PRESIDENTIAL HOTLINE REPORT TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE: PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION & PLANNING MONITORING AND EVALUATION 22 NOVEMBER 2017

BACKGROUND Portfolio Committee for Public Service and Administration and Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation requested a detailed report on the successes, challenges and failures of government departments in adhering to the prescribed response times on complaints referred to them by the Presidential Hotline.

Service Delivery Monitoring Mechanisms DPME Frontline Monitoring Systems for Service Delivery Improvements Context: NDP Vision (2030) Capable, developmental public service and active citizenry Frontline Monitoring Approach Citizens monitoring Government: Presidential Hotline Citizen-based Monitoring (CBM) Presidential Special Projects, Izimbizo Government monitoring Government: Frontline Service Delivery Monitoring (FSDM) Presidential Siyahlola Engaging with the coalface of service delivery and citizens Service Delivery Monitoring Mechanisms

PROCESS FLOW OF COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT IN PRESIDENTIAL HOTLINE National Departments Offices of the Premier Provincial Departments Municipalities Facilities Integrated Reporting of Frontline Service Delivery Monitoring: Citizens / Civil Society / Government Programmes/ Facilities and projects National Development Plan 2030 / MTSF National Government Provincial Government Local Government

SUCCESSES Presidential Hotline (PH) is strategically located, and can catalyse service delivery blockages due to executive and political support at the highest level, such as Cabinet and Presidential Coordinating Committee; Data collected through the PH allows for data coming from lower levels of government, and can be disaggregated to facility, ward and local government level. This does aid evidence based decision making; Short term queries are resolved within the required 25 days’ turnaround time, e.g. water issues (cuts), electricity (replacements of electricity metres);

SUCCESSES continues.. PH has allowed citizens an opportunity to monitor government on service delivery across government daily; Real success has been realised where citizens lives have been improved because of the Hotline intervention (See attached Annexure 1) PH is an established participatory forum for all three spheres of government to resolve service deliver blockages; PH has improved and provided capacity building and skills transfer on government prescripts such as Batho Pele and customer care.

CHALLENGES Weak complaints management of provincial and municipality hotlines and reliance on the Presidential Hotline; Non-functioning hotlines of the OTPs and Municipalities as well as lack of accountability by responsible managers at provincial and municipality levels; The Heads of Departments in Provinces do not regard the Presidential Hotline as a management tool to deal with managers who do not take responsibility of their work.

Conclusion The resolution of complaints referred to departments by the PH requires an interrogation of the whole service delivery chain across the three spheres of government. Simultaneously, capacity has to be built to measure and assess resolution of complaints, customer satisfaction and redress mechanisms which operate close to the point of delivery. It will require strong leadership by DPME, OTP, DPSA and COGTA to fully realise an effective, responsive and accountable public service through a comprehensive complaints management and integrated service delivery systems.

Progress to Date DPME: Draft Concept Paper on Institutionilsation of Frontline Monitoring in Government. Strategic Intervention: Strengthening Coordination at the Centre of Government.

COGTA MINMEC Resolution - 11 August 2017 The Departments of Cooperative Governance and Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation should develop a collaboration framework / model to guide their collaboration on the Presidential Hotline and B2B Programme. These two government departments should work together and support each other.

Progress to Date continues Ongoing engagements with DPSA on strengthening the integration of the complaints management system of government. Offices of the Premier: Continuous Improvements and capacity building in frontline monitoring. Frontline Monitoring Annual Workshop 20-21 November 2017.

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