SOUTH AFRICA
Concern over PS entrepreneurs
South African MPs are concerned about the number of senior Public Servants who are failing to declare their interests in private businesses.
Chair of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, Joe Maswanganyi said this was in clear breach of the Public Service Regulations 2016.
He said the Public Service Commission had issued a report revealing that 721 PS staff at senior management level had failed to declare their business interests.
Of these, there were 19 Heads of Departments at both national and provincial levels, Mr Maswanganyi said.
Pretoria, 11 July 2018
KUWAIT
PS expat dismissals increase
More than 1,600 expatriate Public Servants have been dismissed so far this year, according to the Kuwaiti Civil Service Commission (CSC).
“Of the 1,629 employees terminated, 1,431 lost their jobs in the last three months alone,” the CSC said.
The terminations come as Kuwait works to create more jobs for its nationals in state Departments.
In 2017, 666 expatriate employees lost their jobs.
CSC statistics show that, as of 1 July, there were 352,169 public sector employees.
Of these, 76.13 per cent, or 268,100, were Kuwaiti nationals — an increase of 2,478 from the previous year.
Kuwait City, 6 July 2018
EUROPEAN UNION
EU to transform state media
Six Public Service media organisations from the Western Balkans have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that paves the way for their cooperation on a European Union–funded project of assistance worth €1.5 million (A$2.4 million).
The project will run for the next two years with the aim of facilitating transformation of state media into a genuine service for citizens.
This represents one of the EU’s priorities in the Western Balkans.
Head of the EU Delegation that negotiated the MoU, Romana Vlahutin said the defining features of public broadcasting were its inclusiveness and independence.
She said it was funded by the public and therefore it should be made for the public, serve the public and be controlled by the public.
“This project will be promoting European standards and regional exchanges of best practices as a common frame of reference for independent and professional media,” Ms Vlahutin said.
Brussels, 6 July 2018
CHAD
Striking PS to be forced to work
Chad’s Government plans to employ a little used law to force striking Public Servants back to work, an official spokesperson says.
The spokesperson said that Law 32, which stipulates that PS employees can strike only for three days in each month, will be brought into force.
The spokesperson accused union officials of making unrealistic and unsustainable proposals, ignoring the critical state of the Treasury.
The strike has been in progress since 26 May after the Government announced Public Service pay would have to be reduced.
N’Djamena, 6 July 2018
UNITED KINGDOM
Department fails on apprentices
The UK’s Department for Education has been attacked for being unable to say whether more than one-third of its apprentices are new or existing Public Servants.
As of 10 May, the Department had 186 employed apprentices and, through a Freedom of Information request, it revealed that 76 of these were existing PS employees and 36 were new entrants.
However, for 74 of these apprentices the Department admitted it did not know whether or not they were new employees as it gathered the data via a questionnaire and not all the questionnaires were returned.
Lord Watson of Invergowrie, who had asked for the information, called the situation ridiculous and said it did not inspire confidence for employers dealing with the complexities of the apprenticeship levy.
London, 7 July 2018
UNITED STATES
Racist police officer reinstated
A Colorado Police Chief’s decision to sack an officer for a disparaging racial remark caught on a body camera has been overruled by the local Civil Service Commission.
Chief Nick Metz (pictured) said he was disappointed at the decision to reinstate Charles Deshazer to the City of Aurora Police Force at a lower rank.
Mr Deshazer was responding to a police shooting a year ago when he referred to a crowd of African-Americans who surrounded the police scene as “Alabama porch monkeys”.
“I felt the termination was the correct course of action,” Chief Metz said.
“I felt that it would send a strong message internally and externally about what our expectations are in this Agency and we have set a high bar.”
Denver, 12 July 2018
NIGERIA
Jail for employing daughter
The former head of a Local Education Authority in the Nigerian State of Delta, Abayomi Kelekumor has been sentenced to five years in jail for employing his daughter.
In its judgment, the State High Court said Mr Kelekumor knew his daughter — a secondary school student who he employed as a messenger — was not qualified to enter Local Government service.
Mr Kelekumor was found guilty of violating the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 by using his position to confer unfair advantage on a relation.
The judge ruled the defendant should serve his full sentence without the option of paying a fine.
Asaba, 8 July 2018
ZAMBIA
PS told to be less bureaucratic
Zambian Public Servants have been told they need to be less bureaucratic if the country is to attract more foreign investment.
Minister for Works and Supply, Felix Mutati said bureaucracy had become the biggest enemy of progress in the country and the Public Service must change its attitude if the nation’s development agenda was to succeed.
He warned the Government would not tolerate the tendency by some workers to “lose” files when they decided the required actions were too difficult or time-consuming.
However, he noted that Luapula Province was an exception and applauded its successful efforts to woo investors.
Lusaka, 9 July 2018
