Govt entities face surprise-visit blitz
2012-10-04 22:21
Johannesburg - The performance monitoring and evaluation department has started a programme of unannounced visits to public service institutions, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said on Thursday.
"The objectives are to collect evidence on the quality of services and to work with the relevant departments to demonstrate how to use such monitoring information for improvements," he said.
The sites included schools, health facilities, police stations and municipal customer care centres.
Speaking at a seminar in East London, Chabane said the monitoring processes had identified policy and system weaknesses such as poor facility maintenance and the lack of effective operational systems.
He said that through the initiative, the department would be able to brief various Parliamentary committees.
He said not all government departments were being monitored by his department, because they were doing their own monitoring of their sectors.
"... For example, health and basic education should have systems to monitor a range of key indicators, including the supply of medicines and the delivery of textbooks."
He said that while all levels of government needed to carry out monitoring and evaluation, there was no need for duplication.
"The challenge is to ensure that monitoring and evaluation is complementary across all levels, with sharing of data and analysis as far as possible. All parties need to consciously avoid duplication and to co-operate to avoid overloading...," he said.
The department had stuck to this principle.
It was not carrying out audits as it relied he auditor general's information. It was also not setting up new systems to assess the performance of individual departments against their plans.
"There is an existing system of strategic plans and annual performance plans and annual reports which is managed by National Treasury," he said.
Chabane also said his department was not taking measures to hold public servants accountable and to take disciplinary action for poor performance as there was an existing system in terms of the Public Service Act and Public Service Regulation.
- SAPA
