Vol 13 No. 3 of 2020 SDR - COVID-19 Pushing More Government Activities Online Emerging Lessons from the COVID-19 Battlefields 13 Tips and Tricks ...
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SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW SDR A learning magazine for the Public Service Vol 13 No. 3 of 2020 COVID-19 Pushing More Government Activities Online Emerging Lessons from the COVID-19 Battlefields 13 Tips and Tricks for Working Remotely
REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
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CONSOLIDATING OUR COLLECTIVE
INTELLIGENCE FOR THE FUTURE
InnovateLearnDeliver
ii SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020
CONTENTS
CONTENTS
REGULARS
2 From the Editor’s Desk
3 Letter From Batho Pele House
4 News in Brief
REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS
AND PRACTICALITIES
11 Working life in times of COVID-19
13 COVID-19: Resetting The “Nine to Five”
Work Button?
16 13 tips and tricks for working remotely and
loving it
18 Adjusting to Remote Working
19 COVID-19 intensifies the mental health
challenges among public servants
20 Working from home? Emerging practices in
the public sector
22 COVID-19 Pushing More Government Activi-
ties Online, Despite Persistent Digital Divide
23 Heroic Community Health Workers at the
frontlines of the Covid-19 war
25 Telemedicine and sexual and reproductive
health – the new frontier amidst a pandemic
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Managing Editor
COVID-19 pandemic’s
Mandla Ngcobo
“New Normal”
Editor
Dudley Moloi navigating the current COVID-19 new
normal and importantly prepare for its
aftermath. The reality, according to ex-
Editorial Team
perts, is that the health crisis facing the
Sebenzile Zibani
world is likely to be with us for many
Louisa Teane
for months. Worse still, in a world that
Veronica Motalane
is interconnected for good or worse, a
similar crisis might be awaiting us and
Editorial Advisory hopefully, we would be better prepared
Group in our responses.
Rhulani Makubela
Zamokwakhe Khuzwayo Much of the edition content explores
Mataywa Busieka the idea of remote working; a practice
that took centre stage as the world went
We belong on “hard” lockdown in earlier respons-
We care es to the pandemic. In the report arti-
We serve cle Working life in times of COVID-19,
Invitation for Australian knowledge management
contributions specialists, Matt Moore and James
TIn a world wired to seek out the latest
Dellow, describe the initial reactions,
fads, fashions and the Next-Big-Thing,
The Service Delivery Review preparedness and anxieties when in
it is tempting to dismiss the much-
is a learning and knowledge early March, the majority of the work-
hyped “new normal” in the wake of the
tool for the Public Service. It force was told to work from home. The
COVID-19 pandemic. Only that the
provides a platfrom for debate pair points out how the COVID-19 cri-
daily toll of the impact of the pandemic
and the exhange of ideas sis is sparking up what they refer to as
in the rising numbers of the ill and fa-
to aid improved service the “classic innovation process”, which
talities worldwide is too real to ignore. we should hopefully ride into the fu-
delivery.
Its devastating impact on whole so- ture, or the “new normal”, so to speak.
Public servants, academics,
cieties, industries and economies is In his regular Letter from Batho Pele
communities and other
interested parties are keenly felt by millions, the “new nor- House, Public Service and Administra-
encouraged and welcome to mal” that the COVID-19 pandemic por- tion Minister, Senzo Mchunu, highlights
respond to and raise issues in tends is hard to fathom. from the emerging lessons learnt, from
this regard. a Public Service point of view. The
The fullest extent of the future and the toughest of the expected “new normal”
Letters and feedback should “new normal” that the crisis foretells the need to interrogate how public ser-
not be more than 500 words can only be guessed from how nations vants work, including operating under
and the maximum lenght for are responding to threat posed by the severe fiscal constraints.
articles is 2 000 words. pandemic. The post-COVID-19 “new
normal” is embedded in the flurry of Nonetheless, while there are sections
For more information activities and lessons learnt on the go. of the employed who are fortunate
please contact Indeed, the crisis that the COVID-19 enough to work remotely, the article by
Dudley@dpsalgov.za pandemic underpins is also opening Dr Anban Pillay, National Department
up “new horizons and new opportuni- of Health, reminds us of the sacrifice
ties”, as President Cyril Ramaphosa and personal risk of those of our col-
pointed on the 21st of April when he leagues who are at the frontlines of the
announced additional economic and battles against the COVID-19 pandem-
social measures in response pandem- ic. These, as Dr Pillay rightly points
ic. out, are the real heroes and heroines
who are worthy of acknowledgement
So, this edition of the electronic Ser- and celebration.
vice Delivery Review is curated in such
a way that it helps find practical ways of Dudley Moloi
2 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020
LETTER FROM BATHO
NEWS
PELEINHOUSE
BRIEF
Emerging lessons from the
COVID-19 battlefields
resources took centre-stage. With the What this means is that while the Pub-
private sector in near-complete shut- lic Service would be expected to do
down, it was left to the Public Service more, its efforts would be undermined
to lead strategies in wading off, de- by serious financial constraints.
fending and managing the impact of
this war. With the help of the security It is often said that one’s core per-
cluster, the health and social security sonality tends to emerge in times of
sectors became the most essential crisis. The same could be said of the
frontline services. personality and character of a nation.
We have seen an unprecedented level
In the health sector, the spread of the of trust in Government, as well as an
COVID-19 virus is being contained increase in social cohesion and soli-
This letter comes at a time when through massive screening, testing darity during these trying times. In the
our country is in the throes of the and isolation interventions. These, and post-COVID-19 order that would sure-
COVID-19 pandemic and an unprec- many other health strategies, have ly have to be rebuilt, trust and social
edented period of social stress. The slowed the predicted course of the dis- solidarity would make up for pivotal
only times in recent memory when the ease, resulting in less than expected social capital.
normal lives of nations have had to en- numbers of fatalities, and the over 50%
dure such depths of disruptions were in recoveries of confirmed cases. The COVID-19 is also teaching us about
during the two world wars, the first in social security infrastructure, led by the the value of knowledge, especially that
1914 and the second one in 1939. But Department of Social Development, is of experts in fields as varied as virolo-
even then, apart from fighting an invis- providing relief to an unpreceded num- gy, statistical modelling to information
ible enemy, the global fight against the ber of South Africans in social and eco- technology as Government sought ad-
spread of the COVID-19 virus will be nomic distress. vice on the best strategies in the fight
remembered as a war without guns. against the COVID-19 pandemic.
