By Bahle Gama
It has been noted that the Civil Service Commission (CSC) is operating in an ever-changing terrain.
This birthed the realisation that for the Commission to remain relevant and responsive, it must go through a process of change and transformation, hence the development of the 2024-2029 strategic plan to be the Commission’s five-year roadmap that was handed over on Wednesday.
The strategic plan is courtesy of consultations by I-Smart Business Solutions (PTY) LTD also known as SAMKHO and the Technical Working Team.
Representing CSC Chairman, Princess Sibahle said the handover was aimed at ensuring that the Commission delivers on its constitutional mandate, and remains relevant, ethical, and responsive to the needs of its clientele both within and beyond government, with the expected level of efficiency, distinction, and integrity.
“After the journey of hard work and consultations that lasted for about six months, it is exciting to share with you the final product which is our roadmap for the next five years.
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It is indeed my singular honour to be serving at an exciting moment like this one.
It is exciting because it presents us as a Commission and the Secretariat with an opportunity to not only explore our full potential but also to work with all our stakeholders on what an ideal CSC and a responsive public service should look like,” she said.
Princess Sibahle said the strategic plan document spells out the vision, mission, values, Key Focus Areas, and implementation matrices and will also have a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
She said the Commission envisaged to be an epitome of excellence in the public service while ensuring independence, impartiality, high standards of professionalism, and attracting relevant and high-performing staff for the Civil Service.
“This will be founded on the values of professionalism, service excellence, integrity, innovation, inclusivity, confidentiality, and teamwork,” said Princess Sibahle.
She stated that the Commission strongly believes that effective implementation of the seven key focus areas of the strategic plan covering Service Excellence, Internal Systems and procedures, Institutional Capacity Building,
Advocacy, Image and Reputation, Partnership and Collaboration, Legal and Regulatory Framework as well as Resource Mobilization and Financial Sustainability will indeed propel the Commission to be an epitome of excellence in the Public Service.
The Commission extended appreciation to the Ministry of Public Service, and all strategic partners, in particular the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the untiring support of the Commission’s work without which, the document would not have been.
“We have embarked on this journey to ensure that the Commission remains relevant, ethical, and responsive to the dynamic needs of the Public Service of the 21st Century,” she said.
The financial and technical support from the UNDP she said has not only made it possible to procure the services of the consultant who led the strategic plan development process, but also given the Commission impetus to look into the future with hope and determination.
She stated that the Commission counts on the UNDP’s continued support in ensuring the effective implementation of key focus areas in the plan and other activities they intend to pursue.
“It is a factual reality that for us to attain our vision, like an eagle; we need to go through a process of change and transformation in terms of our internal systems, business processes,
interaction with our stakeholders, resource allocation, and management for the business of the Commission, our reputation and how the nation views us as well as our internal capacity.,” she said.
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Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service said the CSC’s work is central to the government’s mandate and the aspiration of emaSwati.
He said an effective CSC coupled with the effective implementation of the Performance Management System (PMS) currently being pursued by the Ministry will get the desired future,
to which efficient and effective Public Service delivery is central as echoed by the Nation during the Sibaya People’s Parliament.
“The support of Strategic Partners like UNDP among others is invaluable to both the mandate of the Ministry of Public Service and the Commission in pursuit of all our strategic objectives,” reiterated the PS.
