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Recruitment and selection practices in the public services : the case of the Department of Public Works in the Free State Province / Sekhesi Simon Thulo

Legislation clearly stipulates for the principle of public service delivery to all the citizens
of the country. It is the task of national and provincial government departments to
prioritise service delivery (RSA, 1997:10). The quality of services delivered to the public
by the national and provincial departments, relies significantly on the quality, skills and
capabilities of the public officials. Therefore, recruitment of public officials must not only
identify and attract potential employees but ensure that all appointees possess the skills
and ability to enable public service departments to achieve their strategic goals and
objectives, and subsequently provide quality services to the public.
Based on an investigation conducted by the Public Service Commission (PSC), it was
determined that most do not comply with the recruitment and selection requirements
(PSC, 2006:8). In addition to the non-compliance with policy guidelines pertaining to
recruitment and selection, as provided by the PSC through the Toolkit on Recruitment
and Selection of 2006, the PSC, through an investigation on various HRM practices in
the public service during 2010, found that widespread non-compliance with recruitment
and selection guidelines are still prevalent.
It is evident that departments are struggling to effectively implement recruitment and
selection processes as stipulated in legislation and outlined in the policy documents. This
study aimed to address: The non-compliance with legislation and policy requirements
pertaining to the implementation of recruitment and selection practices which prevent
departments in the public sector from appointing the most suitable employees to deliver
on their mandate.
A theoretical overview pertaining to recruitment and selection was conducted in the
public service. Attention was also given to recruitment and best practices, which may be
applicable to the Free State DPW. Furthermore, broad HRM legislation and policy,
directing the implementation of recruitment and selection practices in the public service,
was reviewed. An outline of legislation and policy as well as the recruitment and selection
practices particularly applicable for its implementation in the Free State DPW public
service was provided.
The qualitative and quantitative research approaches were utilised in this study. Personal
interviews and a semi-structured questionnaire were used as data collection instruments.
Interviews were held with senior managers and middle managers involved in the process
and experienced in strategic planning in the Free State DPW. The questionnaire was
distributed to the line managers and junior officials who work with recruitment and
selection practices in the department as well as union representatives. The empirical
findings of the study were applied to the public service as a whole and recommendations
were made on the implementation of recruitment and selection practices in the Free
State DPW and the public service at large. / Master of Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/15608
Date January 2014
CreatorsThulo, Sekhesi Simon
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis

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