APRIL 2014

EDITORIAL As the new financial year dawns upon us, let us em-brace this time to set objectives and conquer our goals. This should not only be a priority in our per-sonal lives, but also in our work environment too. Hard work, dedication and an appetite for knowledge and success should drive us to be the best employee, the best parent, the best friends or family we are able to be. Let us not forget that April was Freedom month, where we should reflect and be grateful for the lib-erty of freedom of speech, freedom of expression and overall democratic rights we have now obtained after years of struggle. We should all remember our path to freedom fondly, as it is here and now that we are all living the dream which Tata Madiba and others have fought for. Tata Madiba once said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” Let us take heed of his wise words. This month’s issue of Ntome Tsebe is packed with many interesting articles, one of which introduces the new Organisational Development unit. It will give you an introduction to the unit, the history of it and its future objectives. There is also an update on the Bot-swana Tourism Inter-Country sport festival, which our very own DEDECT players were part of. Some are a continuation of article from the previous issue, includ-ing a case study on workplace conflict and the presi-dential youth indaba. We thank you for all your wonderful inputs and arti-cles, it is you, the DEDECT family, which makes this publication a success. I hope that you will enjoy yet another attention-grabbing edition of our internal publication.

CONTENTS

Editorial pg01 Preface pg02 Workplace Conflict pg03 Inaugural… pg04 The new Organisational

Development team pg06

Botswana Tourism host

Inter– country sports

festival pg07

Staff Issue pg08

MS DUMISA SESHABELA DIRECTOR: COMMUNICATION & IT

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PREFACE

The 27 April is an annual celebration of South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections of 1994. It signifies the end of over three hundred years of colonialism, segregation and white minority rule, the forefront of the freedom charter. After the 1994 elections we were elated by the establishment of a new democratic government led by Tata Madiba, and a new state subject to a new constitution. The holding of the first non racial elections was the culmination of years of struggle and a negotiated settlement which led to the unban-ning of the liberation organisations, the release of political prisoners and the return of ex-iles and the formal all party negotiations which drafted an interim constitution. As we celebrate twenty years in democracy, our main challenge as a developing state is to find a healthy balance between the three pillars of sustainable development economic growth, social development and environmental sustainability. Poverty and unemployment remains a priority to all of us. The reality is that we as public servants should strive to create a better life for our people. The late Comrade Chris Hani said it best when he explained, “We now need to create the pathways to give hope to our youth that they can have the opportunity through education and hard work to escape the trap of poverty.” This vision is now what we are driving to achieve, we should all embrace it emphatically. Let us not forget how this vibrant republic of ours came to be, we truly have a good story to tell. We should now move forth with the legacy of our struggle hero’s and maintain the administration of our Republic, as we are its servants. This will take great effort and dedi-cation, and requires all the hard work from public servants such as you. I urge you to uphold the freedom we so long fought for, let us take our province and coun-try on a path to success, let us make this the pinnacle of democracy and poverty eradi-ation. We all have our roles to play, keep up your good work and we are sure to have a thriving province and a thriving South Africa.

Hon. MEC Motlalepula Rosho

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Workplace Conflict in South Africa - A Case Study of Western Culture VS African Culture continued

By Johann Scheepers

The Constitution of the country itself recognizes these rights and practices. It must be recognized that some of these cultural be-liefs and practices are strongly held by those who

subscribe in them and regard them as part of their lives". The arbitration award and the two court decisions, which were upheld by the SCA, despite references made to illness, Kievits Kroon was not a case deal-ing with absence from work due to illness. The case turned on whether an employee's unauthorized ab-sence from work justified dismissal. The Commissioner found that the employee had a justifiable reason for being absent. Regarding the "opening of floodgates" the LAC referred to what Langa CJ said in MEC for Education, KwaZulu-Natal and others v Pillay 2008 (1) SA 474 (CC) at par [107] [also reported at [2008] JOL 20810 (CC) – Ed] ...Firstly, this judgment applies only to bona fide religious and cultural prac-tices. It says little about other forms of expression. The possibility for abuse should not affect the rights of those who hold sincere beliefs...These authoritative remarks are equally relevant in this case. It must be left to employers and their employees to de-velop systems in their workplaces when confronted with these challenges". A reader of the posting posed the following ques-tion: “Are we really expected to conduct business on this basis. Surely there needs to be more strin-gent guidelines. What about all the other beliefs of all the various religions that exist? There is a little too much emphasis being placed on cultural beliefs and rights to the detriment of the rights of the employer”.

