Speakers participating in the third instalment of industry association Consulting Engineers South Africa's 'Protecting Lives and Livelihoods' webinar series addressed the range of challenges and opportunities that exist all the road to professionalising South Africa's civil service to enable it to deliver services effectively and efficiently, and enable the greatest development of the country with available resources.

Civil service support organisation Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC) acting head Lindiwe Ndlela highlighted some of the work done by the centre to capacitate government structures and advise on blended resource models.

"The issue of State capability has been talked about enough and we now need to progress steadily with the large task of addressing the challenges and capacitating the State. GTAC has built partnerships with private sector organisations, research institutions and government organisations and departments that can be leveraged to improve capacity building in government structures and public organisations.

"It will be an iterative process owing to the scope of the challenge, but a keystone requirement is for government to be open to these partnerships and for the private sector and civil society to participate," she said.

Research institution Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) transport systems and operations manager and civil engineer Dr Mathetha Mokonyama highlighted some of the challenges, including a regulatory framework that was not fit-for-purpose and which delayed the implementation of projects, as well as slow capacity development following the development of State capacity prior to and during the 2010 World Cup build programmes.

The speakers agreed that the regulatory framework should be reviewed if it was hampering service delivery and that this was a necessary and natural part of policy development to ensure they achieve the intended objectives of the State and laws.

Mokonyama also described a culture of trepidation and fear as a specific challenge in government structures, with risks of and penalties for mistakes often outweighing the importance of progressing with projects or selecting a contractor.

There were also some risks to civil servants from political principals and their influence.

However, these challenges could be addressed with effective leadership, which could catalyse the delivery of projects by aligning objectives, supporting staff to comply with requirements and improving the work culture of the organisation, he averred.

"Rules are not a substitute for leadership, especially in South Africa where we need innovation in the design and delivery of projects, as well as dealing with the backlog of infrastructure development. Leaders can facilitate this change while also ensuring compliance with regulations," he said.

However, Ndlela and Public Affairs Research Institute State Reform Programme consultant and former South African civil servant Dr Florencia Belvedere agreed that accountability and holding civil servants to account for their performances were important for service delivery.

Belvedere added that accountability was a component of professionalisation and rules seek to establish standards, uphold suitable behaviour and ensure performance.

If people are not held to standards and requirements and continue to draw a salary without censure or risk, they become insensitive to the expectations placed on them and performance degrades, leading to lower service delivery, he noted.

A separate issue was civil servants who blew the whistle on unethical or illegal behaviour and were subjected to persecution and censure under the rules of the organisation, which contributed to high risks for civil servants who act ethically and conscientiously. Greater protection should be provided to civil service personnel who blow the whistle on undesirable activities.

"Ensuring that people appointed to positions have the requisite skills and capabilities will help to ensure that decisions are robust, projects achieve the required objectives and are able to withstand scrutiny and challenges," she added.

Additionally, Ndlela, who is a public servant with expertise in procurement regulations and who has worked in the National Treasury, said consultants were used to supplement skills, where these could not be found within government or through GTAC.

However, she questioned the reliance on consultants, which created a cycle of dependence and perpetuated an insufficiently capacitated civil service.

She stressed that consultants should not be making massive profits from their work for government.

"Part of building a capable State is developing the capacity of officials to do what they were hired to do. There must be a review of what functions should be available on a full-time basis in government offices and which are suitable for outsourcing to consultants. The current situation disempowers the State and creates a dependency on the private sector," she said.

The issue of a capable State is an important one that cannot be left to government alone, as State capability touches on everything in society and the economy, including inputs, throughputs and outputs.

"The debate on the size of the public service is significant and the obvious question is why we need a large civil service if there is a heavy reliance on consultants. This issue needs to be addressed, and all parts of society must contribute to furthering this conversation. It is not only a matter for Parliament or Cabinet, but one which all government organisations must grapple with," said Ndlela.

These topics are not popular but are important to create a capable developmental State that can deliver on the expectations and aspirations of the people in South Africa, she said.