Public Service Commission Bill (B 30B-2023): Submission of Public Comment to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)

The submission by PARI, TEI, the Equality Collective, and PSAM supports the Public Service Commission Bill's goal of enhancing the PSC's impartiality and independence. However, it argues that the Bill fails to implement critical reforms from the National Development Plan and the 2022 Professionalisation Framework, specifically regarding the PSC's role in supporting merit-based senior appointments to prevent state capture. The authors propose several amendments, including a new section (12A) to empower the PSC to facilitate recruitment, requiring the mandatory release of reports in the public interest, and removing the President's authority to approve remunerative work for Commissioners to avoid political leverage.

• The authors identify a significant gap in the Bill: it does not empower the PSC to support selection processes for senior personnel, a reform recommended by the National Development Plan and the 2022 Professionalisation Framework to combat the 'strategic positioning of particular individuals in positions of power' used during state capture.
• To address the lack of oversight in senior appointments, the submission proposes inserting a new Section 12A that would allow the PSC to 'facilitate and administer recruitment and selection of candidates for the public administration' upon application by the appointing authority.
• The submission argues that Section 6(1)(b), which makes the President responsible for authorizing remunerative work for Commissioners, creates 'inappropriate political leverage' and suggests that such decisions should instead rest with a standing sub-committee of the PSC.
• The authors propose a new sub-section 12(4) to ensure transparency, requiring the PSC to 'promptly release on its website all finalised reports' that show substantial law contraventions or serious public safety and environmental risks.
• The submission recommends changing the wording of Section 13(2) from 'may' to 'must' to obligate the Commission to report the refusal or failure of executive authorities to provide reports to Parliament and other legislatures.
• The authors welcome the creation of a dedicated PSC Secretariat and the removal of political involvement in the appointment of its CEO, but propose that the CEO, Deputy CEO, and CFO be prohibited from holding office in any political party during their tenure.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2025). Public Service Commission Bill (B 30B-2023): Submission of Public Comment to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250916_PARI_TEI_PSAM_EC_Submission_NCOP_PSCBill_Sep25_v1.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Public Service Commission Bill (B 30B-2023): Submission of Public Comment to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). 2025. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250916_PARI_TEI_PSAM_EC_Submission_NCOP_PSCBill_Sep25_v1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Public Service Commission Bill (B 30B-2023): Submission of Public Comment to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) |date=12 September 2025 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250916_PARI_TEI_PSAM_EC_Submission_NCOP_PSCBill_Sep25_v1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2025public, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Public Service Commission Bill (B 30B-2023): Submission of Public Comment to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250916_PARI_TEI_PSAM_EC_Submission_NCOP_PSCBill_Sep25_v1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }