An assessment of the impact of monitoring and evaluation in the North West Provincial Department of finance

Abstract

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is Constitutionally vested with the mandate to promote good governance in the Public Service. In terms of the mandate, the PSC is empowered to investigate, monitor and evaluate the organisation, administration and personnel practices of the public service and to advice national and provincial organs of state, as well as to promote a high standard of professional ethics. In 2000, the PSC initiated the transversal public service monitoring and evaluation system (PSM&ES). This system looks at the extent to which Departments comply with the nine values and principles for public administration prescribed in chapter 10, section 195(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa , 1996. The research involves analysing departmental performance against a performance indicator for each principle, using a specially designed assessment framework. The research , to assess the extent to which good governance is being practised , was first conducted in the Department of Finance during the 2003/2004 financial year by the PSC, with specific reference the Department's performance for the 2002/2003 financial year. The main objective of this study was to assess the level of implementation of and compliance with the nine Constitutional values and principles in the North West Provincial Department of Finance and the impact that M&E has in improving service delivery and therefore good governance. At least five financial years had passed since this research was conducted in the Department of Finance and a report presented to the Head of Department.