23Apr

Civil Servants Loans On Offer at the Public Service Commission ZITF Stand

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The Public Service Commission will be offering Civil Service Training Loans at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) this year. The ZITF is running from 25 to 29 April.

Application forms for the training loans will be accepted at the show and a total of 20 qualifying civil servants will subsequently get their loans after a committee remotely sits to preside over the applications. This is the first time that these training loans are on promotional offer at the ZITF.

The Civil Service Training Loans are from a revolving fund which is mainly sustained by monies appropriated by the legislature and interest of loans. The  Civil Service Training Loans are for the purchase of textbooks, tuition and equipment necessary for attendance at a college or institute. They are given at a nominal interest rate to members of the civil service and officers of Parliament. To qualify, members of the Civil Service should meet the following criteria: a) should be on indefinite conditions of service, b) those pursuing part time studies, should have served for a minimum of two years, c) members on block of full-time programmes should have served for at least five years, d) should not have a pending misconduct case; and e) should be below 55 years of age.

Like previous years, the Public Service Commission will also be taking instant applications for the Government Employees Mutual Savings (GEMS) Fund at the ZITF.  Applications are filled out and accepted on the spot, processing of the same will be done in the same ZITF week for recipient civil servants.

Applications for rebates for duty free importation of vehicles will also be accepted on the spot and qualifying civil servants would go through the process to receive this benefit in due course thereafter.

These are all part of non-monetary benefits extended to civil servants in order to improve their conditions of service.

At the PSC stand at the ZITF other onsite services offered include on matters to do with Pensions and Payroll. There will also be online registrations as part of the PSC’s e-recruitment system where those wishing to work for Government can register to be included in the database for consideration as and when vacancies come up.

The PSC is in Exhibition Hall 4, Stand A38.

The PSC has been an annual exhibitor at the ZITF since 2005.

19Apr

ZITF 2023: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

Margaret GanaganaEvent

ZITF 2023: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is once again pleased to be part of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF). This year marks the 64th Edition of the ZITF. For the PSC, the ZITF provides a grand interactive and networking opportunity with key stakeholders.
The ZITF is the country’s biggest annual international trade Expo which has proved to amplify the nation’s re-engagement and engagement drive. This year’s edition roars into life from the 25th to 29th April 2023.
The PSC is more than ready to demonstrate and illustrate the various transformative and innovative solutions it provides for its workers in particular and citizens in general. Here is what to expect from our exhibition stand:
(a) Self-service points
 Browse the PSC website
 Register online
 Watch informative and engaging videos
(b) SSB, HRMIS and Pension Live Service
(c) Literature distribution through the QR Code system
(d) Interactive opportunities for stand visitors and Principals and Staff of the PSC
We are particularly pleased to inform all our valued stakeholders that there will be onsite applications for the Government Employees Mutual Savings (GEMS) Fund, Rebate for Duty Free vehicle importation for qualifying Civil Servants, as well as Training Loans for those undergoing some studies to enable them to pay tuition, buy learning materials, equipment and other related expenses.
If you happen to be in and around Bulawayo from the 25th to 29th April 2022, don’t hesitate to visit the PSC Stand located in Hall 4 at the ZITF Exhibition show grounds. It is stand A38. Do stop by. WE ARE READY TO SERVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

ZITF 2023 Theme: ‘Transformative Innovation, Global Competitiveness’

23Mar

2023 PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS SIGNING CEREMONY

Margaret GanaganaEvent

His excellency the President, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa presided over the signing of Performance Contracts for Senior Public Office bearers for the year 2023 at a ceremony held on 16 March 2023 at the State House. The Government of Zimbabwe introduced Performance based contracts in 2021 for Cabinet Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers for Parastatals, Local Authorities, Vice Chancellors for State Universities, and other Senior Government officials.

 

His Excellency referred to the milestone event as a demonstration of the irreversible course that the Second Republic is embarking on towards ensuring that Government systems, processes and personnel are ‘Fit for Purpose’. The Chairman to the Service Commissions, Dr. Vincent Hungwe added that the Performance Contracts were in sync with the President’s Vision to foster a high performance culture across the entire public service.

 

The colourful event also saw high achievers for the year 2022 presented with awards. To note, Dr. Anxious Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement was awarded as the Best Cabinet Minister for 2022, with Dr Frederick Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs as the Runner up. The Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, Dr. John Bhasera scooped the Overall Best Permanent Secretary.

22Feb

Chief Directors Inducted

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Chief Directors Inducted

On Friday 17 February 2023 a class of 36 Chief Directors from various Line  Ministries graduated from a week-long induction training at the Public Service Academy – ZIPAM campus. The ceremony was officiated by Acting Secretary  Service Commissions,  Head of Uniformed Services and Commissions, Mr Dhingindlela Zisengwe.

The induction was meant to orient the Chief Directors into public administration and familiarise them with how Government works. More induction training sessions are on the cards to be conducted for other senior managers in Line Ministries and Government Departments and Agencies.

 

22Feb

PUBLIC NOTICE – PENSIONER

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PUBLIC NOTICE

The Public Service Commission wishes to inform the Public that when a Government Pensioner passes on, surviving spouse(s) or relatives of the deceased should immediately notify the Public Service Commission. Upon death of a Pensioner surviving spouse(s) and or children under the age of 18 years will be eligible to claim widow’s pension or child’s pension from the day following the death of a Pensioner.

Surviving spouse(s) and or guardian of the children of the late should immediately apply for pension benefits at any nearest Public Service Commission Offices. Pension application forms are obtained from Public Service Commission Head Office, Provincial and District offices around the country.

In cases where pension benefits have been paid to the deceased Pensioner due to late notification of death, relatives are being advised not to withdraw that money. This money belongs to the State. Surviving spouse(s) or guardian of children of the late, Estate Administrators should not utilise those monies because these are State funds and as such, they should be returned to Public Service Commission without any delays.

It is a criminal offence to withdraw pension paid after the death of a Pensioner. Any criminal activity of this nature will be reported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

For any further clarity on this subject please do not hesitate to contact any nearest Public Service Commission offices.

22Feb

Draft Public Service Disability Policy Presented

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Draft Public Service Disability Policy Presented

In accordance with its mandate and with the bid to institute disability inclusion and responsiveness, the Public Service Commission, on the 25th January 2023, conducted a consultative workshop at the Rainbow Towers in Harare, where stakeholders gathered to review the draft Public Service Disability Policy. The Policy is intended to help mainstream disability in the Public Sector.

Stakeholders at the workshop included representatives from the Public Service Commission, all Line Ministries, organisations of people with disabilities, Independent Commissions, Apex Council as well as development partners, in particular UNDP & ILO. More than 50 people attended the event.

The Public Service Disability Policy was presented and input made by participants at the workshop. Such input will be considered and co-opted as necessary, as part of the finalisation of the Policy.

The development of the Public Service Disability Policy is in line with the Legislative and Policy Framework in Zimbabwe, which guides that there be inclusion without any discrimination of people with disabilities (PWDs). Section 22 of the Constitution requires all Government institutions to recognise the rights of PWDs and to treat them with respect and dignity. It also provides PWDs should be assisted to achieve their full potential and minimise disadvantages suffered by them, and that there be reasonable accommodation (accessibility of government buildings). Further to that, Section 56 provides for non-discrimination and fair treatment for people with disabilities. The above provisions are also buttressed by both the National Disability Policy (2021) and the Disabled Person Act – Chapter (17:01) Section 8. The United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also promotes the inclusion of persons with disabilities as well as the importance of national development in addressing the rights of PWDs. It also advocates for reasonable accommodation of PWDs

The objectives of the Public Service Disability Policy are as follows:

  • To ensure people with disabilities (PWDs) have equal employment opportunities in the Public Service,
  • To create an accessible work environment for employees, interns and attaches;
  • To facilitate job retention and advancement opportunities for all;
  • To facilitate training and development opportunities for all;
  • To ensure continuity of members of staff in case they become incapacitated during the course of duty; and
  • To ensure continuous sensitisation of employees on disability issues and PWDs.

The scope of the Policy covers, persons who acquire disability during the course of employment, as well as PWDs entering or already in service.

The Policy provides for the mainstreaming of disability in the following areas, among others:

  • Communication and Awareness;
  • Recruitment and Selections;
  • Orientation and Induction;
  • Deployment;
  • Staff Performance and Appraisal;
  • Training Opportunities;
  • Promotion; and
  • Job Retention.

 

Reasonable accommodation of PWDs in employments is viewed as the prevention of discrimination based on disability by adjusting or changing the following:

  • Changing job tasks;
  • Improving accessibility of workplace environments;
  • Reassigning employees who have acquired a disability;
  • Adjusting/ changing computer software and hardware suitable for PWDs;
  • Additional/Special training for PWDs;
  • Availability of support services; and
  • Ensuring there is a budget for PWDs.

