The University of Pretoria’s School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) recently collaborated with the National School of Government (NSG) and the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) to host a webinar.

The focus of the online event was to exchange ideas on the National Implementation Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Service as part of promoting good governance in South Africa and beyond, in line with the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 Aspirations, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

This consultation session, themed ‘Deepening public sector reforms: are we making progress?’, took place on 16 July 2021. The main objectives of the session were to enable UP to engage in consultations with the Department of Public Service and Administration on the Professionalisation Framework as approved by Cabinet, and to use this collaboration as the anchor for further consultation sessions with higher education institutions and other stakeholders.

In his welcoming address, Prof Tawana Kupe, UP’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, reflected on the tangible reforms to push towards professionalism. He emphasised the importance of the Implementation Framework as an initiative aimed at strengthening democracy, increasing social justice through promoting an inclusive society, and equipping specifically the senior leadership of the public sector with the necessary abilities and competences to drive the creation of a capable developmental state. Prof Kupe further suggested the institutionalisation of consequence management in managing irregularities and keeping public officials accountable to the public they serve.

The Minister of Public Service and Administration, Senzo Mchunu, addressed the session and emphasised the importance of the professionalisation of the public service sector and working together with various stakeholders, including higher education institutions, to obtain their input into the suggested Implementation Framework. Other speakers included Prof Michiel de Vries, the Chair in Public Administration at the Radboud University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, who spoke about alternative perspectives of leadership and professionalism, as well as Dr Geroge Scott, the Secretary General of AAPAM, who made remarks on the public service of the future. The moderators were Prof Gerda van Dijk from the SPMA, as well as Prof Busani Ngcaweni, who is the Principal of the National School of Government.

The webinar was attended by senior government officials, UP management and academics, as well as academics and researchers from other universities and members of civil society.

Click here to watch a recording of the session.