If the PSC collapses, we lose our main mechanism for holding public servants accountable.
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IN a heated virtual session of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, shocking governance failures were laid bare as Members of Parliament rejected an oversight report for Gauteng and North West provinces, calling it misleadingly positive and disconnected from the harsh realities on the ground.
The draft report, meant to assess performance and accountability in both provinces, was deferred after widespread criticism over its failure to accurately reflect systemic dysfunction, rampant corruption, and chronic mismanagement. The Committee agreed to revise the document before reconvening for adoption.
One of the most damning revelations came from the DA’s Leah Potgieter, who exposed a staggering R1 billion worth of corruption within the North West Department of Health. “How can we expect progress if these recommendations are not seriously addressed?” she asked, referring to the fact that only 38% of Public Service Commission (PSC) recommendations had been implemented in the province.
She further highlighted rising maternal complications and increasing neonatal deaths, pointing to poor service delivery and unfulfilled commitments by provincial officials. Reports on disciplinary dismissals, precautionary suspensions, and misconduct cases involving 294 officials were notably absent from the draft oversight report.
“These are not minor omissions; they speak directly to accountability and governance failures,” she said, urging the committee to ensure these critical issues were reflected in the revised report.
The IFP’s Thokozani Langa added to the growing list of concerns, citing alarming vacancy rates at one hospital where only 68 out of 801 posts were filled, with another 120 still unfilled. “Why have these posts not been filled? Where is the timeline for placements? Is there even a fast-tracking plan in place?” he asked.
He called for an urgent review of staffing components in such institutions, which the Chairperson, Jan Naudé de Villiers from the DA, agreed to include as a new recommendation.
Potgieter also raised concerns about the high vacancy rate in the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements, where 32% of positions remained unfilled. “The Department of Human Settlements has a 32% vacancy rate. How does that translate into good service delivery?” she asked.
She noted that promised reports, including those on ethics investigations and staff at the Rustenburg Home Affairs office reportedly on extended sick leave due to mental health issues, were missing from the oversight report. “This paints an inaccurate picture of the province,” she cautioned.
Serious concerns were also raised about the sustainability of the PSC itself. Langa recalled that the PSC had suffered a budget cut of R92 million, warning that: “The institution may become non-functional by the fourth year of the MTEF cycle. We must acknowledge the possibility of institutional collapse,” urging the Committee to ensure that this risk was clearly stated in the report.
De Villiers supported the inclusion of “strong language” regarding the PSC’s financial vulnerability and called for greater clarity on its ability to sustain operations beyond the medium-term expenditure framework. “If the PSC collapses, we lose our main mechanism for holding public servants accountable,” he said.
Meanwhile, discussions around relocating Home Affairs offices into shopping malls revealed deeper systemic problems. The EFF’s Sixolisa Gcilishe urged the Committee to urgently convene relevant departments to address the budget implications of the move, while Potgieter proposed a cost-benefit analysis between renting versus owning premises. “We need to know how much money is being spent on rentals versus what could be invested in permanent buildings,” she said.
The Chairperson agreed to strengthen the oversight report to include this comparative analysis, noting that a full briefing would follow.
On the issue of hospitals operating under centralised budgets, Potgieter voiced serious concerns: “When hospitals don’t control their own maintenance or budget planning, you end up with chaos. We need decentralised budgeting at the hospital level.”
The chairperson called it a structural problem and reaffirmed the Committee’s previous position that hospitals and Home Affairs offices must be empowered with autonomy over their finances and upkeep.
Langa also expressed concern about Gauteng’s 52% compliance rating on ethics matters, describing it as “not a good reflection” of the province’s integrity. He requested clear timelines for implementing corrective action plans and urged the Premier’s Office to submit a full report on the outcomes of ongoing ethics investigations. “We cannot allow half-hearted compliance when it comes to ethics. This is about trust in government,” he said.
Meanwhile, discussions on the Rapid Land Release Programme saw the chairperson confirm that two unused properties identified by the PSC were suitable for school construction and should be prioritised accordingly. “We must ensure that land is used for the benefit of communities, not left idle due to bureaucratic inertia,” he said.
Following extensive debate and input from all parties, the Committee agreed to circulate a revised version of the oversight report, incorporating all written and verbal inputs. It will reconvene the following week for final adoption.
As the nation awaits the revised report, the glaring governance failures in two of South Africa’s key provinces serve as a sobering reminder of the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and meaningful reform.