PSP calls for results-driven Public Service transformation
Permanent Secretary to the President Matshidiso Bokole has pledged support for a focused, responsive, accountable and results-driven Public Service, stressing that transformation must be owned and led collectively by officers themselves.
Speaking at the Public Service Conference Fireside Chat under the theme Charting the Path Forward on Public Service Delivery, Bokole said: “We must create an environment where public officers understand what is expected of them, are equipped and empowered to perform, recognised for excellence, and held accountable for results.”
She emphasised that citizens must increasingly experience a government that listens, responds and delivers, with execution as the starting point. Clear national ambitions, she said, must be translated into measurable outcomes through Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Bokole underlined the need for: Disciplined prioritisation and stronger coordination across government; measurable deliverables and consistent monitoring; and early identification and resolution of constraints when delivery is off track.
She noted that past reforms have laid important foundations, but the priority now is to ensure reform translates into implementation and demonstrable impact. This requires defined outcomes, accountable officers, timelines, and regular performance reviews.
Accountability, she stressed, must cascade from Permanent Secretaries through all levels of management, matched by authority, capability and support. Successful execution depends on people and institutional capacity, including leadership renewal, succession planning, mentoring, and knowledge transfer.
Initiatives such as the Leadership Transformation Programme are already supporting this agenda, she said, by strengthening leadership systems and institutional renewal.