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Following a direct request to the Public Service Commission (PSC) by the Democratic Alliance (DA) for an investigation into the issue of senior managers in the public service with no qualifications, the PSC has confirmed that it has now instituted a phased investigation into the issue due “to the comprehensive nature of the expected work and the volumes of additional data” that cannot be accessed through PERSAL.

In terms of this phased investigation by the PSC, the first phase of the investigation will focus on the analysis of data pertaining to national departments while the second phase will focus on the analysis of data pertaining to provincial departments.

The details of how this crucial investigation will be conducted over the next few months are contained in a letter, dated 31 July 2023, from the PSC providing an update on the progress made in investigating the issue of senior managers in the public service with no qualifications.

Further, according to the letter from the PSC, a circular was issued to departments across the two spheres of government requesting that they submit all the requested data relating to the issue at hand. Departments were given until 31 July 2023 to submit the requested data.

In the letter, the PSC also commits to completing the first draft report on the investigation, which report will cover national departments by the end of October 2023, and the second draft report on the investigation which will cover provincial departments by the end of December 2023.

Even though the DA welcomes the latest update by the PSC to comprehensively validate the data it will receive from government departments, it hopes that the picture that will emerge from this crucial investigation, by the PSC, will not only be an accurate one but also one that will compel the PSC to provide concrete and finite recommendations that will address the persistent issue of qualifications in senior positions within the public service.

Issued by Dr Mimmy Gondwe MP - DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration