Making government work

To address South Africa’s social and economic challenges, and to deliver the basic services that enhance quality of life for all citizens, government is working to strengthen the capabilities and resources of provinces and municipalities across the country.

This means improving coordination between national, provincial and local governments and ensuring that public servants at all levels have the skills and support they need to do their jobs.

Government is implementing a number of interventions to address failures at local government level and improve basic service delivery. These include enhancing the capacity of public representatives and officials, maintaining and upgrading local infrastructure, and invoking the powers of national government to intervene where municipalities fail to meet their responsibilities.

As part of efforts to build a capable state, government is taking measures to minimise the scope for political interference in state-owned enterprises by adopting a centralised model. It is also taking action to transform the public service into a professional and ethical sector.

• The Presidential SOE Council will establish a state-owned holding company as part of a centralised shareholder model.
• We will finalise the SOE Shareholder Management Bill to ensure effective oversight of SOEs.
• A framework for the professionalisation of the public service will soon be finalised, including measures for the recruitment of public servants and continuous professional development.
• We will introduce integrity assessments and entry exams for recruitment to the public service.
• The implementation of the District Development Model to coordinate the work of all spheres of government is continuing.
• Lifestyle audits are being implemented across the public service.