Technical Brief on the Filing of Performance Agreements of Heads of Department for The

Technical Brief on the Filing of Performance Agreements for the 2011/2012 Financial Year Public Service Commission

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TECHNICAL BRIEF ON THE FILING OF PERFORMANCE AGREEMENTS OF HEADS OF DEPARTMENT FOR THE 2011/2012 FINANCIAL

YEAR

AUGUST 2011

Technical Brief on the Filing of Performance Agreements for the 2011/2012 Financial Year Public Service Commission

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction...... 01

Progress with the Filing of PAs for 2011/12 by National and Provincial HoDs...01

Progress with the Filing of PAs for 2011/12 by National HoDs……………………… 02

Progress with the Filing of PAs for 2011/12 by Provincial HoDs………………….02- 03

Conclusion...... 03

FIGURES AND TABLES

Table 1:Compliance figures for both National and Provincial Departments...... 01

Figure 1:Compliance rate in the filing of PAs for the 2011/2012 financial year by National Departments as at 30 June 2011 02

Figure 2:Compliance rate in the filing of PAs for the 2011/2012 financial year by Provincial ....Departments as at 30 June 2011 03

Technical Brief on the Filing of Performance Agreements for the 2011/2012 Financial Year Public Service Commission

Introduction / In terms of the Performance Management and Development System as stipulated in the Senior Management Services (SMS) Handbook[1] all senior managers, including the HoDs, are expected to enter into Performance Agreements (PAs) with their Executive Authorities (EAs) by the 31 May and file them with the Public Service Commission (PSC) by 30 June annually. The PA becomes the basis for accountability and should focus on a specific financial year. The PSC maintains a database of PAs received for filing and assesses them in order to advise the EAs and HoDs on compliance and quality aspects. A standard checklist is used as a guide for assessing PAs to ensure that they are aligned with the relevant planning documents; conform with performance management policy and the Guidelines for Evaluation of Heads of Department[2].
This technical brief provides progress made by both national and provincial HoDs in the filing of their 2011/2012 PAs with the PSC by 30 June 2011.
Progress with the Filing of PAs for 2011/2012 by National and Provincial HoDs
Progress with the Filing of PAs for 2011/2012 by National HoDs / The Public Service had a total of 158 HoD posts, 47 at National level and 111 in Provincial Departments as at 30 June 2011. A total of 7 posts at National level and 23 in Provincial Departments were either vacant or the HoD was on suspension or newly appointed. A total of 128 HoDs from both National and Provincial Departments, therefore, qualified to have filed their PAs with the PSC for the 2011/2012 financial year by 30 June 2011. Table 1 below reflects that as at 30 June 2011, a total of 69 PAs were filed whilst 59 PAs were still outstanding. This represents a compliance rate of 54%.
Table 1:Compliance figures for both National and Provincial Departments
Department / Total number of HoDs / Total number of PAs expected / Number of PAs received by due date / Outstanding PAs / Acting/Vacant or Newly Appointed HoD
National / 47 / 40 / 14 / 26 / 7
Eastern Cape / 13 / 10 / 07 / 03 / 03
Free State / 12 / 12 / 1 / 11 / 0
Gauteng / 11 / 10 / 09 / 01 / 01
KwaZulu Natal / 14 / 13 / 08* / 05 / 01
Limpopo / 12 / 10 / 07* / 03 / 02
Mpumalanga / 12 / 08 / 07 / 01 / 04
Northern Cape / 12 / 09 / 02 / 07 / 03
North West / 12 / 03 / 01 / 02 / 09
Western Cape / 13 / 13 / 13 / 00 / 00
Total / 158 / 128 / 69 / 59 / 30
*Some of the HoDs were newly appointed and filed in July but within the three months requirement.
Table 1 above shows the compliance rate by both National and Provincial HoDs in the filing their PAs with the PSC by 30 June 2011 as per requirements of the PMDS. It can be deduced from the above table that the Western Cape was the only province that attained a 100% compliance rate in filing their PAs with the PSC by the due date, followed by Gauteng with 90%. National Departments and Northern Cape attained less than 60% compliance rate, with the Free State only attaining 8%.
As reflected in the table above, there were 47 HoD posts at National level. Of these, 40 PAs were expected to be filed with the PSC by 30 June 2011. In terms of the records kept by the PSC, a total of 14 PAs were filed as at 30 June 2011, representing a compliance rate of 35% of all expected PAs. The compliance rate by National Departments was unacceptably low given that reminders were forwarded to EAs and HoDs to ensure that they file by the due date. Nonetheless, as of 26 August 2011, the compliance rate had steadily risen to 55% as the PSC continues to engage national departments to ensure that all expected PAs are filed.
Figure 1: Compliance rate of National Departments in the filing of PAs for the 2011/2012 financial year as at 30 June 2011

Progress with the Filing of PAs for 2011/2012 by Provincial HoDs
Conclusion / Figure 1 above shows that up to 65% of expected PAs from HoDs in National Departments were still outstanding by 30 June 2011.
There was a total of 111 HoDs within Provincial Departments during this financial year. A total of 23 HoDs were either suspended, newly appointed or the posts were vacant. A total of 88 PAs were therefore expected to have been filed with the PSC by 30 June 2011. A total of 55 PAs were filed with the PSC by the due date with 33 still outstanding. As reflected by Figure 2 below, this represents a compliance rate of 63%[3].
Figure 2:Compliance rate of Provincial Departments in the filing of PAs for the 2011/2012 financial year as at 30 June 2011

Provinces such as the Western Cape, Mpumalanga and Gauteng responded much better than others, managing to achieve a compliance rate of 100% and 90% respectively by the due date. Such compliance levels are commended. The PSC continues to engage Provincial Departments in an effort to improve levels of compliance. As at 31 July 2011, a 100% compliance had also been attained in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo Provinces. Overall the compliance rate for provinces had risen to 78% by 26 August 2011. The PSC is also concerned about the North West Province where most of the HoDs were acting and were not expected to file their PAs. Only 3 out of a total of 12 HoDs in the Province qualified to file their PAs with the PSC. One of the three HoDs has since been placed on suspension.
The 2011/2012 overall compliance rate of 54% by both National and Provincial HoDs during the year under review remains a matter of serious concern to the PSC. Despite the due date having passed, the PSC will nonetheless continue engaging with EAs and the departments that could not file by the due date to do so before the end of this financial year.
Ongoing discussions to review the current Performance Management arrangements of HoDs are continuing between the Office Public Service Commission (OPSC), the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA). In the meantime, the PSC will continue facilitating performance management for HoDs according to the current arrangements with a commitment from DPME that it will support the PSC in carrying out this function.

[1] Republic of South Africa. Department of Public Service and Administration, Senior Management Service Handbook, 2003 (as amended)

[2] Public Service Commission Guidelines for the Evaluation of Heads of Department for the 2009/2010 Financial Year

[3] Republic of South Africa. Public Service Commission, Monthly Statistics on the Filing of Performance Agreements for the 2011/2012 financial year. 30 June 2011.