The Reply: “Dear Sir, as is the case in all judgments it is important to first read the facts and then ascertain from the reasons contained in the judgment, the findings of the Court and the legal principles es-tablished, if any. Of importance was that in the LAC judgment which preceded that of the SCA, the LAC specifically made refer-ence to the decision of the Con-stitutional Court in MEC for Education, Kwazulu-Natal and Others v. Pillay 2008 (1) SA 474 (CC), wherein the CC pointed out that protection would only be granted to bona fide cultural and religious prac-tices, that diversity was some-thing to be celebrated and not feared. The acceptance of one practice would not require an employer to permit all practices. If accommodation would impose an unreasonable operational bur-den on an employer it need not make such an accommodation. Employers should consider "Kievits Kroon - scenarios" with care and, where possible, to seek to accommodate the em-ployee in this regard, taking into account its own legitimate opera-tional and other requirements. In the LAC and SCA judgments the Courts identified that there will always be instances where di-verse cultural and traditional be-liefs and practices create chal-lenges within our society.

Ms. Phemelo Jood

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Employers should study the arbitration award and the High Court judgments wherein reference was made, in passing, as to a legitimate and fair manner which a Kievits Kroon-scenario should be managed. However, employers should not expect the Courts to assume an advisory role in Industrial Relations Management. It is the duty of re-sponsible management to engage employees in a joint consensus-seeking process in an attempt to reach an agreement on a policy and procedure in order to manage the issue”. In conclusion, one could use the expression, “Never a dull moment for South African managers”! However, solace is to be found in the knowledge that from the contents of the postings on the various blogs it is very much apparent that South African manag-ers should not get despondent due to the prevalence of workplace strife. In an article by Mr Ed Sweeney, chairman of ACAS, a UK based organization wherein he observed, "There are signs that the difficult economic climate in recent times has seen an in-crease in individual disputes, as employers look to cut costs and improve performance. For example, the CIPD's 2011 conflict management survey reported that 'the scale of workplace conflict is remarkable and has increased in the recession' - importantly, one message has emerged loud and clear - senior management in organizations needs to start thinking about conflict as a strategic issue". Innovative approaches to conflict management need to be integrated with broader strategies related to employee health, wellbeing and engagement. There is growing evidence that workplace mediation can help to resolve issues that might otherwise result in long-term absence and litigation, offering substantial savings in terms of staff time and cost. Johann Scheepers is a Commissioner at The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration (CCMA) & Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Specialist.

THE INAUGURAL PRESIDENTIAL YOUTH INDABA ON JOBS AND SKILLS

The following is the Declaration of Presidential Youth Indaba, 2 March 2014: We, representatives of youth organisations convened by the Presidency, Economic Development Department and the South African Youth Council, drawn from political formations, com-munity based organizations, faith-based organisations, youth in business and co-operatives, young people with disabilities, student formations, young sports people, youth in arts and culture, young environmentalists and rural youth - meeting with representatives of government, the labour movement, the private sector and community organisations.

Mr. Odnight Mogotsi

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Having met for three days in Ekurhuleni on 28 February to 2 March 2014. Having re-flected on progress made with the implementation of the Youth Employment Accord signed in April 2013. Noting that youth make up the majority of South Africans and constitute a large part of the global population. Youth are the present, youth are the future. Noting the strong growth in employment of young people during the last nine months of 2013, that shows the success of our joint efforts. Welcoming the signing of the Youth Employment Accord in April 2013 and progress made in its implementation thus far. Supporting the greater focus on youth employ-ment in public employment schemes as well as youth entrepreneurship. Believing we have a good story to tell about what our government and youth organi-sations have been able to do in the past year to promote youth empowerment, youth employment and youth skilling; and welcoming the youth development story as part of the 20 years anniversary celebrations. Believing youth need to be integrated more in the economic development of the country, as an asset, as a driver of inclusive growth and development and as a promoter of sustainable development and social inclusion. Recognising the National Development Plan as the overall vision for the country and where we want to be by 2030 and the New Growth Path, National Infrastructure Plan and the Industrial Policy Action Plan as the specific strategies to drive the achievement of our goals. Recognising that we can do even more using the Youth Employment Ac-cord to turn a good story into a great story over the next five (5) years. We acknowledge that while much has been done, young people still face major prob-lems with the affordability of university education, access to post-schooling, access to decent jobs and to opportunities for entrepreneurship, as well as social problems with substance abuse, teenage pregnancies and continuing challenges with HIV and TB.

