Signing of Public Service Amendment Bill into law ‘will immediately interrupt cadre deployment'

A bill that could transform governance in South Africa has been approved by both houses of Parliament and now awaits the President's signature.

The Public Service Amendment Bill is considered one of the most significant reforms since the 1996 Constitution was adopted.

Dr Ivor Chipkin, cofounder and Director of the New South Institute (NSI), describes the legislation as a 'historic turning point'.

"It establishes in law for the first time the difference between political office and administrative office. It will prevent, in law anyway, our politicians from having administrative powers.

"Currently, what we have is a situation where our politicians, the President, cabinet ministers at a national level, and MECs at a provincial level, have powers over administrative decisions, the appointment of public servants, but even discretion over day-to-day decisions about how the department or the office should be run. These are traditionally administrative areas. The amendment takes away those powers from politicians, essentially, to meddle in the administrative functions of government departments. That is an extraordinary development.

"Appointments into the public service will now have to go through a different route, a professional route, hopefully, one where people are selected based on merit, based on their experience, based on their skills and knowledge to do the job.

"It will immediately interrupt cadre deployment."

To listen to Chipkin in conversation with 702's Bongani Bingwa, click below: