by Phumla Mkize
The director-general in the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), Yoliswa Makhasi, has shared some staggering figures regarding positions in the public service at the annual Future of Work 4IR Dialogue.
Of the 1.2 million public servants in South Africa, said Makhasi, 63.47 are female and 37.53% are male. Despite their high numbers, she added, only 45.2% of women are in senior management positions in the public sector, compared to 54.8% men.
Makhasi – one of the speakers at the start of the two-day dialogue, which was held in Menlyn Maine, in Pretoria East – also said contrary to popular belief, only 10 000 of public servants are in senior management positions.
The Annual Future of Work 4IR Dialogue, which took place on 11 and 12 November, was hosted by TUT’s Institute for the Future of Work. Held under the theme “Collaborate, Innovate, Thrive: Unleashing Innovation to Build a Future-Ready Africa”, it brought together thought leaders in business, government, academia, research, innovation and finance to find practical solutions to fast-track the adoption of new technologies to improve inclusive economic growth in Africa.
Makhasi also revealed that only 0.3% of public servants are employed in ICT roles in a national of provincial department.
Department of Public Service and Administration director-general, Yoliswa Makhasi, says only 45.2% of women are in senior management positions in the public sector.
The number of young people in the public service in South Africa is also low for a country whose population is predominantly young. Only 25% of public servants are below 35 years, while 75% are aged 35 and above.
These astonishing figures, said Makhasi, have policy implications for the government. Not only does the public service need basic digital skills, but it also needs to review its organisational structure and resource allocation.
Dr Naledi Gallant, CEO of Dalitso Holdings, says digital skills are the new literacy.
“The approach of the DPSA is that the government must work on its systems,” said Makhasi.
“There are a lot of skills that come up in the skills audit; the government therefore needs an integrated human resource management,” she said.
In his presentation on the second day of the dialogue, former CEO of General Electric Nyimpini Mabunda, said South Africa and the continent must leverage the power of its young population.
The youth, said Mabunda, are an important role player for South Africa to exploit the opportunities presented by technology.
Young people, he explained, have no attachment to how things were done in the past and are therefore the best people to learn new technologies and new ways of working.
Mabunda said in addition to its mineral wealth, vast tourism attractions and renewable energy potential, Africa’s young population is its biggest resource.
“Countries such as Japan are using robots to assist in taking care of the aged. South Africa [on the other hand] has a shortage of nurses because our nurses are working in Europe and Australia,” said Mabunda highlighting the value the youth is adding beyond the South African borders.
TUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, said university graduates must have entrepreneurial flair and capability.
“The job market is being shaken to the core; it had been transformed fundamentally. The job market is vulnerable; it does not know which jobs it is going to need in the next ten years,” he said adding that universities must be fluent in artificial intelligence (AI).
Dr Naledi Gallant, CEO of Dalitso Holdings, said digital skills are the new literacy.
“Schools and universities must fast-track modernising programmes to prepare students for the digital environment,” she said.
Gallant said digital skills and entrepreneurship must be embedded in all subjects: “Let’s not isolate digital skills from the rest of the curriculum.”
Tshepiso Teffo, technical advisor for the German government agency GIZ, lamented the lack of opportunities for young people in South Africa calling for an agile partnership between institutions and industry to provide opportunities for the youth.
“It is an investment to collaborate,” he said.
Tshepiso Teffo, technical advisor for the German agency, GIZ, laments the lack of opportunities for young people in South Africa.
Teffo said in addition to mentorship opportunities and labour market information, there should be non-formal qualifications alongside formal qualifications to ensure continuous development of young people.
“We see a lot of zigzagging from internships and learnerships to another due to high unemployment rate among the youth. Learnerships and internships are used as ways to generate income, and this is not the purpose of learnerships and internships,” he said.