South Africa: Public Service Committee Halts Meeting with KZN Provincial Government

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration halted its engagement with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government this morning due to the absence of members of the provincial executive council (MECs), the Premier or any of their authorised representatives.

The committee has been conducting oversight in the province this week to assess access to and the quality of frontline public services, under the theme “Ensuring Good Governance through Human Resource Management Practices in the Public Service”. As part of its oversight visit, the provincial government and administration were scheduled to brief the committee on the prevalence of ghost workers in provincial departments and the impact on the public wage bill. However, the committee was met by senior officials, most of whom were in acting heads of departments positions, including the acting Director-General for the Office of the Premier.

Members stated that the absence of political leadership is not only contrary to protocol but would hinder the meeting’s progress and the substance of discussions. The committee noted that the Office of the Premier and the KZN Provincial Legislature were fully aware of the committee’s oversight visit, and at no time did the committee receive any indication that neither the Premier, nor his political delegate, nor MECs would attend the meeting.

After confirming the absence and consulting with committee members, the Chairperson of the committee, Mr Jan de Villiers, decided to halt the meeting. “It is standard parliamentary protocol and also in the interest of accountability and transparency that the MECs or their designated representatives are present for the committee to engage substantively on matters before it. Without their participation, the committee was unable to fulfil its mandate for the session,” said the Chairperson.

The committee regrets the inconvenience caused to members, stakeholders and members of the public. “We are committed to upholding the principles and values of democratic oversight,” said the Chairperson.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.