Economic Development Annual Report

Annual Report 2023/2024 Mpumalanga: Department of Economic Development and Tourism - Vote 6

2.3 Organisational environment During the period under review, the Department filled a senior management position in Programme 3 by appointing a female to the position. The position had been vacant for an extended period of time. This has contributed towards improving the EE profile of the Department at SMS level to 37%, albeit still below the required 50%. However, the post of the Head of Department remains vacant, and the Department continues to be led by an acting Head of Department since 01 December 2020. This is because Heads of Departments are appointed by the Office of the Premier, and recruitment has been halted in this regard. During the year under review, seven appointments were done in the form of five internal promotions and recruitment of two Interns, and this had a positive impact towards improving staff morale. The appointment of full-term boards and CEOs for MTPA and MEGA were also finalised, and this contributed to the stability of the Entities as the implementing agencies of the Department. With regards to labour relations issues, two senior managers received precautionary suspensions, and this had an impact on the morale of the management team. However, the two SMS members were cleared of the charges and subsequently returned to work. It should be noted that female employees were empowered by being appointed to act in the affected SMS positions during the period of precautionary suspensions. A lot of emphasis was given towards establishing governance structures to ensure that the Department works towards achieving a clean audit opinion in the next financial year. The following structures were put in place and have made significant progress: ICT Committee; Interim Financial Statements (IFS) and AFS (Annual Financial Statements) Review Panel; Loss Control Committee and Ethics Committee, amongst others. Various Employee Health and Wellness interventions were implemented during the period under review, in an effort to create a healthy environment and a great workplace for employees. The Department will continue to ensure compliance with applicable prescripts, as far as contract management is concerned, and legal advisory services will continue to be rendered in support of Departmental activities. The Shareholder Compacts with Departmental Public Entities were strengthened to enhance oversight on the performance of the Entities. The Department also fulfilled its mandate of dissemination information on the services it renders to the public through a range of communication platforms, such as media advisories, media statements, interviews, newsletters, posters, booklets, brochures, website, and social media, amongst others. 2.4 Key policy developments and legislative changes The Department does not have any major changes to relevant policies or legislation that affected its operations during the period under review.

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