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PRESENTATION OF THE PSC REPORT ON
THE IMPACT OF RECRUITMENT AND
SELECTION PRACTICES ON THE
FUNCTIONALITY OF SELECTED NATIONAL
AND PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENTS
OCTOBER 2015
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT

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OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION
1) Introduction
2) Mandate, role and responsibilities of Public Service
Commission (PSC)
3) Problem Statement
4) Methodology
5) Findings
6) Recommendations
7) Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION
• The purpose of this engagement is to share information with the
Minister and the Minister’s team regarding the findings and
recommendations of the PSC in respect of its report on:
“The impact of recruitment and selection practices on the
functionality of selected national and provincial departments”.

4. MANDATE, ROLE AND
RESPONSIBILITIES
• The PSC derives its mandate from sections 196 of the
Constitution and the Public Service Act, which vests it with
oversight responsibilities on the organisation, administration and
performance of the Public Service.
• In summary, the PSC is a constitutional body entrusted with the
powers and functions to investigate, monitor, evaluate, propose
measures, give directives, promote, advise and report on the
organisation, administration, personnel practices, values and
principles, effective and efficient performance of the Public
Service.
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
• There has been non-compliance with Departmental HRM policies
and procedures, inconsistency in the implementation of legislative
and regulatory framework (PSA and Regulations) and allegations of
nepotism during Recruitment and Selection processes. The PSC
report on the Assessment of the State of HRM in the Public Service
(2010) revealed this.
• Cognisant of the importance of recruitment and selection, the
challenges alluded to above and approximately 1388 grievances
related to recruitment and selection reported by departments to PSC
for 2013/14, the PSC decided to undertake a study on the impact of
recruitment and selection practices on the functionality of selected
national and provincial departments.
.

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METHODOLOGY
• A total of 35 selected national and provincial departments were
identified to participate in the study.
• Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to Employees,
Organised Labour representatives and Human Resources officials.
• A total of 999 completed questionnaires were received.
• A review of the applicable legislations and prescripts was
conducted.
• Focus group discussions with officials from various selected
departments to discuss the draft findings and recommendations
were held.

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FINDINGS
• Departments do not verify if posts are funded before embarking on
recruitment and selection processes, resulting in processes being
stopped at the later stage.
• Some employees experience performance challenges due to being
incorrectly placed, thus resulting in functions being reassigned to
performing officials, and thus creating work-overload for few
employees.
• There is non-compliance with prescripts which leads to incidents of
irregular appointments, which in turn contribute towards staff
demoralization.
• There is a perception that in the education sector there is too much
control by trade unions in determining who should be appointed,
and this has ripple effects on staff morale and motivation.

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FINDINGS (2)
• It is also alleged that in some areas competent and dedicated
educators have lost faith in the system because their upward
mobility is ‘in the hands of union members’ who do not have
knowledge of staff performance in specific schools.
• Some employees are not aware of their departmental recruitment
and selection policies.
• The study revealed that some departments do not provide a job
analysis outline before a post is advertised and sometimes posts
are filled without even being advertised;
• Respondents further indicated that inexperienced and under
qualified individuals are appointed to positions due to non-
compliance with recruitment and selection policies.

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FINDINGS (3)
• It was also reported that the inability of HR practitioners to play
the role of strategic partners in departments results in some of the
recruitment and selection challenges.
• There are views that recruitment and selection processes in the
Public Service can easily be manipulated – hence discrimination,
tribalism, nepotism, interference by executive authorities and
senior managers are some of the practises that were cited as
different forms of manipulation.
• Recruitment and Selection challenges contribute negatively
towards employee performance and strained labour relations in
departments.

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FINDINGS (4)
• Some employees are reluctant to lodge grievances related to
recruitment and selection due to fear for victimisation.
• The study revealed that poor performance is not being managed,
thus resulting in the uneven distribution of work among
employees and work overload for some employees to cover up
for underperforming employees.
• There is a general lack of compliance with and inconsistent
application of recruitment and selection policies and prescripts in
some departments.
• It seems there is confusion on the specific roles of different
stakeholders in departments and schools in particular when it
comes to recruitment and selection, especially in the Education
Department, KZN.

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RECOMMENDATIONS
• Departments should use the PSC’s Toolkit on Recruitment and
Selection to ensure the appointment of people who meet the job
requirements in terms of appropriate educational background,
skills, competencies and experience within the parameters of
applicable legislative prescripts and the human resource policy
framework.
• An in-depth investigation should be carried out using a case study
methodology to establish the extent of the challenges and impact
in selected departments.
• A longitudinal study should be carried out to establish the impact
of recruitment and selection practices on the functionality and
effectiveness of departments in the Public Service.

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CONCLUSION
• People are the most important asset and the key determinant to
whether departments will achieve their objectives or not.
• Mechanisms must be put in place to limit and/or address
Recruitment and Selection challenges.
• The PSC hopes that this engagement will result in continuous
interactions for purposes of improving governance in public
administration. Departments are invited to engage with the report
discussed for detailed information to facilitate internal reflection and
enhance further engagements.
Report accessible at: www.psc.gov.za

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