There’s been a huge outcry since Acting Public Service and Administration Minister Thulas Nxesi recently revealed in the National Assembly that there are a total of 75 senior-level managers in Northern Cape Provincial Government departments without the required qualifications.
Only the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation has no senior managers without the required qualifications.
The Departments of Economic Development and Tourism, Education and Health each have 10 senior managers without the necessary qualifications. Next is the Department of Roads and Public Works with eight. The premier’s office and Agriculture Department have seven each.
Trade union Nehawu says they’ve been raising the issue for years. They argue that recruitment processes are skewed.
“All we are arguing when people are being appointed at senior management level and even middle management sometimes criteria is being overlooked and what is expected from certain positions. But when it comes to lower-level employees we have seen that our members always complain that even though they might meet the criteria, they are being overlooked. That is a concern to us,” says Jacques Cupido from Nehawu.
The Northern Cape provincial government says some of the positions were filled before the requirements for qualifications became a norm.
“The national school of government is currently busy on a very rigorous campaign to ensure that all managers do comply and do upskill to ensure that they do meet the requirements. But also on the other side, some of the managers have in the past few years gained qualifications but however never bothered to provide that to their managers so we can capture those,” says Northern Cape Administration Director General Justice Bekebeke.
The provincial government maintains that unemployed graduates remain a priority for them and they try to employ them in government or facilitate employment in the private sector or as entrepreneurs.
VIDEO: Concern over unqualified senior managers in Northern Cape government departments:
