Andrew
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa recently appointed long-serving senior civil servant Dr Tsitsi Rosemary Choruma as Secretary to the Public Service Commission. The Sunday Mail’s TANYARADZWA RUSIKE (TR) spoke to Dr Choruma (TRC) about her appointment and vision for the development of the civil service in Zimbabwe.
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TR: Can you give us a brief background of who Dr Tsitsi Rosemary Choruma is?
TRC: Dr Tsitsi Choruma is a specialist in human capital development and management, business development and educational leadership, with over 20 years experience working in the Government here and also in the development sector in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. I have a Master’s degree in Management from the Academy of Social Sciences in Sofia, Bulgaria; a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Zimbabwe; and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Seattle University in the United States.
TR: You were recently appointed the Secretary to the Public Service Commission (PSC). What does this appointment mean to you?
TRC: I am grateful for this appointment, which I have accepted and welcomed with open arms. To me, this is an opportunity to serve my country and my people — the citizenry. It is an opportunity to plough back into my Government all that I learned over the course of my work and academic life, with the hope and belief that I will make a difference.
TR: What is your vision for the PSC and how do you intend to push it through?
TRC: My vision for the PSC is to take it to the next level. Already, since the Second Republic came into being, there have been tremendous strides to reform the public sector. My vision for the PSC is to take this further — to push the envelope a bit further. I wish to advocate, to implement and enable service delivery through accelerating the public sector by building the capacities and capabilities of our people and systems at both national and sub-national levels.
I also wish to push through the improvement of service delivery through a digitalised and e-enabled public service. look forward to achieving this through a team’s approach, where we collaborate with all relevant stakeholders, both internal and external; a citizen-centric approach — one which places our citizens at the centre of everything we do; a high-performance approach — effective, efficient, swift and prompt responses to the needs of our workers and the public who consume our services.
I also wish to achieve PSC goals in an inclusive approach that takes into account and accommodates all forms of diversity, including different abilities of all our people, leaving no one and no place behind.
I will also ensure I inculcate in my teams the spirit, belief and philosophy that nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. We need to build that which we wish to see for ourselves as a people, as a nation and, more specifically, as the public service.
TR: Which specific areas in the public service do you see as problematic and how do you intend to address the challenges?
TRC: One of the major drawbacks that has hampered public service, and indeed even other sectors beyond the public service, is the silo mentality — where there is not nearly enough collaboration. I wish to tackle this through the inculcation of collaboration, consultation and communication, among other critical things. If, as teams or as stakeholders, we do more of these, we will be better able to break silos and together achieve more.
TR: You come in at a time when there is a lot of agitation among public sector workers over remuneration. How do you intend to tackle this problem?
TRC: We need to improve the process of negotiation. We are going to be taking a wage improvement programme approach, where there is continuous assessment and research to understand the prevailing environment, and appreciate the capacity of the Government at any given time so that we can be able to rate the remuneration as best as we possibly can.
As the Government, we continue to be committed and willing to engage our workers’ representatives and negotiate through the National Joint Negotiations Council.
TR: The Government has rolled out several non-monetary incentives for its workers. Can you outline these specific incentives and the levels of uptake by Government workers?
TRC: We have several non-monetary benefits and these include the Government Employees Mutual Savings (GEMS) Fund, a revolving fund which the Government has supported through several injections of seed money.
This is a wealth-creation initiative, which seeks to enable a culture of saving among our workers as well as to provide a source and opportunity for low-cost borrowing for projects such as home improvement, college tuition and income-generating projects.
To date, 34 402 civil servants have benefited from the GEMS Fund since it started loaning out in May 2021.
We also have the Motor Vehicle Rebate Scheme, where qualifying civil servants can import vehicles duty-free. To date, 14 500 civil servants have benefited from this scheme since its inception in 2019. We have other non-monetary incentives such as the Public Service Bus Transportation, Training Loan Fund and the Funeral Assistance Fund.
TR: President Mnangagwa has emphasised the urgent need for an improved work culture among civil servants. How do you envision enforcing an improved work culture among your employees?
TRC: We have welcomed this direction as enunciated by President Mnangagwa. This entails, on our part, an understanding of the prevailing work culture, as well as an appreciation of where we want to go within the scope of Vision 2030.
An improved work culture speaks to a number of critical aspects. It is about capacities, the state of the mind and also attitudes.
Our approach is to consider and address all of these, including looking at how to inculcate the right kind of attitudes necessary for the work ahead of us.
It also speaks to motivation. All these factors come together to mould the desired work culture. Motivation is a big part of it. We also need to realise that money is not the only motivator.
TR: Concerns have been raised about the abuse of pool vehicles by some senior officials in Government employment. What is the PSC doing to arrest this malpractice?
TRC: We believe in the investigation of any allegations and the bringing to book of any proven culprits. We do not condone any malpractices.
TR: What more are you doing to improve efficiency in delivery of duties within the public service?
TRC: We have taken several measures towards this. We recently conducted a Citizen Satisfaction Survey, which was adopted by Cabinet. As you may be aware, we have also introduced performance contracts for heads of ministries, and chief directors and directors so that we can continue to track performance and know how our people produce.
All this has a bearing on how our people are led, are remunerated and how they are motivated.
This, of course, ties in with our performance appraisal system, which we reviewed for the rest of the service. In addition to all of that, we have also rolled out several trainings through our Public Service Academy in order to continually build competencies and upskill our people.
TR: Can you outline PSC’s role in facilitating the attainment of Vision 2030?
TRC: The PSC is heavily seized with enabling devolution. We are working hard to ensure there are devolved structures across all our provinces; that we have the right people, with high capacities, in the right jobs; and that our people are fit for purpose to deliver.
Our interest is growing the devolved structure and ensuring that it is effectively serving the objectives and imperatives of the nation at local levels within the context of Vision 2030.
Our support to the national agenda can also be appreciated through the lenses of the following national priorities: human capital development and innovation; governance; digital economy; image building, and international engagement and re-engagement.
TR: How do you intend to promote gender equality in the public service?
TRC: The PSC is an inclusive employer, which has committed itself to ensuring that gender equality is promoted and upheld. We have done many things towards this, including the appointment of gender specialists across all the line ministries.
We support this further with the mainstreaming of gender in our work. We also work to foster the appreciation that gender is not just women but refers to all, with equity and equality in mind.
This speaks to issues of accommodation, diversity and inclusivity. We shall continue to be deliberate and intentional in ensuring that all of the above are addressed within the public service.
TR: How do you keep your life balanced between work and social life?
TRC: I maintain discipline and balance by ensuring that I have time for both work and social life. I give my work my all, but when it comes to time to play, I also play. I interact with others in my social life; I exercise. It is important to me to have that balance and that discipline.
TR: What is your general work ethic?
TRC: I work fast and with precision. I do not like sitting on things or procrastinating for tomorrow what can be done today. I am a firm believer in making no hesitations. We make decisions and we do what we have to do.
Online Reporter