DIRCO Annual Report

4. INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 4.1 Programme 1: Administration Purpose: Provide strategic leadership, management and support services to the department Description: Provide the leadership and support functions that enable the department to effectively and efficiently engage in its international activities Subprogrammes: Ministry; Departmental Management; Audit Services; Financial Management; Corporate Services; Diplomatic Training, Research and Development (DTRD); Foreign Fixed Assets Management; Office Accommodation; Office of the Chief State Law Adviser (IL) Corporate Management The strategic objective of Corporate Management is to implement effective human resource (HR) management to make certain that adequate and sufficient skilled resources are in place and that performance is monitored, as well as to provide an integrated ICT system that enables delivery of the department’s mandate. During the reporting period, the department had a vacancy rate of 15%, which is above the national average vacancy rate of 10%. The vacancy rate increased from the previous financial year (12.3%), as all vacant posts are unfunded and could not be filled in order to reduce the shortfall on the Compensation of Employees’ budget. Only one critical post, namely the post of Chief Information Officer (CIO), was filled during the reporting period. A number of Foreign Service Codes, in line with the implementation of the new Foreign Service Act, have been developed. A total of 86% of eligible Senior Management Service (SMS) members signed and submitted performance agreements within the prescribed time frame for the 2020/21 performance year. Non-compliance by 14% of the SMS members was due to the National State of Disaster, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and some SMS members were being transferred internally (from mission to Head Office and vice versa). Transferring SMS members had a three- months’

grace period within which their performance agreements were concluded and submitted. The department further ensured that performance was effectively monitored through conducting performance assessments for all eligible employees, including SMS members. The department did not enrol any new interns during the 2020/21 financial year due to financial constraints. Fifty-eight out of a total of seventy-nine interns’ contracts came to an end and those were terminated by November 2020. There are now only twenty-one interns’ contracts that are still valid, but those will expire and be terminated during 2021/22 financial year. Twenty-three training programmes were implemented in line with the 2020/21 Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) of the department. A target of training programmes was set, however, due to critical skills requirements for employees identified for placement in positions for missions abroad, three additional training programmes were implemented. To ensure that there is consistency in the management of discipline, guidelines were revised during the year under review. The revised guidelines on discipline management were placed on the intranet for easier access by all staff within the department. Due to the national lockdown and restricted face- to- face interaction, engagements with senior managers were held virtually on request, advising them on suitable processes pertaining to discipline management and handling of grievances. There was a marked decrease in misconduct cases and grievances during the year under review. In addition, the lockdown across the globe and the international travel ban contributed to major delays in the finalisation of misconduct cases and investigation of grievances. Almost all cases commenced long after they were reported and could only be initiated virtually, ensuring adherence to lockdown protocols. The handling of disputes and litigation cases was equally affected by the national lockdown. As a result of the circumstances, the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) and the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council (GPSSBC) made arrangements for virtual hearings to be commenced only when it was realised that the protocols to reduce transmission of the pandemic were to remain in place for much longer. Thus, fewer dispute cases were handled during the year under review. Since the national lockdown restrictions and remote working conditions were effective from the beginning of the reporting period, reliance was placed mainly on telephonic counselling

Department of International Relations and Cooperation

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