EMERGING LESSONS
BATTLE LINES OF BODY AND Faced with the hard times that are sure
BEHAVIOUR What are the emerging lessons for the to follow, the Public Service will most
post-COVID-19 Public Service? First, certainly be called upon to play an
If the battle lines during the two world as President Ramaphosa alluded even greater role in reconstituting so-
wars were on geographic frontiers, when announcing the lockdown and ciety in the aftermath of the COVID-19
the war against the COVID-19 pan- its associated measures, the world pandemic. The task of rebuilding would
demic is primarily taking place inside and the country will not be the same be difficult (if not impossible) without
our bodies. The extent to which bat- when we finally emerge at the other the deployment of the same social and
tles are won or lost having less to do end of this pandemic. The impact on knowledge assets that are so critical
with firepower, but in changing human the economy and the demand placed in the war against the COVID-19 pan-
behaviour, such as staying at home, on government support is an obvious demic.
wearing a mask when in public and one. The difficulty, though, is how we
keeping social distance. continue to provide much-needed help
to communities when revenue streams Senzo Mchunu
Another distinction is how the mobili- have been severely affected by the im- Minister for Public Service and
sation of public, social and knowledge pact of the pandemic on the economy. Administration
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 3
NEWS IN BRIEF
Two-thirds of South African
businesses innovative active
The Minister of Higher Education, innovations by South African business- link between innovation and market
Science and Innovation, Dr Blade es, particularly as South Africa and the access. Businesses with innovation
Nzimande, officially released the re- world grapple with the COVID-19 pan- activity were more likely to have sold
sults of the latest Business Innovation demic. The 2014-2016 BIS is the sixth their goods and services on national
Survey (BIS) 2014-2016, in mid-July, such survey undertaken in South Af- markets (58,1%) than those without
which revealed that two-thirds (69,9%) rica and reveals that during the period (37,7%). Non-innovation-active firms
of South African businesses are inno- surveyed, innovation was pervasive accessed selected provincial markets
vation-active. The Centre for Science, across all sectors, particularly in engi- (57,4%) more than any other market.
Technology and Innovation Indicators neering and technology, manufactur-
(CeSTII), a unit of the Human Scienc- ing and trade. In this regard, the sur- “Innovation-active local businesses
es Research Council, carries out the vey is a major source of evidence and also accessed national and global
BIS on behalf of the Department of Sci- helps to update statistical indicators on markets in the rest of Africa, Europe,
ence and Innovation (DSI). The DSI fa- business innovation performance in Asia and elsewhere than their counter-
cilitates the survey as a partner within the country. parts with no innovation activity,” the
the national statistics system, with the Minister confirmed.
support of Statistics South Africa. According to the survey, innovative
South African businesses engaged Another benefit for innovative-active
“The BIS was undertaken in South Af- in four types of innovation. 48% companies was the overall improve-
rica to produce indicators on business carried out product innovation activ- ment in the quality of goods and
sector innovation performance, which ities, 42,0% organisational innova- services. Figures in this category
helps the government and stakehold- tion, 41,7% marketing innovation, and show that 38,0% of product and pro-
ers to understand the nature, determi- 34,6% process innovation. cess innovators saw quality as a highly
nants and impacts of innovation. Such successful outcome of innovation, fol-
information is useful in shaping gov- While these patterns vary significant- lowed by increased revenue (31,8%)
ernment policy on how to better pro- ly between sectors, the survey re- and improved profit margins (30,9%).
mote innovation to boost inclusive eco- vealed that process innovation was Similarly, for 49,5% of organisational
nomic growth and competitiveness,” most prominent in logistics businesses innovators, the improved quality was
said Minister Nzimande.
(61,7%), while product innovation was the most highly rated innovation out-
highest in the manufacturing sector. come.
Minister Nzimande further said that
Organisational innovations were re-
new data on innovation in South Afri-
ported more frequently by businesses While innovation proved to have a
can businesses are particularly import-
in the financial intermediation sector, positive impact on businesses, inno-
ant to inform the implementation of the
and the greatest concentration of mar- vation investment accounted for only
objectives of the 2019 White Paper on
keting innovation was recorded in the small percentages of turnover in busi-
Science, Technology and Innovation
engineering and technology sector. nesses with successful innovations in
and that a new set of programmes
the 2014-2016 period. Products new
should be informed by a more con-
“BIS shows that local businesses in- to the market accounted for 10,8% of
temporary view of the state of busi-
ness innovation in the country. vested in innovation activities that turnover, products new to the business
helped them and their workforces to 7,0%, and products new to the world
“The survey results are being pub- prepare for technological and organi- 1,8%. By contrast, 80,5% of turnover
lished at a time when businesses are sational change,” Minister Nzimande in innovation-active businesses was
being forced to become innovative to pointed-out. generated by goods and services that
survive in the unusual circumstances were unchanged or marginally modi-
created by the outbreak of COVID-19. The business innovation activities re- fied.
