Phindile Baleni, the first female director-general in the Presidency, has been elevated to become the most powerful civil servant in South Africa.
Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele announced on Thursday that Baleni has been appointed as the head of public administration, which means director-generals of departments now report to her, making the former head of department in the office of the erstwhile Gauteng premier David Makhura effectively a de facto prime minister.
Gungubele said the heads of departments in provincial departments would now report to the director-general in the office of the premier.
In the current legislation, director-generals reported to President Cyril Ramaphosa, although working under the political guidance of ministers. Ramaphosa and previous presidents were often forced to intervene whenever there was a dispute between a minister and a director-general.
Turf wars between ministers and director-generals have often led to a high turnover of senior public servants in departments. The latest battle between Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan and the department’s director-general Kgathatso Tlhakudi has seen the latter being suspended for overruling a panel in the appointment of a security manager.
Gungubele said the cabinet had approved a report that made several proposals to strengthen the public service. A performance management system for director-generals is being revised to align with the approved changes.
“The acting minister of public service and administration will next week convene a media briefing to outline the national implementation framework towards the professionalisation of the public service and also unpack the approved changes to the conditions of employment for director-generals,” said Gungubele.
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