2010 - the year of action

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has cited 2010 as "the year of action".

The President said he would put in place a system to monitor the performance of government officials and ministers so that the defining feature of his administration to be the improvement of service delivery.

Government had to work faster, harder and smarter, he said.

"We will expect the executives and the public service to comply with this vision," he said, adding that government was building a performance-orientated state, by improving planning as well as performance monitoring and evaluation.

There was a need to integrate gender equity measures into the government's programme of action to ensure that women, children and those with disabilities were able to access opportunities.

He said ministers would sign detailed delivery agreements with himself. These agreements would outline what is to be done, how, by whom, within what period and what measurements and resources are to be used.

Government was also working on a public service development programme, which would set norms and standards for public servants in all spheres.

Zuma said a turnaround strategy for local government had been approved in December following a meeting with mayors and municipal managers. This strategy would ensure that municipalities had the right management as well as technical and administrative skills.

Further to this, an inter-ministerial committee on corruption was looking at ways to bring down corruption in the public service. Although success had already been made with the termination of 32 687 fraudulent social grants payments, valued at R180 million, this week alone.