favours returned, But things must change or the power is gone comrades!!
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Aug 16, 2012

Hail

Everything they say in the ANC is always great in paper but implementation is something else. Where is the How?
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Aug 16, 2012

Kgaoza606

Well done Trevor Manuel for suggesting what cud really be a solution to our incompetent governmen. Obviously this is not goin to be welcomed by a lot of these incompetent fat-bastards who are all about enriching their big bellies rather than focusing on what they've been hired to do. As a black person, I'm even embarassed to to that it is a white person in government who is championing such a good strategy, and this leaves me with just one question, "is it true that where there's no white person in leadership, can thing ever succeed? Just a thought!!!
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Aug 16, 2012

Pointman

People are dying because of cadre deployment and childrens growth is being stunted. Children end up with low intelligence and poor academic performance because of cadre deployment.
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Aug 16, 2012

Lungu

@Hail i cannot comment any further what you are saying is an honest truth, paper work for thee ANC is always good but implementation is poor and cost the taxpayers.
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Aug 16, 2012

itsinshecried

Cadre deployment is wrong from inception. It has wasted billions of rands.

Our Director of Electrical Department does not know the output of 500KVA (11000/420V) mini-substation. He does not know the importance of refurbishment of equipment. He does not know as to when to spend money on new equipment. He does not know the importance of investing in training. Our budget for the current financial year is R89million. This budget has to be spent before June 2013, so it will be spent for the sake of expenditure.

The equipment with long lead time has not been ordered but R89million must have been spent by next year June, to show good performance of the Department.

Eish my heart is bleeding because of this gross waste of taxpayers money. Klibhi klolo ngoke ngibone !!! Nanka amehlo aphahle umbombo !!!!
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Aug 16, 2012

KazakstanDJ

@Hail and Lungu... how about we play help foster the changes instead of giving up, we know that the ANC is incapable of implementing this GOOD plan.
We can start by voting differently in the next elections, let's vote for people who have good intentions (though it is very difficult to find such people these days) and not vote on sentiments.
We cannot sit back and expect these Self Serving, Corrupt individual ruin our country, it is time the citizens of this country take charge of their destiny.
We must lose the "victim" mentallity, we have to accept that apartheid messed us up and move on from there.
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Aug 16, 2012

GigiMavalani

The policies of government (ANC) are very good, but the main problem lies with implementation part. You cant expect uneducated cadres to be agents of change in SA except looting public finances
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Aug 16, 2012

1tsotsi

This Cadre deployment has never been an answer, Time and again it has proved to be a failure... People should stop with this mentality of self-entitlement where they think that going to exile guarantees them high positions.. If they say they fought for freedom and better opportunities for the future of our country.... Let those with limited skill SIT DOWN, and let those with skills do the work and see SA work.. But it must start by removing that thing called Jz
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Aug 16, 2012

OLDLADY4

I still say outsource SARS. Put together a group of respected accounting firms to handle the people's money. Government then applies and motivates to this group on why they want to spend how much. I'd really like to see how many would still want to be politicians if they cannot get their hands on the money so easily.
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