‘For the Department to pride itself as an implementing agent of choice for all public infrastructure development in the Province, it must critically evaluate and continuously review its policies, systems and strategies, exercise leadership at all levels and also have a shared and common vision’. These were the sentiments echoed by the Acting Head of the Department, Mr Thulani Mdadane during the Departmental Strategic Planning Workshop held at Head Office in Pietermaritzburg on the 25 and 26 May 2017.
Acting HOD: Mr Thulani Mdadane outlining the new strategic focus
Mr Mdadane referred to the workshop as a consultative session and not a performance management meeting, calling for each individual voices to count. He urged officials to be fully effective and have a better understanding of the relevant National Development Plan (NDP Vision 2030) chapters; the Provincial Growth and Development Plan/Strategy (PGDP/S) – including the pronouncements made during the President’s SONA, the Premier’s SOPA and theMEC Budget Speech.
He also stressed the importance of understanding the Annual Performance Plan; the Treasury Regulations/ Practise Notes (Infrastructure Delivery Management System) as well as theStandards Opening Procedures (SOPs). He said capacity coupled with good leadership, delivering services on time and within approved budget limitations and having effective systems in place would boost the image of the department, subsequently winning the confidence of the client departments. In addition, he stressed the importance of good governance and risk management at all operational levels and emphasized the role of Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Government Oversight Structures.
Departmental officials paying attention to the Acting HOD remarks
The issue of Radical Socio-Economic Transformation was also central to the Acting HOD, as he remarked, it was “not an option but a requirement”. In this regard, he said there was an urgent need to transform the sector vigorously through the redefined strategies that involves changing the current organisational culture –including the transformation of procurement policies in favour of the targeted affirmative procurement biased towards the historically marginalised black entrepreneurs.
The workshop also served as a consultative and information-sharing platform for the public service sectors concerned with infrastructure development. Amongst other workshop objectives, was to assess departmental performance against the Provincial mandate, goals and objectives as well as devise new strategies to ensure qualitative service delivery in line with the vision and mission.
Various speakers including the client departments delivered presentations. These presentations covered the Green Agenda, the Provincial Growth & Development Strategy, new developments in Supply Chain Management, Performance Management Assessment Tool, Land Disposal Strategy & Policy; and Maintenance Strategy. Each of these presentations were interrogated during the ‘question-and-answer’ session.
The session broke into six (6) commissions towards the end of business, in the late afternoon of ‘Day 1’, namely,:- Radical Social / Economic Transformation; Becoming an implementing agent of choice; Back to Basics towards Service Excellence; Ethical and committed leadership; Business Radicalisation 1 (programme 2); Business Radicalisation 2 (programme 3).
Each commission presented on Day 2 and members on the floor including the Acting HOD provided valuable inputs and suggestions. The workshop proceedings went smooth and there was a high level of professional interaction, which indicated a collective ‘buy-in’ to what the Acting HOD referred to as a common and shared vision.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Mdadane expressed his appreciation to all officials and indicated that all workshop resolutions will be integrated for further discussion at EXCO and MANCO level, thereafter the resolutions will be circulated to staff.
It is worth noting that sharing information and feedback regularly to employees at this level will continue finding them focussed in the departmental activities. Subsequently, that will make a significant difference in supporting the success of future strategic plans. Over the years of continued involvement with this exercise, every official will eventually feel passionate for being part of the system that will seek to realise an economically transformed department through radical platforms and continue moving South Africa forward.