The development of the draft Policy follows the undertaking of a Disability Sensitive Baseline Survey in the Public Service, which was meant to inform status of disability in the Public Sector. Following the completion of the Disability Sensitive Baseline Survey, a stakeholder analysis of the results was held in 2022.  PSC then developed the draft Public Service Disability Policy using the results from the baseline survey and desk review research on the analysis of regional and international best practices on public sector reform accountability. These activities were intended to gather additional information to be used in strengthening the content of the draft Public Service Disability Policy in all areas.

 

 

30Jan

PSC Undertaking Service-wide Job Evaluation to Ensure Jobs, Grades, Salaries Match

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The Public Service Commission is currently undertaking a service-wide job evaluation in order to ascertain the worth of the jobs in the Public Service. The exercise began in September 2022 and is expected to be completed by end of the first quarter in 2023.

 

The job evaluation exercise is in response to observations of misalignment of jobs – the grades, the descriptions, the mandates, salaries, among other things were seen not to be in alignment.  Evaluating jobs in order to properly profile, reward and weight them is in line with the Commission’s strategic goals as it pursues NDS1 and Vision 2030 national imperatives.

 

In its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan, the Commission made a commitment to adopt Public Service Reform best practices to address challenges and identified gaps in the civil service. Job evaluation was identified as one of the tools which the Commission could use in the transformation programme.  The last service-wide job evaluation exercise was conducted in 2003. A significant amount of technological, socio-political and economic changes has taken place since then.

 

The changes in the operating environment have given rise to a number of challenges in the workplace.  The challenges faced include the following:

  • Redundant jobs
  • Lack of career progression in some jobs
  • Duplication of duties and responsibilities among different jobs
  • Mismatch between grade, qualifications and salary

 

The job evaluation aims at addressing the above challenges.  It also provides a basis for establishing the correct level and value of each job, or position, within the Public Service. Below are some of the benefits of conducting a job evaluation exercise:

  • It helps in removing disparities in wage structures leading to proper placement of workers in their jobs
  • It provides greater uniformity in salary grades, thus simplifying salary administration
  • Helps in reviewing job rates in light of technological changes with which job contents change
  • Results in new and updated job descriptions and job grades
  • The data collected for job evaluation also helps in the recruitment of the right personnel for the job
  • Since job evaluation aims to reward employees’ suitability, it will help to build employee morale and bring job satisfaction

Job evaluation involves three successive phases: job profiling/analysis; job writing; and job grading.

 

How are the jobs being analysed? Job analysis is also known as role analysis. It is a process that identifies the content of a job in terms of the activities that make up a job.  It includes attributes or requirements necessary to perform those activities. The process of job analysis involves gathering information about the duties of a job, the conditions of work, and some basic qualifications and experience. Tools used for job analysis include interviews, observation, conference of experts, questionnaires, among others. The Public Service Commission is making use of the questionnaire. In line with technological advances and efforts to digitalise the Public Service, an online questionnaire is being used. Job evaluation teams are also physically visiting areas with no Internet connectivity to ensure wide-spread coverage across the country.

 

The service-wide  PSC job evaluation is being done by a consultancy firm, which is working with trained members from the civil service. A total of 146 civil servants were trained for the job evaluation – 42 of them from the Public Service Commission Secretariat; and 104 from Line Ministries.

 

The exercise is covering all Line Ministries and ongoing in all provinces. Respondents to the questionnaire are a sampling of job holders. Job holders are content experts in their own right.

30Jan

Civil Service Rural Transport Scheme launched – Implementation of the mantra: Leaving No One Behind

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Last quarter of 2022 saw His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, commissioning 18 Public Service Commission buses as part of the Civil Service Rural Transport Scheme.

The Civil Service Bus Scheme is an initiative which ensures that there are buses serving the rural routes across the width and breadth of the country in order to provide safe, reliable and affordable transportation for civil servants in rural and remote parts of the nation.

The bus commissioning event on 17 November 2022, which was ably-directed by Public Service Commission Secretary, Dr Tsitsi R. Choruma, as the Master of Ceremonies, drew large audiences as hundreds upon hundreds of people from Gwanda and surrounding areas in Matabeleland South thronged Pelandaba Stadium to witness the ceremony. Cabinet Ministers, civil servants and traditional leaders also attended the event.

