Pretoria - The DA has asked the Public Service Commission to probe the Office of President Cyril Ramaphosa and that of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for giving senior positions to officials with no requisite qualifications.
The commission, under Professor Somadoda Fikeni, was also asked to conduct an internal investigation against three of its officials.
The Presidency has 16 officials while Zondo’s office has seven.
The probe followed Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi’s revelation that more than 2 000 senior officials did not have qualifications for the positions they occupied in the national and provincial governments.
The SAPS under Police Minister Bheki Cele had the highest number at 214, while the Justice and Correctional Services Ministry headed by Ronald Lamola accounted for 144. The National Treasury has 63 officials.
In provincial governments, their departments of health, premiers’ offices and other key departments such as education, top the list of officials with no requisite qualifications
In Gauteng, the office of Premier David Makhura is in the top three, while in the Western Cape the office of Premier Alan Winde occupies the first spot. Makhura’s office, however, has the highest number compared to other provinces.
The Gauteng health department is leading the pack with 50 officials, Education under Panyaza Lesufi has 33, and Makhura 30. Provincial treasury led by MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko follows closely with 26.
An almost similar trend in health is found in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.
In the Eastern Cape, the office of Premier Oscar Mabuyane has four officials while the key departments of education, sport and social development in that province have higher numbers.
In the Free State, the corruption-riddled agriculture department has 16 officials, education 14, health 13, while the office of Premier Sisi Ntombela has 14 officials.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the office of Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube also has 14 officials, while education in KZN tops the list with 28 officials. Transport, provincial treasury and economic development and environmental affairs have 19, 17 and 15, respectively.
In Limpopo, health has 34, education 23; and co-operative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs 17. The provincial transport and community safety, and public works, roads and infrastructure have 14 and 13, respectively. Premier Stan Mathabatha’s office has seven officials; other departments have five and under.
In North West, the provincial treasury under finance MEC Motlalepula Rosho topped the list with 21 officials, public works and roads 17; and agriculture and rural development 12. The office of Premier Bushy Maape has 11 while education has 10 and health 7.
In Mpumalanga, health has 25, education and human settlements each have 14, while public works, roads and transport have 12. The office of the Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane and the provincial treasury each has eight officials.
In the Northern Cape, health, education and economic development and tourism each have 10 officials, while Premier Dr Zamani Saul’s office and the agriculture department have seven each. In the Western Cape, Premier Winde’s office tops the list with 14, his health department has 11, education 10, and transport seven.
Dr Mimmy Gondwe, the DA’s deputy national spokesperson on public service, said her party remained concerned that 25% of the senior managers employed in the public service still do not have qualifications for their posts and this may be impacting on its ability to provide efficient services. “If the government is serious about building a capable, efficient public service, then the people at the helm must be qualified and competent.”
Pretoria News