Representative bureaucracy and the merit principle in the South African public service
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Date
2001
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
There has been an increasing awareness of the need for representativeness in the public sector in recent years. This has been motivated by the need to redress the inequalities and imbalances of the apartheid bureaucracy. Since the inception of the Government of National Unity in 1994, a number of steps were taken to redress the imbalances of the past within the legal framework laid out in the constitution and various government White Papers. The National Department of Justice and the Provincial Department of Social Services are studied in this mini-thesis to ascertain how effectively change was undertaken in these departments towards making them more representative. By comparing these two departments , it is anticipated that interesting insights will be revealed, especially given the fact that the two departments have been controlled by two different parties over the past few years. The study reveals that within the department of Social Services in the Western Cape, several
barriers were identified that hinder the process of achieving representativeness. These barriers include, among others, the classification and grading, the working environment and performance management. The department has developed an Employment Equity Plan to address these problems. One of the recommendations in the plan is the introduction of a more effective job grading system. This will be done once comprehensive job descriptions for each post have been established. Minimum standards for departmental buildings will also be set to create a more environmentally friendly environment for people with disabilities. The Department of Justice has a policy document (Representivity and Employment Equity) to be used in parallel with other government documentation such as the White Paper on Affirmative Action, the employment Equity Act, and the White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service. It has also put in place a Planning Unit to strategize around transformation within the department. It has also established linkages with other organisations such as Disabled People of South Africa and the Women 's League. Despite these attempts, however, the department still experiences problems. Communication between the Gender offices at national and provincial/regional level were found to be troublesome. Also in attempts to attract the best suitable candidate for a job , the department found that many of the short-listed candidates did not demonstrate the anticipated potential. This was problematic in the sense that they had to re-advertise the posts. Based on the findings of this research, the study offers recommendations for improvement. It commends , among other things, that proper steps be taken to implement policies with greater commitment and efficiency than in the past. Staff must be provided with the required tools and skills to perform their tasks effectively and proficiently. It also provides ways of dealing with resistance to change which include education and training, communication, participation , facilitation and support.
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Keywords
public sector, Government of National Unity, imbalances, government White Papers., working environment