The  bus commissioning under the Civil Service Rural Transport Scheme stands out as yet another shining example of what the Government in the Second Republic is doing for its people in fulfilling promises and responding to the people’s needs.

Launching the buses, President Mnangagwa reiterated Government’s commitment to delivering for the people. He said the intervention by Government to provide buses for civil servants in the rural areas was in response to transport challenges they were facing.

“We have many civil servants working in rural areas in our districts and provinces and we are giving them these buses for ease of transportation,” President Mnangagwa said.

The 18 buses were purchased by Treasury and are part of a phased programme, which will see the Government acquiring more buses to be deployed to various provinces under the Civil Service Rural Transport Scheme.

The 18 buses are a fourth batch of buses commissioned by Government for the Public Service as a whole in the course of the Second Republic, including for urban routes.  In 2019 the President launched 25 buses; 33 in 2020; and 13 in 2021.

Speaking at the bus commissioning event, Public Service Commission, Chairman, Dr Vincent Hungwe said the buses were part of the President’s visionary leadership which sought to improve working conditions for civil servants.

“Your Excellency, your administration has successfully sustained its commitment to improving the working condition of its workers.  In your visionary leadership, you directed us to improve access to affordable transport for the civil servants,” Dr Hungwe said. “We are happy to inform you that with support from Treasury, this year we have acquired an additional 18 buses.”

The Civil Service Rural Transportation Scheme is in line with the mantra of “leaving no one and no place behind”, Dr Hungwe said.

“All the buses you are commissioning, will ply rural routes,” Dr Hungwe said.

The commissioned buses will be distributed to the provinces as follows: Matabeleland South 3; Midlands 3 and two buses each for Matabeleland North, Masvingo, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, West and East.

More buses are expected to be procured for more rural routes in the near future.

Speaking at the commissioning event, president of the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU), Mrs Cecilia Alexander praised Government for providing the much needed transport for civil servants which she hailed as a move that would restore dignity to the commuting Government workers.

“Never again shall we go to work sitting on top of a gearbox with all the heat and sweat,” Mrs Alexander said in apparent reference to how in packed public commuter omnibuses (kombis) some passengers end up being made to sit on top of gearboxes. “As ZCPSTU, we have so much to celebrate in regard to the commitment of the Second Republic towards improving the terms of conditions for its workers and this is in spite of the fact that more can still be done.”

Government remains committed to improving the conditions of service for all its workers.

09Nov

GOVERNMENT EXTENDS $4 BILLION BAIL-OUT PACKAGE TO PSMAS & PSMI

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GOVERNMENT EXTENDS $4 BILLION BAIL-OUT PACKAGE TO PSMAS & PSMI
1. Government wishes to inform all stakeholders of a bail-out package which it extended yesterday (Tuesday) to Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) to the tune of ZWL$ 4, 258, 518.459.18.
2. The bail-out package is intended to resuscitate operations at the society and support PSMI, some of whose medical facilities had closed in recent weeks.
3. The injection of funds will enable the restoration of operations at the embattled medical insurance group through, among other support, the clearance of salary arrears for PSMI staff.
4. Also contained in the bail-out package is support towards the clearing of third-party arrears, which had suffocated operations at the medical aid society.
5. This is a clear demonstration of Government’s commitment to the provision of access to health care for public servants, who make up 90 percent of PSMAS clients.
6. This development is expected to enable the re-opening of PSMI health care facilities across the country and restore operational viability.
7. Civil servants who subscribe to PSMAS are expected to be able to access healthcare services from the society’s clinics timeously.
8. This bail-out package is part of broader support by Government which began since challenges started at the organisation earlier in
the year and is expected to continue until full normalcy is restored.
9. This latest injection of funds to PSMAS follows prior support by Government to the tune of ZWL 999 million monthly – 60% of which had been intended for liquidation of financial obligations to creditors, PSMI included; while 40% had been for channelling towards PSMAS operations. Furthermore, Government provided USD USD1,100,000.00 towards the purchase of drugs.
10. An ongoing forensic audit at both PSMAS and PSMI is still in progress.
11. When finalised, forensic audit findings will inform how further governance matters will be dealt with.
12. Government remains committed to ensuring that its workers access health care as part of its non-monetary benefits extended to its workers.

 

Dr T. R. Choruma
Secretary to Service Commissions

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