BREAKING NEWS – Plans to merge government departments, transfer responsibilities

During its first meeting on Tuesday the Executive Council (Exco) discussed the possibilities of reconfiguring government departments.
When briefing the media on the outcomes of the meeting yesterday (Wednesday), MEC for Transport and Community Safety Dickson Masemola indicated that the process would include thorough consultations with employers and employee representatives to ensure that there is no loss of employment or benefits. The proposed reconfiguration would be done within the public service legal prescripts, he explained.
Masemola went on to indicate that there were plans to merge the Department of Community Safety and the Department of Transport into one department which is to be renamed Department of Transport and Community Safety with one MEC and one head of department, and transfer the roads maintenance functions from the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure to Road Agency Limpopo.
“Plans are in place to relocate the early childhood development functions from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Education. Relocate the Limpopo Agri-Business Development Corporation from Limpopo Economic Development Agency (Leda) to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and re-establish the Limpopo Business Support Agency (Libsa) as a stand-alone entity with the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Thabo Mokone as the shareholder,” Masemola said.
He further highlighted that a task team would be constituted to conduct a substantive feasibility study on the unbundling of Leda structure, adding that they would also undertake a review of the roles and responsibilities of the Provincial Treasury and Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs in executing their municipal finance functions to eliminate duplications and to create synergy between the two departments.
Masemola reiterated the need to undertake a diagnostic re-engineering of the organisational structure of the Department of Health to enhance the effectiveness and efficiencies within the departmental Human Resources and financial management performance. He concluded by saying plans were also in place to transfer HIV/ Aids functions in schools to the Department of Health.

Story and photo: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za