Deputy Minister Dina Pule on her meeting with the Western Cape Executive Council

Today the Deputy Minister for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, Ms Dina Pule, MP, met with the Premier of Western Cape, Ms Helen Zille and the provincial MECs. 

The purpose of the meeting was to outline the work of her office and share the approach and processes to be followed to ensure that there is cooperation and sound relations amongst all government spheres in pursuing performance monitoring and evaluation.  The visit follows similar visits to other provinces aimed at beefing up the performance monitoring and evaluation function across government.   

Deputy Minister Pule informed the Provincial Cabinet that national government was working on a mechanism to streamline reporting within government to allow departments and local government to focus on service delivery. The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of hands on, direct monitoring of frontline service delivery as opposed to the exclusive reliance on reports and other desk top monitoring.  She stressed that the implementation and success of this monitoring and evaluation approach hinged on close collaboration and cooperation between all spheres of government toward enhanced service delivery.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that communication remains a crucial tool for government to account to citizens.  Often service delivery in local communities goes unnoticed leading to misperceptions about government performance. She stressed, however, that communication channels must also be in place for citizens to raise their problems and ideas with government very early.
 
She indicated that as part of assessing service delivery trends based on the five key priorities of government, her office will from time to time pay unannounced visits to service delivery points with the aim to assess what is working and what is not working, and advise on intervention measures required.  

In response, the Premier indicated that the Western Cape government would not be found wanting in the implementation of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan. She committed the provincial government, in the spirit of intergovernmental relations, to be responsive to the needs of the people of the Western Cape while complying with monitoring and evaluation commitments.   She asked that her government be monitored according to its strategic plan and not compliance with national performance management guidelines.     

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Issued by Government Communications (GCIS) on behalf of Deputy Minister Dina Pule