Turnover of DGs a serious cause for concern: Public Service Commission

21 September 2017 - 17:32 By Sipho Mabena
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Home Affairs minister Hlengiwe Mkhize during her surprise visit to the Pinetown Home Affairs office.
Home Affairs minister Hlengiwe Mkhize during her surprise visit to the Pinetown Home Affairs office.
Image: THULI DLAMINI

The Public Service Commission has blamed the exodus of directors-general on the toxic relationship between ministers and their heads of departments‚ saying this is a serious cause for concern as it negatively impacts on service delivery.

Figures from the SA Institute for Race Relations’ report on the turnover in the executive and administration released last month‚ titled ‘Political Musical Chairs’‚ show that home affairs DG Mkuseli Apleni is the 216th DG in 32 departments to be suspended‚ removed or shifted since 2009.

Home Affairs minister Hlengiwe Mkhize‚ who has been in the portfolio for five months‚ placed Apleni on precautionary suspension on Monday without stating any reasons.

Gareth van Onselen‚ the author of the analytic report‚ points out that under President Jacob Zuma‚ the average national department will be subject to a new director-general every 22 months and‚ as a result‚ the time any given minister and director-general will work together will be no more than 14 months.

“The majority of relationships between ministers and directors general‚ around 60%‚ will last 12 months or less and more than 40% of all of them will involve an acting director general. This is not how you manage a national government‚ it is how to sew chaos‚ uncertainty and disorder and‚ it would seem‚ Jacob Zuma has perfected that particular art‚” he notes in his conclusion.

Mike Seloane‚ PSC’s Gauteng commissioner‚ said they were concerned that it was rare for a DG to serve their full five-year term‚ saying the average tenure of a DG was less than three years.

“If a DG is suspended‚ then the department will be headless and there will be an actor and usually people in acting positions are afraid to take serious decisions affecting the department. So‚ we are as PSC concerned about the number of DGs that have been suspended and the latest one is the DG of home affairs‚” he said.

Speaking in Pretoria on Thursday‚ Seloane said though they were uncertain about the problems that lead to a break down in relations between executive heads and their heads of departments but it might be that they do not see eye to eye and have clashing management styles.

“Our ministers and the HOD’s have to operate according to the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Service Act to ensure that the relationship is good at all times. So we are concerned as the PSC that there is a problem of suspensions‚” he said.

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