The extremely capable and optimistic Organisational Development Team:

From Top left: Mr. Morgan Molefe, Mr Moeketsi Senqhi

Bottom left: Mapuleng Mokhutswane, Maruping Maape, Kezelle Klinck

THE NEW ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNIT SPREADS ITS WINGS

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What is Organisational Development? There is no single definition of "Organizational Development." If we were to break it into its parts we can discover one meaning: "Organization" has come to mean the coming to-gether of people and resources to form a unit. "Development" in its simplest form suggests change and growth. So Organizational Development (OD) could be defined as "the practice of changing people and organizations for positive growth." Objective of OIGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (OD)

The main objective of OD is to improve the organization's capacity to handle its internal and external functions and relationships. This would include things such as : ● improved interpersonal and group processes, ● more effective communication, ● enhanced ability to cope with organizational problems of all kinds, ● more effective decision processes, ● more appropriate leadership style, ● improved skill in dealing with destructive conflict, ● and higher levels of trust and cooperation among organizational staff. History of the DEDECT OD Unit

The position has been vacant since 2007, but the Department was able to perform without the Organizational Development Unit. The position was then filled in 2014 with the appointment of the new staff it became fully operational.

The Department is moving towards a strategic direction with the construction of the new District Office which has been non-existent since its establishment. The OD unit has been working closely with DPSA and the Office of the Premier with SMS to come up with a strategic District Office construction which will assist us with the implemen-tation of our mandate. It will be operational once the Minister for DPSA approves the structure. Development is an ongoing, systematic process of implementing effective organiza-tional change, it is imperative that the OD Unit be assisted with any information which is needed from various units. This however, has been discovered already as the as-sessment done by the Unit since its engagement with the structure, it was noted that most managers fully support the processes which is unfolding.

As we are moving forward to drive Economic Development in the Province, the Unit is also the custodian of very important aspects such as Job Evaluation, Service Delivery Improve-ment Plan and Transformation which includes “Batho Pele” and other transformational leg-islation. We will be introducing these policies as we have to establish our own Departmen-tal Batho Pele Forum and report to the Office of the Premier on a quarterly basis. Therefore, the Batho Pele Handbook can be accessed on the DPSA website www.dpsa.gov.za as it plays a major role in public service. We hope that with the few staff currently in the unit, we will make a positive contribution and impact towards building our Department so as to enable us to participate and walk away with 1st prize in the next Premier’s Excellence Awards, that is our dream and we will not achieve this without your assistance.

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BOTSWANA TOURISM HOSTS

INTER-COUNTRY SPORTS FESTIVAL

The patriotic South African athletes entering the sports ground in high spirits.

on different issues be Sports, Employee Health and Wellness, tourism issues and many more, in the hope that the collaboration and trip will improve inter - communication and promote co-hesion in delivering individual mandates that contribute to the overall Economic Develop-ment Environment Conservation and Tourism of the province. The day started with a parade each country holding their flags high with pride. The inauguration commenced with an invoca-tion song, accompanied by a welcome and in-augural speech from the Acting CEO of Bot-swana Tourism Mr. Thabo Brian Dithebe, high-lighting the purpose of the event involving the SADC Region, and the sports day was declared open. The umpires and judges for the day were eminent and experienced sports referees. They guided all the sport events of the day with their fair and unbiased judgement. They patiently explained the rules of the games scheduled and

N o r t h W e s t DEDECT and its

agencies visited Bot-swana Tourism to play in the inter- country sports festival. The countries that took part were South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Swazi-land.The objective of this i s t o e n h a n c e , strengthen relations and exchange ideas

The 4 hour Aerobics were the high-light of the day and after, the excit-ing start of the various events lined up for the day quickly progressed. The much anticipated netball games where Botswana took position 1 having won against Swaziland while SA took position 2 having won against Lesotho brought together all four countries to watch and support right after the popular Soccer games where SA got position 3. The events were finished off with the most energetic and cheered tug of war which saw maximum participa-tion where all members of the team competed against each other. graced the sports day with their ex-pertise, loyalty, honesty and love for the game.

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The S.A. Soccer team comprising of some DEDECT players, playing against Swaziland.

After the games trophies were handed out, other countries pledged into supporting games of this nature in the future and SA stressed its benchmark through branding as it was the first time to participate. The Cultural event and Choir competition at the Bahurut-she Cultural Village in Gaborone which sealed the entire event with indigenous games such as Mhele, Morabaraba & Koi complemented by a Traditional Lunch.

Exciting moments to share and look back on as the return trip was filled with lots of nostalgic memo-ries of the eventful and Educa-tional day, it is hoped that the co-hesion will encourage more staff members to participate and be part of the individual teams. The much anticipated tug of war to end

off the fantastic festival.

STAFF ISSUES

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Mr. Mafu Nkosi

Chief Director: Environmental Services

Mafu Nkosi, former director of both North West Department of Agriculture, Environ-ment and Rural Development and Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Devel-opment, was recently appointed as Chief Di-rector: Environmental Services in the North West Department Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism.

Mr Nkosi, who took up this new challenge on 1 April 2014, has worked in the environ-mental sector in the country for almost 17 years.

