INTRODUCTION
The Department of Land Affairs (DLA) was established as a new structure of government in 1994 to take forward the government's programme of reforming the ownership patterns, use and management of land in South Africa. Because the department inherited existing personnel and structures, the organisation immediately embarked on a programme of reassessing and changing its structures and practises to enable it to fulfil its mandate.
The department views this institutional development process as vitally important to its work. All institutions within the DLA are faced with the constant challenge of improving the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of service of their operations, as well as the need to continuously reorient staff skills to meet those challenges. This also involves responding to changes in the external environment, including that of a changing client base and the resulting need for changes to the products of the organisation. This poses particular challenges for those who have the responsibility of managing the organisation and its composite units.
In 1996, the department continued with the process of institutional development. Some of the activities in this regard are listed below.
1.1 TRANSFORMATION
Transformation is a crucial part of institutional development in the DLA. Transformation is that process required to fast-track implementation of the commitment to building a new Public Service in South Africa. This is based on the need to align or re-align government structures, policies and programmes to the Government of National Unity's policy vision. For the DLA, transformation has meant the following:
* the establishment of an institutional structure which can implement land reform effectively
* the downsizing/right sizing of the DLA in line with the stated policy of the public service
* the establishment of programmes to implement the department's new policies
* streamlining its activities through the clarification and rationalising of the roles of different units within the organisation such as the offices of the Surveyors-General, Deeds Registration, Land Reform Policy and Land Reform Implementation
* the filling of posts with people knowledgeable and skilled in the areas of land reform, surveying, deeds registration
* a focus on acquiring staff with appropriate management and leadership skills
* the development and implementation of a policy on affirmative action and employment equity and implementation, which includes the appointment of a Special Programmes Officer
Transformation, as the foundation of an accelerated and intensive process of institutional development, has impacted on government and its civil servants dramatically. It has placed intense pressure on individuals through an increase in their workloads, a situation that is likely to continue for some time as the department tries to meet the increasing demand for speedy delivery. The situation calls for committed teamwork within the DLA as well as more developed and formalised collaborative relationships with civil society. It also requires the department to find creative ways of increasing its capacity, something it is already doing.
Both the new interim constitution of South Africa and the Bill of Rights call for representivity in institutions of all sections of South African society with respect to race, gender and disability. The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service also requires government institutions to work actively towards a more representative public service.
The principle of creating employment opportunities in the civil service for those who were previously excluded is accepted by all as morally just. However, implementing this principle has been complex and has in some instances led to tensions. The need to keep experienced and technically-skilled personnel in the public service while at the same time increasing representivity will prove to be a long-term challenge for government. Adding to the challenge is the government's commitment to reducing the size of the public service in South Africa in the interests of efficiency and cost-effectivity.
Representivity in the DLA
As can be seen from the figures below, there have been dramatic changes in the representivity profile of the DLA. However, there is still a long way to go. To achieve a significant change in the statistics, the department will have to establish a far-reaching programme of training and development for previously-disadvantaged people.
Most DLA staff members work in the Surveyors General's Offices and the Deeds Registration Offices. These offices, which have been established for many years, are engaged in activities which require a high level of technical skill. Black people (African, Coloureds, Indians) were not traditionally drawn to the professional fields of surveying and deed registration or were deliberately excluded from these disciplines as a result of the previous government's discriminatory policies. To increase representivity in these jobs, the DLA will need to make it more possible for those who were previously disadvantaged to get access to training in technical fields at technikon or university level to enable them to qualify for certain posts.
Increased representivity in the DLA will not be without its challenges. One of the issues to confront will be the greater diversity between employees. There will therefore be a need to provide support to employees as they learn to recognise, accept and value differences between themselves and others, especially with respect to issues of race, religion, culture and values.
The DLA, in working to honour its commitment to increased representivity of all South Africans in its staff, went through an extensive process of consultation and discussion on this issue with people inside and outside the department. The result was the approval and registration of its formal Departmental Policy on Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity (AA&EEO) in October 1996
The adoption of such a policy is a requirement in terms of the Public Service transformation process. The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) takes responsibility for the overall monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of these policies across the public service.
The DPSA and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Public Service have set targets for representivity. The DLA has taken their proposed >figures' as a guideline for itself in working to achieve an acceptable level of representivity by the year 1999.
(INSERT FIGURES FROM AA POLICY DOCUMENT ON WHAT WE NEED TO ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF WOMEN/BLACKS)
As the DLA implements its AA&EEO policy, it will be guided by several key principles:
* that the way in which >skills and experiences' were defined in the public service in the past does not necessarily apply in the current situation, especially as the government has a new programme and a broader client base which includes previously disadvantaged communities whose needs now have to be accounted for; this means that different skills and experiences are now required to get the job done;
* the DLA believes that the requirements of the new constitution and the targets set by the DPSA mean that the representivity issue must be a consideration when making decisions on staff appointments, and that these decisions must take into account the above-mentioned two principles.
1.4 DECENTRALISATION
In 1996, the DLA continued with the implementation of its decision to establish a more decentralised institutional arrangement that would increase the capacity of its provincial offices as the key agents of land reform. Decentralisation means that the DLA's provincial offices will have the delegated authority to make concrete decisions in service of their clients and other role players. They will also be in control of their own budgets.
The DLA will continue to provide the provincial offices with logistical support, equipment and expertise for effective communication (provincial communications officers have been appointed in seven of the nine provinces) and training opportunities for their personnel. The national office is also redesigning its work methods to make its structures more efficient and effective and therefore able to provide a better service to the provinces.
FUNDING FOR TRANSFORMATION: THE FORD FOUNDATION
The DLA recognised the challenge of institutional development and transformation in 1994. To cover the costs of taking on that challenge, the DLA acquired funding amounting to R1 301 710.35 from the Ford Foundation in 1995. This funding made it possible for the department to undertake transformation as a serious project over the past two years.
The Ford Foundation money has been used for a number of projects, including the hiring of experts to assist with the policy development process, training in Participatory Rural Appraisal and Working in Diversity, the development of business plans for the DLA provincial offices, and the contracting of Restitution Officers.
Funding for a further two years was negotiated in 1996. This is a welcome boost to the department's continuing programme of transformation and institutional development.