There was no need to conduct investigations into the recruitment of senior management service (SMS) members without requisite qualifications for their positions, according to Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo.
Dlodlo was responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Mimmy Gondwe. Gondwe asked whether Dlodlo’s department had conducted any investigation into how 35% of senior public service employees were hired without the requisite qualifications for the positions they currently occupy.
Gondwe also asked whether the investigation established conclusively that these employees did indeed lack the requisite qualifications.
In her response Dlodlo said all heads of departments were sent a circular requesting them to verify the qualifications of their SMS members and to update information on the personnel and salaries (Persal) management system.
‘As a results (sic) of information relayed in the circular, the number of SMS members who do not have the requisite qualifications for the position they currently occupy, went down from 35% to 27.29 % by July 2021, and further to 26% by October 31, 2021.
‘This is because, as stated before, there might be SMS members who do possess proper qualifications, but such are not reflected on the Persal system,’ she said.
‘It was also revealed that some of the SMS members who were identified as not meeting minimum requirements became senior managers before the 2016 Public Service Regulations, as such they were compliant at the time of their joining the SMS,’ she said.