With stringent safety regulations to ported by the largest share of com-
combat the spread of the virus, the panies were training (59,3%), acqui- At the same time, the figures also
products and services sectors need sition of computer software (58,3%), showed that very few businesses
to innovate to ensure people’s safety and acquisition of computer hardware protected or profited from their in-
and business continuity said Minister (57,2%). In both the industrial and ser- tellectual property (IP) rights. The
Nzimande. vices sectors, the biggest innovation preferred strategies for IP protection
expenditure item during 2014-2016 were trade secrets or confidentiality
The Minister further said that in his role was the acquisition of machinery and agreements (used by 16,5% of inno-
as Minister, he came across amazing equipment. The survey also showed a vation-active businesses and 4,7% of
4 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020
NEWS IN BRIEF
non-innovation-active ones) and trade- from innovation. Only a few business- or from external sources (25,0%), the
mark registration (used by 12,4% of in- es viewed IP rights as a barrier to in- high cost of innovation (22,5%), lack
novation-active businesses and 3,9% novation (4,3% of innovation-active of credit or private equity (24,8%), dif-
of non-innovation-active ones). businesses and 6,2% of non-innova- ficulty in accessing government grants
tion-active businesses). (21,5%), uncertainty about demand for
Only 14,8% of businesses reported innovations (19,3), market competition
increased IP revenue as a highly suc- Major obstacles to innovation were (16,4%), and lack of customer demand
cessful outcome of their innovation ac- mostly financial but included market (8,6%). For non-innovation-active
tivity, while only 5,1% of innovation-ac- factors. Eight widely reported obsta- businesses, the most widely reported
tive businesses granted a licence cles were a lack of funds within the barrier to innovation was a lack of de-
on any intellectual property resulting business or business group (31,5%) mand for innovations (20%).
Nurses account for the majority of
COVID-19 compensation claims
Trend analysis by the Compensa- As of the first week of July, Kwa-Zulu
tion Fund has revealed that women Natal had seen 98 claims, 67 of which Dr Blade Nzimande
make up the majority of COVID-19 were accepted, five repudiated and
26 awaited adjudications. The total
stressed that all
related claims, with the most affected
workers being nurses. This is accord- number of women who were affected employers are legally
in that province was 92. Below is a
ing to claims lodged with the Compen-
sation Fund, which indicate that more breakdown of the claims: bound to care for
than 80% of the cases received so far their employees and
involve women. • G auteng province has recorded 54
claims - 46 affect women, 31 have ensure their safety.
“This is consistent in all provinces,” been accepted, seven repudiated
are paying the ultimate price so that
the Department of Employment and and 16 were pending adjudication.
we get a second chance to survive the
Labour said in a statement in the first • Limpopo and the North West had
pandemic,” said Employment and La-
week of July. recorded two claims each, with
bour Minister Thulas Nxesi.
one accepted in Limpopo, one re-
As Coronavirus continues to make its pudiated and both claimants were
The Minister said the Inspection and
women, while in the North West,
devastating presence felt, the depart- Enforcement Services of the depart-
one claimant was a woman.
ment said it finds itself at the centre ment has upped its in loco inspections
• Mpumalanga had one case, which
of not only having to support workers to ensure that workers are protected
was accepted. The claimant was a
through relief payments but also had and that the letter and spirit of the
woman.
to deal with the ever-rising number of COVID-19 safety regulations are fol-
claims as people get sick at work. In At the time, the Fund had paid R202 lowed.
a statement, the department said the 172.35 in medical aid costs. Other
Fund had by the first week of July re- claims had been received through “Unfortunately, we continue to see low
ceived 941 claims, with the highest Rand Mutual, which had recorded levels of compliance, with compliance
number coming from the Western 474 claims, while Federated Employ- rates hovering at 57% for the private
Cape, with 657 claims. ers had 20 claims. This meant that in sector and 47% for the public sector.
total, 1 435 claims had been received. Since the start of the lockdown, we
“Of that total, 533 were women. The have served 385 prohibition notic-
Fund had accepted liability for 356, “We are aware that our frontline work- es and overall, 2 475 notices were
repudiated 69 and 233 were pending ers like nurses and other medical staff served,” said Minister Nxesi.
adjudication. have been affected by the pandemic.
We would like to send an appeal for He stressed that all employers are le-
“In the Eastern Cape, 99 claimants employers to ensure that workers are gally bound to care for their employ-
were women, out of a total of 127 adequately protected and are given ees and ensure their safety.
claims received. The Fund had ac- the necessary protective gear to do
cepted liability for 26, while three had their jobs. “Equally, workers should refuse to
been repudiated and 98 awaited adju- work under dangerous conditions. In
dications,” the department said at the “Our figures show that the most af- early July, a company that flouted la-
time. fected employees are nurses, who bour laws and did not adhere to lock-
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 5
NEWS IN BRIEF
down regulations was found guilty By the first week of July, the public ment notices and 1 210 contraven-
and fined. It was the workers in that sector had been served with a total tions.
company who blew the whistle and of 88 prohibitions (shutdown), 363
both employer and employee have a contraventions and 87 improvement – SAnews.gov.za
responsibility for health and safety, al- notices, while the private sector has
beit with differing roles,” said Minister seen 45 prohibitions, 339 improve-
Nxesi.
EPWP’s role in COVID-19 response
strategy
The Expanded Public Works Pro- long-term strategic goals by strength- post COVID-19, the number of people
gramme (EPWP) plays a vital role ening its health care capacity, as well who are working through public and
in the government’s comprehensive as assisting those who have lost their social employment can be increased
COVID-19 response and mitigation jobs as a result of the health pandem- through government support.
strategy. This is according to the In- ic.
ternational Labour Organization’s Mi- “For instance, government may buy
chael Samson, who was one of the Samson said the EPWP would have COVID-19 goods, such as face masks
key guest speakers at the Department to adapt some of the existing projects from community based organisations
of Public Works and Infrastructure’s to respond to the COVID-19 risks and that provide work opportunities to the
EPWP Webinar on the repositioning expand some of the EPWP projects unemployed,” she said.
of Public Employment Programmes to deliver more opportunities. Anoth-
(PEPs) in the era of COVID-19 and er key speaker, Dr Miriam Altman, a Altman said the EPWP, as a pub-
Economic Downturn, which was held Commissioner in the National Plan- lic employment programme, must
in early July. ning Commission in the Office of the deepen service delivery and warned
Presidency, said although COVID-19 against using it to displace formal em-
In his presentation, Samson argued has a negative impact on labour in- ployment. The EPWP Webinar was
that in response to the effects of the tensive industries, there is a lot that hosted by the Department of Public
COVID-19 pandemic on social protec- the EPWP can still do to provide work Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), in
tion, the EPWP needs to strengthen opportunities to many unemployed partnership with the International La-
its role in supporting government’s people. Dr Altman said during and bour Organisation (ILO).
