The Difference Between Party And State
Gwede Mantashe’s concerns about our “governance model” in which directors general serve “at the mercy of ministers” are timely and open a necessary debate. As Chair of the SACP and Secretary General of the ANC, he is well placed to ensure that the “recipe for disaster” he correctly perceives is averted. In South Africa’s post […]
Submission to the Ad Hoc Committee Of The National Assembly Enquiring Into Progress With Service Delivery
1.INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa (Ifaisa) welcomes the opportunity advertised by the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) on 15 January 2009 to participate in its enquiry into service delivery. It is suggested that this submission be made available to those government departments which will be addressing the AHC between 2 and 4 […]
The Management of Professionally Qualified Persons in the Public Service An Overview:
An Overview: Table of Contents Section 1. Introduction 2. Understanding Organisation 3. The DPSA and Organisation 4. Types of Organisation 5. Cost and Pay : An organisational distraction 6. Organisation and Service Delivery 7. Organisation : The framework of governance and individual accountability 8. The Role of the Independent Professional Standards Authority in Managing Professional […]
Cosatu Versus Manuel: The Rules Of Engagement
Cosatu concedes that it is involved in what it describes as “an argument” with Trevor Manuel, the Minister of Planning in the Presidency. Some commentators have used the appellation “fight” and others “something of a panic attack in Cosatu” to characterize what is unfolding in the tri-partite alliance which has governed since 1994. The cause […]
Doctors, Hippocrates And Hypocrisy (Cont.)
The cacophony surrounding the wage negotiations in the public health sector has generated more heat than light. The sight of highly qualified professionals engaged in picket line protests complete with toyi toying is novel. Their placards prescribing a “cash injection” for the sector are plaintive, pointed and unlikely to be heeded. Some of the criticism […]
The Constitution And Quotas (Cont.)
The sparks that have been flying as a result of the decision of the new Western Cape Premier to appoint an all male mainly “white” cabinet to help her run her province reasonably and accountably, need to be placed in their constitutional context. The provisions of section 132 (2) of the Constitution make it clear […]
What’s It To Be: Constitutionalism Or Populist Revolution? (Cont.)
It is an unavoidable part of the deal, as fashioned between the representatives of all the people, that the Constitution means, in the final analysis, what our independent judiciary interprets it to mean. Other organs of state are required to assist and protect the Courts as they are the most vulnerable and least powerful of […]
The Scorpions, The Constitution And The Rule Of Law
The controversial National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Act and the South African Police Services Amendment Act bring about respectively the demise of Directorate of Special Operation (DSO) or the Scorpions, as they are known to the public, and the creation of a new unit to deal with, inter alia, organised crime to replace the Scorpions. This […]
The Dawning Of The Age Of Responsibility
If one takes into account that the economy of the United States is about 100 times the size of the South African economy, that the World Bank has its tentacles in every nook and cranny of the global economy and that South Africa is part of that global economy, then it is plain that it […]
Affirmative Action: Redressing Or Creating Imbalances? (Cont.)
The appropriate starting point for discussing the legislative and other measures actually taken since 1994 is the origin of them all: section 9 (2) itself. It is part of the equality provision set out in the Bill of Rights. This is a provision which is central to the achievement of the constitutional goals of the […]
