WHEN POLITICAINS BECOME ADMINISTRATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS BECOME POLITICIANS - The Public Administration must be separated from the political system

WHEN POLITICAINS BECOME ADMINISTRATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS BECOME POLITICIANS

The Public Administration must be separated from the political system

Stes de Necker

CENTRAL LEVEL

I have long been warning against South Africa becoming a country governed by public servants and administered by politicians. 

Today we have just that. Politicians who are not trained as administrators and public servants who are not qualified to be politicians. 

The most important shortcoming of South African Public Administration System is its direct connection with the political system.

Party appointments undermine the competence of public institutions, interrupt the continuity in their work and prevent transparency in decision-making.

There can be no economic growth in South Africa without radical political and administrative reform. 

We cannot expect radical changes when we change the management of hospitals, tax services and other institutions with new employees who are selected on the basis of political criteria. At the same time, we do not change the way in which these institutions are operating. We just change the people who are running them.

The current scourge of nepotism practiced by the ANC has been used for decades to serve private or party but not public interests.

A radical change is to alter the way an institution operates; the practices that create the activities in such institutions. The people in key positions in the public administration should be appointed regardless of the political party currently in power.

The objectives to achieve this change include reducing or completely eliminating the party influence in the activities of the public administration, increasing the continuity in the institutions, strengthening institutional responsibility and accountability and  introducing a business methodology in the activities of public services.

This means that in practice, if South Africa really wants to have an effective public sector, it should immediately distinguish the appointments in the public administration from the party affiliation of the applicants.

The CEO’s and the managerial administrative staff in ministries and municipal services must come from the Public Administration System rather than appointment relatives and friends from the inner circle of political heads.   

The Department of Public Service and Administration, after consultation with the relative political head, should become the sole authority to appoint public service workers.   

This will ensure greater transparency in government activities and the public administration will be able to monitor the consistency in the implementation of the commitments made by the state.

Capable and well prepared staff for the public administration can be created by the Public Service Training Institute.  Appointments in key positions should be made on the principle of business solutions that are based on international best practices and strict accountability for their activities should be introduced. Public administration should work on the bases of the model of a "business plan - statement of activities performed - analysis of results.

LOCAL LEVEL

The time has come for local government institutions to separate themselves from the dependence on the central government. There should be ​​a distinct separation of Municipalities which must maintain their autonomy through the municipal fees and taxes that are imposed today. The municipalities should use these revenues rather than giving them to the central government, which then allocates other funds from the budget.

The significant benefit of such independence is that municipalities will create a correlation between the income taxes and the public goods and services. Currently, there is no transparency in the formation of the budgets of the various municipalities and the funds allocated by the central government are largely associated with the political affiliation of the management body of the particular mayoralty or municipality. This phenomenon itself implies corruption in the interaction between the public administration and the local government institutions.

Revenue raised by municipalities should be sufficient to ALSO cover the cost of public schools and clinics. Local government should be one of the main pillars of the South African state. Unfortunately, its responsibilities are not apportioned according to the daily needs of the citizens.

The time is ripe to attach more responsibilities to local government institutions. This will ease the burden on the central Government; will allow municipalities to respond to citizens' needs and to bear direct responsibility for the actions taken.

GENERAL

A radical administrative reform is a must not only for the development of the country but for the operation of law as well.

The implementation of this reform requires leaders who will serve the institutions of the executive, legislative and judicial power and enjoy public confidence. It will be the result of explicit commitments to specific individuals and institutions that will be close to the citizens.

Such a relationship is possible if power is decentralized and more responsibilities are attached to regional administrations.

Transparency must be the first principle on the basis of which public institutions must be managed and proper rules against arbitrary acts are the second thing that we must be establish in the public administration.

Staff allocation for example is one of the most mismanaged sides of the current public administration.

Only when the Government has nothing to hide, can it require the same from its subordinates.