Health implementing interventions to
protect workers
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says 3 285 infections, or 68%, as at 29 June
the department is implementing 2020, the Minister reported.
interventions aimed at address-
ing COVID-19 infections among “The leading number of infections were
healthcare workers. The Minister amongst nurses, with 2 473 infections
said this while giving an update on the followed by other health professionals
COVID-19 pandemic to the National including community health workers
Assembly in early July. reporting 1 971 and doctors recording
377 infections.”
At the time, Minister Mkhize said as
at 30 June 2020, 4 821 healthcare The Minister said interventions have
workers in both the public and private been put in place to address infections
healthcare facilities were reported among healthcare workers.
to have been infected with the virus
across the country. The Western Cape “Guidelines to support all health work-
continued to account for the majority ers across the continuum of care were
of infected health care workers with developed. A targeted training pro-
6 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020
NEWS IN BRIEF
The Minister said the rational use of PPEs is the greatest challenge
facing the country.
gramme has been designed and im- ricans, the Solidarity Fund was able to “In determining the PPE requirements
plemented to enhance the understand- commit a total of R815 million towards for health care workers, we are guid-
ing of the pandemic and facilitate the the procurement of urgently needed ed by advice from infection prevention
application of these guidelines. PPEs for South Africa. The country and control experts. We want to assure
also received generous donations of frontline healthcare workers that the
“This primarily includes infection pre- PPE from several countries, founda- PPE requirements for health workers
vention and control as well as case tions, businesses and churches. at different levels of risk are informed
management. In-service training of by evidence,” he said.
all health care workers to ensure that “We are happy that the Solidarity Fund
workers can cope with the manage- has indicated its willingness to support Minister Mkhize said as of 7 July 2020,
ment of the pandemic relative to their the immediate distribution of PPE in its the department’s assessment pointed
scope of work has been initiated.” to the fact that there was sufficient PPE
possession to various provinces”
stock available to meet the require-
Meanwhile, the availability of per- ments of frontline healthcare workers.
The Minister said the rational use of
sonal protective equipment (PPEs)
PPEs is the greatest challenge facing
remained a challenge facing health- “We endeavour to ensure that the
care workers during the pandemic. the country. appropriate PPE is made available to
Since the arrival of the pandemic, PPE protect frontline healthcare workers
supply chains have become severely “The rational use of PPE’s is the great- from getting infected by the Coronavi-
constrained both globally as well as in est challenge facing us during this rus,” he assured.
South Africa and limited imports and pandemic. Healthcare workers, labour
shortages of raw materials adversely unions, and professional associations, – SAnews.gov.za
affected local production. due to the concern for the safety of
themselves and their members are
Minister Mkhize said through the gen- expecting to be provided with the full
erosity of donations made by South Af- spectrum of PPEs.”
SA’s population at 59.6 million
Statistics South Africa has announced popo 5.8 million, Mpumalanga 4.6 shows that for the period 2016 - 2021,
that South Africa’s mid-year population million, North West 4.1 million and Gauteng and Western Cape are esti-
is estimated at 59.6 million in 2020. Ac- Free State 2.9 million people. mated to experience the largest inflow
cording to StatsSA report, which was of migrants of approximately, 1 553
released in July, Gauteng continues to The report indicated that approximate- 162 and 468 568, respectively.
record the largest share of South Af- ly 51.1% (approximately 30.5 million)
rica’s population, with approximately of the population is female. According Life expectancy at birth for 2020 is es-
15.5 million people (26%) living in this to the report, about 28.6% of the pop- timated at 62.5 years for males and
province. ulation is aged younger than 15 years 68.5 years for females, while the infant
and approximately 9.1% (5.4 million) mortality rate for 2020 is estimated at
• waZulu-Natal is the province with
K is 60 years or older. Of those young- 23.6 per 1 000 live births. The estimat-
the second largest population, with er than 15 years of age, the majority ed overall HIV prevalence rate is ap-
an estimated 11.5 million people reside in KwaZulu-Natal (21.8%) and proximately 1% among the South Af-
(19.3%) living in this province. Gauteng (21.4%). rican population. And the total number
• Northern Cape maintained its sta- of people living with HIV (PLWHIV) is
tus as the province with the lowest Of the elderly (those aged 60 years estimated at approximately 7.8 million
population in the country with a and older), the highest percentage of in 2020. For adults aged 15 - 49 years,
population estimated at 1.29 million 24.1% (1.31 million) reside in Gauteng. an estimated 18.7% of the population
people. The proportion of elderly persons aged is HIV positive.
• Western Cape has 7 million peo- 60 and has grown from 7.6% in 2002
ple, Eastern Cape 6.7 million, Lim- to 9.1% in 2020. The report further – SAnews.gov.za
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 7
NEWS IN BRIEF
Over 600 000 students use HealthCheck
assessment tool
Over 600 000 screenings have been Minister of Higher Education, Science by a fifth that is between 40 and 65.
done across the post-school edu- and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, So it’s imperative that as a department,
cation and training (PSET) system said the department has recorded in collaboration with the Department of
since the launch of HealthCheck in over 600 000 screenings done across Health, NICD, World Health Organi-
June 2020. HealthCheck is a risk as- the PSET system, with students and sation and other stakeholders, con-
sessment tool used by students and staff using the HealthCheck through tinue with programmes and innova-
staff entering campuses to self-check WhatsApp, USSD or the website. tive measures as part of our ongoing
their body temperature daily. Based on effort to support the PSET institutions’
the answers entered on the platform, “From this data, the overwhelming ma- response to COVID-19,” Minister Nzi-
the person receives a message with jority fall into the “low risk” category mande said.
the low/moderate/high-level risk read- (about 95%),” Nzimande said.
The Minister was briefing the media
ing. If the risk is low, the individual will
He said that the 5% that fell within the on measures to deal with the impact
receive clearance valid for 24 hours.
moderate to high risk as per the Na- of the COVID-19 pandemic within the
tional Institute of Communicable Dis- Higher Education, Science and Inno-
The tool, which is part of the Depart- eases (NICD)/Department of Health vation sectors in July. For those who
ment of Higher Education, Science algorithm, were immediately placed in cannot screen through HealthCheck,
and Innovation’s Higher Health pro- self-isolation, and further assisting to- Nzimande said screening stations
gramme, allows for early detec- wards limiting the spread of the infec- have been placed close to entrances,
tion, mapping and management of tion and helping towards the phased using paperless, digital platforms, at
COVID-19 cases within higher educa- smooth opening of our sector. every campus.
tion institutions and feeds into the na-
tional Department of Health’s tracking “Age-wise, about 80% fall into the larg- – SAnews.gov.za
and tracing system. est age bracket (18-40 years), followed
Gauteng Government rationalises its
nursing colleges
The Gauteng Health Department has operation procedures for staffing, re- Insurance],” said Gauteng Health
signed the statute paving the way for cruitment of students, curriculum de- MEC Bandile Masuku at the signing
the establishment of a single govern- velopment and implementation, tar- of the statute in Johannesburg.
ment-operated nursing college in the gets and quality assurance.
province known as the Gauteng Col- The GCoN stems from the National
lege of Nursing (GCoN). “Although the Gauteng College of Strategic Plan for Nurse Education,
Nursing will be launched in due time, Training and Practice Strategy com-
Following the signing of the statute in there has been an urgency for the piled by the Ministerial Task Team
early July, the GCoN officially became statute to be signed to allow the pro- appointed in 2011 by the Health Min-
the umbrella organisation for known cesses of centralising functions of the ister. In the nursing strategic plan, it
nursing colleges such as Chris Hani campuses into one central unit. was recommended that nursing edu-
Baragwanath, Bonalesedi, Rahima cation should offer higher education
Moosa, Ann Latsky, SG Lourens and “I look forward to the transformation programmes in line with the National
Garankuwa. Under this new arrange- of nursing practice in Gauteng and I Qualification Framework Act 67 of
ment, the various provincial nursing am convinced that the Gauteng Col- 2008, to bring nursing professions in
colleges will be regarded as campus- lege of Nursing is an important step line with other professions. The GCoN
es under GCoN administration. The towards this transformation. More so, has received the full accreditation
responsibilities of the college will be as this relates to the strengthening of from the Council of Higher Education,
to ensure standardisation of systems Primary Health Care in preparation for South African Nursing Council, and
and procedures including standard the roll-out of the NHI [National Health has been registered by South African
8 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020NEWS IN BRIEF
Qualification Authority (SAQA). The contact with the department that the vices to those we serve,” said Ma-
signing of the statute is in line with the public interfaces with. suku.
Higher Education Act 101 of 1997.
“We recognise that although the With Gauteng producing 600 and 950
“This commitment reflects how as a nursing practice is one of oldest pro- professional nurses every year, the
department we have prioritised the fessions, it is still very important that college is expected to lead to better
improvement of patient’s experience it continuously evolves to meet the output in terms of the quality of health-
of care in our facilities, a priority that is needs of the professions specifically care workers that are trained at the in-
intertwined with the nursing practice, as this relates to quality assurance stitution.
nurses are mainly the first point of and providing quality healthcare ser-
- SAnews.gov.za
Proposed Basic Income Grant to target
33m South Africans
The Minister of Social Development,
Lindiwe Zulu, has said that the govern- But economists have warned that South
ment was holding “discussions” on Africa does not have the financial capacity to
the introduction of a Basic Income
Grant (BIG). The news of a possible provide the grant indefinitely to the poor and
BIG was made at a virtual press brief- that the move would weaken the economy.
ing by the Minister Zulu in July, with a
promise to looked at the details at a
later stage. reached far more people than any oth- initely to the poor and that the move
er agency. would weaken the economy.
Before the COVID-19 pandem-
“The grant will result in most of the Economist Mike Schussler said Zulu
ic, the government had planned to
poorer individuals continuing to access was the only person in the govern-
spend R309.5billion on social securi-
the COVID-19 SRD (Social Relief of ment talking about the grant, and that
ty payments this year. The pandemic Distress) grant benefits. The BIG will it wasn’t ANC policy.
prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa simplify coverage and ease of grant
to announce in late March a temporary administration,” she said. “What worries me is I don’t think it is
top-up of those grants by up to R300, going to become policy right now, but
including a monthly R350 unemploy- “The proposal will help realise the gov- all these ideas are floated and become
ment grant for six months. The BIG ernment’s broader social security re- policy down the line in four or five years
grant would target around 33 mil- form environment. The BIG will be un- and then they struggle to implement it
lion people between the ages of 18 conditional, individually targeted and because there isn’t money,” Schussler
and 59. at the level that will lift individual South said.
Africans out of poverty.”
South Africa’s poverty line, including “We only have about 7.5million income
non-food expenses, calculated by Sta- Isobel Frye, the director of the South taxpayers in the country and they are
tistics SA, is about R127, would put African-based Studies in Poverty and already paying the highest income tax
Inequality Institute and a minimum to GDP (gross domestic product) in the
the annual cost of the BIG at roughly
wage commissioner, said the grant world,” he said, adding that he support-
R42billion. Zulu said “discussions” for
had been discussed by the govern- ed the short-term grant during the pan-
the introduction of the BIG had been ment over the past 10 months, but the demic, but it was not sustainable.
“brought back to the table”. Treasury had been reluctant to fund it.
“A better idea is to grow the econo-
“The grant is being considered given “It was unexpected but incredibly wel- my and give people jobs. You don’t
SA Social Security Agency’s (Sassa) come. It suggests there’s been a lot of become rich on welfare, you don’t
legislated mandate as well as the pri- reflection about the inadequacy of the become a major league player in the
mary mandate of the National Devel- R350 Covid-19 grant,” Frye said. world and a great economy on welfare,
opment Agency,” Minister Zulu said. because eventually you take too much
But economists have warned that away from the people who are pro-
She said Sassa had “comparative- South Africa does not have the finan- ducing, and they produce elsewhere,”
ly well-developed infrastructure” that cial capacity to provide the grant indef- Schussler said.
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 9NEWS IN BRIEF
“The reality is that if you pay people because they don’t have jobs then
chances are they will not get jobs.”
Economist Dawie Roodt said the state He said South Africa was a poor coun- revenue-generating mechanisms re-
was currently spending far too much to try and the “state simply cannot be ev- gardless of the implementation of a
afford the grant. erything for everybody”. Basic Income Grant said McLaren.
He said South Africa had a huge fiscal “The reality is that if you pay people “BJC has submitted to Parliament that
deficit and debt levels were rising. because they don’t have jobs then wealthy individuals and companies,
chances are they will not get jobs.” income earned on wealth and high in-
“I understand the importance of trying comes can be taxed at a higher rate
to support the poor, but the only way Daniel McLaren from the Budget Jus- without harming economic growth,” he
we can afford this is if we spend sig- tice Coalition (BJC), said there were said.
nificantly less somewhere else and many options available for funding the
that means a reduction in the wage bill grant. The revenue shortfall caused by By Lyse Comins, Karen Singh and Re-
and the closing down of several state- COVID-19 and the lockdown required uters, Daily News
owned enterprises,” Roodt said. the government to explore alternative
10 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
Working life in times of COVID-19
Knowledge Management South Africa (KMSA) facilitated a webinar session, entitled “Pandemic of Under-Prepared-
ness: Digital Workplaces and the Organisational Responses to COVID-19”, where Australian knowledge specialists, Matt
Moore and James Dellow, reflected on the early days of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic had been a ual workers, team and organisational omy were already engaged in some
shocker and a major disruptor in virtu- leaders, technology professionals and form of remote working.
ally all aspects of modern life. In Aus- vendors as well as knowledge man-
tralia as elsewhere in the world, the re- agement practitioners. In its timing and LEADERS AND LAGGARDS
sponses to the global health threat had fluidity, the study was much like watch-
been like throwing a lifeboat to some- ing how people respond in a fire drill, In their research, Moore and Dellow
one who is drowning - panic-stricken except that the COVID-19 pandemic had identified two streams in the tran-
and floundering as a result, making was real. sitioning to remote working, name-
rescue difficult. More positively, the ly the “leaders” and “laggards”. The
global crisis that has been unleashed “Then, we were really [focusing] was leaders were represented by those
by the pandemic is a continual learning on what people needed to do right organisations that had already started
curve - triggering the “classic innova- now,” they explained. on the path towards “virtual” business
tion process,” according to Matt Moore models, such as start-ups, technology
and James Dellow, the two knowledge INFRASTRUCTURE FOR REMOTE and software companies. Largely due
management specialist who set out WORKING to the nature of their work, the leaders
study the readiness of the Australian were able to adapt to the new lock-
workforce to government-imposed “re- A developed country, Australia began down work regime with much ease.
mote working”. the “new normal” of the COVID-19 pan- The laggards, on the other hand, had
demic with clear advantages, including more conventional working modes,
DIGITAL WORKPLACE EXPERIMENT geographic isolation. Australia had the but deeply ingrained work conventions
trappings of a developed nation in its made the adoption of remote working
Australia was among the first countries wealthy population, which made for methods difficult.
to adopt austere lockdown measures, adequate social and health services
at the beginning of March 2020, in the in case of emergencies. Although “Eu- Though in possession of much of the
face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ropean” in outlook and character, the technology to migrate to the virtual
efforts to contain the spread of the country floats nearer South Asia on workplace under lockdown conditions,
“Corona” virus resulted in what the two the pacific sea. It is also known for its the laggards tended to adopt a wait-
knowledge management specialists vast expanses of land, putting great and-see-attitude, which meant that
described as “one the greatest experi- distances between the major urban they were less prepared for remote
ments that the world has seen” as mil- centres. working. The “laggard” represented
lions of workers were suddenly sent off the majority of the Australian organisa-
to work from home. At the time, it was Most crucial to remote working was tions, workforce and typically defined
this fleeting period transitioning from the existence of appropriate technolo- what constituted the world of work.
the office space to that of homework, gy, such as reliable broadband for in-
or remote working, that the two Austra- ternet access in most homes. Moore HEAD SPACE
lian knowledge management special- and Dellow referenced the high rate
ists, Matt Moore and James Dellow, of internet connectivity among Austra- On its introduction, the COVID-19
sought to understand and document. lian households, which stood at 87% lockdown regime turned the traditional
Using dip-stick research, the pair want- coverage, compared to South Africa’s work environment on its head, pushing
ed to ascertain the responses and pre- 10% (though a much higher usage of millions of workers away from the fa-
paredness of both employers and em- mobile or cellular phones). miliarity of the office desk to the deep-
ployees to the idea of “remote working” end of working on the home front,
and digital workplace programmes in Notably for remote working, was the which came with its complexities. First,
their native country. Their method, fact that some 53% of employees had observed the Australian knowledge
conducted in real-time, involved inter- experienced homeworking to varying management specialists, was the busi-
views with just over a dozen people, degrees, which provided a healthy ness of juggling the various needs of a
desktop research, anecdotes friends base for working from home. A small houseful of co-habitants, such as away
and colleagues both inside and outside but sizeable portion of the workforce, from school kids, while figuring out the
Australia. The pair were especially in- largely freelancers, consultancies, and best ways to be productive under the
terested in the experiences of individ- contractors in the so-called “gig” econ- new normal.
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 11REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
Even in a better-off country like Austra- issues arising from the highly unusual “Since the first cases and as the world
lia, Moore and Dellow noted, “actually state of being socially distanced. Along finds itself in the depth of the Corona
[trying to work] in houses that are not the new horizon, observed Moore and pandemic there is a sense nothing in
designed for [remote working] is not Dellow, is the renewed importance of life as we know it would be left un-
easy.”The swiftness with which the productivity, motivation, engagement, hinged, in particular, the idea of work”
lockdown measures were introduced support and communication that are they noted.
also left little space for psychological emerging as crucial to sustainable re-
adjustment. Unfortunately, it was more mote working. One of the many consequences of
than just a workstation that was being COVID-19, albeit the positive side, is
relocated, but a whole culture was be- “If you’re a bad manager, then you how it is triggering what Moore and
ing transposed from one setting to an- don’t care. If you’re a good manager, Dellow refer to as the “classic innova-
other. you’ve got to recognize that your peo- tion process”. This explained how peo-
ple are not only working from home, ple navigate crises, starting with being
In an online BBC Worklife article, Gi- they’re also worried about their health. shocked, acceptance and rapid adap-
anpiero Petriglieri, an associate pro- They’re worried about their employ- tation and learning.
fessor at Insead Business School, re- ment prospects,” the knowledge man-
ferred to the “self-complexity theory”. agement specialists noted. “[People are now] starting to move to
The theory explains how people neatly that next horizon, perhaps a little bit
seek to separate the various aspect of “The right kind of engagement with more quickly than we perhaps antici-
life’s relationships into social shelves, your employees is really important pated,” they noted.
such as work, friends and family. It is right now. And if leaders, managers
when these are suddenly collapsed to- and organizations aren’t providing that According to Moore and Dellow, the
gether and the lines blurred, as is the emotional support wellbeing support to COVID-19 global pandemic reflects
case with being lockdown at home, their employees, then that’s something positively on how society and organi-
that some kind of culture shock, or dis- that should be happening, “the knowl- sation can respond swiftly to existential
sonance, occurs. edge management specialist advised. crises, adding that “when we positively
have to do something, we do it”. They
“Most of our social roles happen in “CLASSIC INNOVATION PROCESS” worried, however, whether organisa-
different places, but now the context tions would learn to factor crises such
has collapsed,” Professor Petriglieri Moore and Dellow’s observations were as the COVID-19 pandemic in their
explained. made in the earliest reaction to the long-term and capabilities to anticipate
COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the crises, rather than merely reacting to
MANAGING “SOFT” ISSUES world had since moved on, including these. This time around, they won-
relaxing some of the strict lockdown dered, will this crisis prompt the ma-
Even as the laggards were catching up regulations, they sensed that the leg- jority of organisation to work remotely,
to the practicalities of COVID-19 work- acy of COVID-19 would be more than going forwards?
ing life, organisations had to also con- collapsed businesses and broken
tend with the need to manage the “soft” economies. By Dudley Moloi
12 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
COVID-19: Resetting The
“Nine to Five” Work Button?
By Rakau Radebe, a financial report- ter of a year, that we (my team) have self in these meetings as you would
ing and risk analyst at First National been working from home. This for me in the office. Secondly, I have real-
Bank has been a revelation in very many ized I can do more work because I
ways. am not concerned about wasting, on
I first encountered news of the novel average, the more than three hours
coronavirus, as it was then reported, DECONSTRUCTING WORK on the daily commute, to and fro. This
only as the outbreak of a strange ill- frees me from the stresses of peak
ness in China’s Wuhan province. I An important lesson that I have hour Johannesburg traffic, and I can
thought little of it, perhaps lulled into learned is that most office work can be stretch my workday way past the nor-
false complacency from similar past done from home. We have the tech- mal eight hours spent in the office,
outbreaks in that part of the world be- nology to execute from our homes, again because I do not have to think
fore, traced to so-called wet markets. the overwhelming majority of the work about the drive home. These factors,
However, visuals began to emerge that hundreds of thousands of workers and others, have convinced me that
though, of train stations in China be- commute into enclaves such as Sand- there should be some appreciable
ing almost empty of travelers at a time ton, for. Clerical workers, bookkeepers productivity gains, and these would
when peak traffic was expected, and and accountants, lawyers, engineers, be apparent if someone did a proper
sadly, of older people succumbing to designers, architects, stockbrokers, study on the subject. Most of us work-
the illness in their homes and even investment professionals, telemarket- ers are in simple terms, adults who do
in the streets. My complacency was ers and call center workers, many in- not need a supervisor breathing down
further shaken when many countries formation technicians, can work from our necks, keeping an eye on us and
around the globe began to report home. This shows up the daily com- ensuring we toe the line.
cases, and these grew rapidly, even mutes to these places for the need-
exponentially, and suddenly the enor- lessly destructive rituals they are. So My biggest fear throughout this pe-
mity of what the world was facing hit for me, work from home is going to riod is that some decision-makers in
me square in the face. Our global vil- be a dominant feature of the world’s positions of power may press for a
lage was shrinking, and people can fly new normal. With the deconstruction return to the pre-COVID world and
around the world in a matter of hours, of this very large cultural cog, many its normality: the crowded offices, the
so it was only a matter of time and this other practices that were built around stressful commutes with all the petrol
virus would be at our door. the five-day office work cycle, are go- and diesel-burning machines roaring
ing to have to be revised accordingly. on our highways; such a return would
In the months leading up to the lock- Most of us, for example, structure our in my view be a shameful waste of les-
down, as far back as December, I had week around five days for work. But sons learned and a tragic resetting of
already begun to silently petition high- with corporate culture changing in the the world towards assured ecological
er powers for a slowdown in what we, patterns that I see happening, I can destruction. Does this mean I am ad-
all of humanity, were doing. I prayed also see us blurring the lines between vocating for a continued, unchecked
that everything is slowed down so work and home, meaning those ac- lockdown? Not at all. I am surprised
that scientists could be given room to tivities one previously reserve for the that many people see the choices fac-
study this new pathogen and advise weekend, such as spending time with ing us as either lockdown, or opening
the best course of action to combat it. family, can now take place anytime. everything up, namely, going back to
The total shutdown announcement, the old normal. The debate is cast as
when it came, washed torrents of al- LIVED EXPERIENCE a choice between saving the economy
most tearful relief and gratitude over and jobs and saving lives. Those with
me. At the time, I was, however, still Working from home has itself been a philosophical bent even cast it as a
forced to drive to work as practical a revelation on many fronts. Firstly,
arrangements for working from home
had still not been finalized, but thank-
being in my home does not mean that
I can let professional standards slip.
An important lesson
fully the executive echelons at my There is still a disciplined focus on that I have learned
workplace overruled their middle man- quality outputs, on contributing your
agers and ordered everybody home, very best, on observing office-style is that most office
with urgent arrangements made to courtesies such as being available work can be done
tool up to work from home. It has now when needed, being on time for on-
been more than three months, a quar- line meetings, and conducting your- from home.
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 13REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
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14 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
Let me share that I believe the old structures that shaped much of our
lives are being reconfigured.
choice between choice and tyranny, SELF-MANAGEMENT us as a species to cultivate the val-
between freedom and governments ues and ethics that will change our
usurping more powers and so going Let me share that I believe the old destructive ways and set us on a new
down a slippery slope towards dicta- structures that shaped much of our path of caring for our environment,
torship. My take on this is that it is not lives are being reconfigured. The of- and each other. I pray also that all our
a binary choice between two mutually fice, and corporate culture, can no leaders, in government, the private
irreconcilable extremes. I believe that longer provide the contours to mould sector, the churches and elsewhere,
those who can work and learn from the patterns of our lives by, at least would embrace the concept of leaders
home, should be allowed and indeed, not as much as they used to. I believe as servants of the people, of leader-
encouraged and encouraged in terms that we, as human beings, are going ship as service if not servantship, to
of the tools and other technical and to have to turn inwards to our inner remove the idea of leadership as au-
human resources support infrastruc- resources, our values and belief sys- thority, that they may listen with em-
ture, to continue to do so. I believe tems, to begin to self-structure. We pathy and lead from the heart and not
this will open up the spaces to enable can no longer look to the boss, to the from behind the bully pulpit.
those whose livelihoods require their manager, to the workaday timelines
physical presence to go do their work and deadlines and business days. In conclusion, let me wish you safe
in less congested terrain, and so in This is going to be a seismic shift in passage through these challenging
this roomier world, the disciplines of particularly westernized working cul- times. Let us take the threat posed by
social distancing and contact tracing tures, and I pray we all embrace this COVID-19 seriously and practice all
would be easier to facilitate. new unknown for the chance it gives the things advised by our medical ex-
perts and government leaders: wear
your mask, observe social distancing,
Let me wish you safe passage through these cough or sneeze into your elbow, and
wash your hands regularly with a suit-
challenging times. able sanitizing medium.
Volume 13 No.3 of 2020 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 15REMOTE WORKING INSIGHTS AND PRACTICALITIES
13 tips and tricks for working
remotely and loving it
By Cameron Chapman rupted time when your meetings are to get up and put on an outfit you’d
done (or before they start). wear to the office. The point is to just
1. FIGURE OUT A SCHEDULE THAT have something you wear for work
WORKS FOR YOU 3. A CHANGE OF SCENERY that isn’t the same thing you wear to
CAN DO WONDERS FOR YOUR bed. Yoga pants, jeans, t-shirts, and—
One of the coolest things about work- PRODUCTIVITY yes—hoodies, are all fine options. And
ing remotely is that you often don’t if you want to dress up beyond that,
have to punch a time clock at a partic- Just because you “work from home” you totally can. Wear a ball gown if it’s
ular time every morning. You prefer to doesn’t mean you only work from what suits your fancy! You won’t have
wake up early and get a jump start on home. Instead of just working at your to worry about co-workers judging you
your day by 7AM? Go for it! Or may- desk every day, consider switching for “overdressing” (unless you’re doing
be you’re a night owl and get most of up where you work. Find a coffee video chats, of course).
your work done after dinner. That’s shop with Wi-Fi (or use your phone’s
okay, too! There are some remote jobs hotspot). Maybe there’s a co-working 6. PLAN SOCIAL INTERACTION
where you’ll need to have more of a set space in your city that you could use. INTO YOUR DAYS
schedule (customer support comes to Or even sitting on your porch instead
mind), and you’ll probably have some of at your desk can give you a whole A standing lunch or coffee date with
meetings you need to attend at times new energy about what you’re doing. a friend. Regular evening outings to
that work for the whole team, but out- One tip: resist the urge to work in bed. break up your schedule. A mid-day
side of those commitments, you can It’s fine if you’re sick or late at night/first yoga class. Anything that gets you out
usually set your schedule in a way that thing in the morning. But, at least in my of the house and around other people
works for you and your most produc- experience, working from bed almost regularly is a good idea when you’re
tive times. For me, that means start- never results in being more productive. working remotely. It’s so easy to slip
ing work sometime around 9 every into becoming a hermit when you don’t
morning (my first meeting is generally 4. INVEST IN A DEDICATED WORK have to leave the house. But if you’re
at 10), but then I regularly take a few SPACE (NOT YOUR KITCHEN not an introvert, isolating yourself all
hours off in the afternoon and evening TABLE) week long is a surefire way to burn
before hitting work again late at night out quickly. And even introverts benefit
(usually after 8). Working at your kitchen or dining room from getting out and seeing other peo-
table can seem logical. But that means ple regularly.
2. GROUP MEETINGS AND any time you want to use your table
APPOINTMENTS for other things (like eating, or a game
night with friends), you have to clean
Grouping a bunch of meetings and up and put away your work. At the very
appointments together with only short least, figure out where you can put a
breaks in between leaves you with lon- dedicated desk that isn’t used for any- Regular evening
ger stretches of uninterrupted time out- thing else. If you have a spare room to
side of those meetings to actually get use for an office, even better. But even outings to break up
your work done. Think about it: if you
take an hour break between meetings,
a closet or unused corner of a room
can work great!
your schedule. A
you don’t really have a solid hour to do mid-day yoga class.
work. You’ll want to refill your coffee or 5. DON’T WORK IN YOUR PAJAMAS
grab a snack, take a quick bathroom Anything that gets
break, maybe stretch your legs, and It can be so tempting to stay in your you out of the house
then pretty soon you’ve only got a half PJs all day when you don’t have to
hour left in your “hour”. Instead, putting leave the house. But getting up in the and around other
meetings back-to-back tends to make
you break up those between-meeting
morning and starting your work day
the way you would if you were com-
people regularly is
tasks (stretch your legs between the muting to an office is a boost to your a good idea when
first two meetings, refill coffee before productivity. It helps signal your brain
the third, bathroom break after that, that it’s time to work, not rest and re- you’re working
etc.), leaving you with more uninter- lax. Now, that doesn’t mean you need remotely.
16 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 13 No.3 of 2020You can also read