STAFF ISSUES

09

He started working in 1997 as Nature Conservation Scientist by then Department of Environ-mental and Tourism in Limpopo Province. In 2000, he joined by then Department of Water Affairs and Forestry as an Assistant Director: Environment within Forestry Branch; coordinat-ing development of principles, criteria, indicators and standards for sustainable management of both natural and commercial forests. After a period of four years, he joined by then North West Department Agriculture, Environment and Conservation as Deputy Director: De-velopment Impact Management and promoted as Director: Environmental Quality Protection in 2007 in charge of Development Impact Management, Compliance and Enforcement, Air Quality Management and Environmental Pollution and Ambient Monitoring. In 2010, he joined Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural development in charge of environ-mental planning and impact assessment for both City of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni Metropoli-tan Municipalities.

As academic life, Mr. Nkosi obtained his Bachelor Degree in 1993 at University of North (Turfloop). With demise of apartheid, he completed his Honours in Geography and Master Degree in Geography in 1996 and 1998 with University of Free State. In 2004, he completed his second Master’s Degree on Environmental Management with the University of Pretoria.

Despite academic qualification, he was certificated for the following courses:

• Environmental Management Inspector from UNISA in 2009 • Environmental Impact Assessment Management course from University of Pretoria

in 2008 • Project Khaedu from Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy

in 2007 • Project Management from North West University in 2007 • Environmental Law for Environmental Managers from North West University in

2005 • Social, Cultural and Heritage Impact Assessment from North West University in

2004 • Promotion of Administrative Justice Action with Justice College in 2004 • Wetland delineation and management in Urban Environment from University of

KwaZulu Natal in 2004 • Environmental Auditing Course in 2003 • Environmental Resource Economics with University of Pretoria in 1999 • Environmental Law (LLM) non-degree purposes with the University of the North

in1999 • Environmental Risk Assessment with University of Potchefstroom then in 1997

Mr. Nkosi has extensive exposure on the sector even outside the boundaries of the country. This includes countries like Guatemala, Finland, Ghana, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Argen-tina and Qatar.

STAFF ISSUES

NEW APPOINTMENTS

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Kagiso Moloto

Occupational Health and Safety Practitioner

Stephina Mosadi

Environmental Officer-Production Grade C: Mahikeng)

Itumeleng Mosiapoa

(Legal Admin Officer)

Nonofo Mokaila (Biodiversity Officer-Inspections: Vryburg Office) Pic unavailable

Mosimanegape Bruce Phiri

(Consumer Investigation Officer: Mahikeng)

One Setilo

Assistant Director (Monitoring and Evaluation)

Le amogele-segile mo le-

fapheng la rona

Congratulations on your appoint-

ment ! All the best.

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STAFF ISSUES

Moitsi Moses

Permit Officer (Rustenburg Office)

Bopaki Buthelezi

Environmental Officers-Air Quality (Potchefstroom Office)

Iketleng Monyeki

Environmental Officers-Air Quality (Rustenburg Office)

Khuliso Theswane Environmental Officers-Air Quality (Rustenburg Office)

Denis Ramphomane (Contract)

(Admin Clerk-Legal Services)

Morris Mokgatle (Vryburg Office) Pic Unavailable

Rea le amogela mo lefapheng la

rona

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STAFF ISSUES

Gloria Resane

Was: Senior Trade Industry Advisor Now: AD - Economic Empowerment: Women

INTERNAL PROMOTIONS

Motlagomang Tlhale Was: Acting Deputy Director - LED

Now: Deputy Director

Pic Unavailable

Lebogang Motlhanke Was: AD - Enterprise Development

Now: Deputy Director

Thembi Mashimbye

(Admin Clerk- Supply Chain Management)

Seloane Monaisa Was: Senior Communication Officer

Now: AD Media Relations

Wishing our col-leagues all of the

best!

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STAFF ISSUES

Sebanki Morwe

Married in May 2014

INTERNAL TRANSFER

Mapuleng Mokhutswane

Was: Admin Clerk – PMDS Now: Admin Clerk – Organisational Develop-

ment

Doren Mokwena

Was: Acting AD-Consumer Investigations Now: Assistant Director

NEWLY WEDS

Congratulations to all the Newly appointments, Transfers & Promotions. The best of wishes!!

Rea go lebogisa mo nyalong ya gago e e boitshepo Rre Morwe!!

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BEREAVEMENTS

Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved col-leagues and their families during this tough time. May

their souls rest in peace.

Aubrey Kgaladi

Administration officer - Human Settlements

Serame Moirapula

Chief housing inspector - Human Settlements NO PICTURE AVAILABLE

WELL WISHES

We wish our colleagues who were injured in the tragic events of last week a speedy recovery. Our prayers are

with them.

Veronica Mosala

Cleaner—Human Settlements

Leshoe Phenyo

Deputy Director - Human Settlements

Sehularo Matsobane

Assistant Director: Liquor Regulation DEDECT