Proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) Submission of Public Comments

PARI supports proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) that devolve administrative powers to heads of department (HODs) and standardise conditions of service. However, PARI argues that these changes must be accompanied by a structured recruitment mechanism involving the Public Service Commission (PSC) to prevent political patronage. The institute also notes the absence of proposed tenure extensions for HODs and suggests strengthening rules against employees conducting business with the state by including beneficial owners, not just directors.

• PARI supports the proposed PSA amendments that devolve administrative powers to heads of department (HODs) while keeping strategic powers with the executive authority, and the expansion of the Director-General in the Presidency's role to include functions of an administrative head of the public service.
• The document welcomes PAMA amendments intended to standardise conditions of service to facilitate a single public service and the movement of staff across government spheres and public entities.
• PARI argues that the power of HODs to recruit and appoint staff must be governed by regulations that establish checks and balances to prevent political imperatives from favouring specific candidates.
• To ensure non-partisan appointments, PARI proposes a four-stage process (planning, administration, short-listing, and final appointment) where the Public Service Commission (PSC) manages planning and administration and chairs selection committees for senior roles.
• PARI observes that the proposed PSA amendments fail to extend the tenure of HODs, despite this being recommended in the National Development Plan and the Draft National Implementation Framework.
• The document suggests that PAMA amendments regarding employees conducting business with the state are insufficient because they focus on directors; PARI recommends expanding this to include beneficial owners or share holders to prevent them from being the ultimate beneficiaries of state contracts.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (n.d.). Proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) Submission of Public Comments. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ACP_20210506_PARI_Submission_Legislative-Amendments-PSA-PAMA-v1.026.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) Submission of Public Comments. n.d. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ACP_20210506_PARI_Submission_Legislative-Amendments-PSA-PAMA-v1.026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) Submission of Public Comments |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ACP_20210506_PARI_Submission_Legislative-Amendments-PSA-PAMA-v1.026.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{publicaffairsresearchinstitutendproposed, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA) and Public Administration Management Act (PAMA) Submission of Public Comments}}, publisher = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ACP_20210506_PARI_Submission_Legislative-Amendments-PSA-PAMA-v1.026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }