WCG DoTP APP 2023/2024

employees working remotely, it has also become incumbent of the branch to enhance and strengthen cyber security awareness, processes, technologies and policies. Lastly, to further enhance the mobility of our employees and to improve scalability, security and resilience of our applications, the branch will continue on its journey to leverage the value of cloud services. Programme 5 (Corporate Assurance) delivers assurance services to all departments of the WCG, including risk management, internal audit and forensic services and is CoE dependent. Over the past few financial years this programme refined its planning processes to such a degree that resource availability is a main driver for the quantity and level of work that can be conducted. There are however some services that are demand driven that cannot accurately be predicted. Additional requests are accommodated as far as possible within available resources as it enables departments to serve the citizens of the Western Cape. There has been a gradual reduction in resources as a result of the CoE management programme in the public service, and some sub programmes are below the critical mass levels as determined. The communication space is currently fragmented with some responsibilities for communication dispersed between various departments. A capability model will be piloted in the provincial communication space to bring greater coherence and optimisation. Programme 6, Legal Services, renders legal services to the Premier, the Provincial Cabinet, Provincial Ministers, the Director-General, provincial departments and, where possible and appropriate, provincial public entities. The services include the drafting of provincial legislation and subordinate legislation, collating comments on draft national legislation, the management of litigation in consultation with the office of the state attorney, providing legal opinions and advice, preparing contracts or vetting draft contracts, drafting or editing legal technical correspondence, maintaining the line function delegations of Provincial Ministers and departments, providing legal training opportunities to employees of the Western Cape Government, provincial public entities and municipalities, and conducting pro-active legal governance (due diligence) assessments in respect of transversal or departmental projects, as well as decision-making processes that require review and adjustment to mitigate risk and avoid delays in service delivery, and reduce exposure to litigation and irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. The demand for services has significantly increased over time, which can be attributed to a number of factors, such as investment in the provision of pro-active legal governance services and the growing need for strategic advice to identify legal options and create legal solutions in a complex, inter- and intra-governmental regulatory environment within which services must be delivered in a more integrated manner through a citizen-centric lens. Posts on the programme’s organisational structure, as re -aligned to meet demand for its services, have been largely funded, which, together with the optimisation of resources, means that the programme is able to render services within prescribed, stipulated or agreed timeframes.

6.1.3.

Challenges to be addressed

The continued fiscal challenges and ever-increasing demands on services complicates the operating environment. It requires of the department to review its operating models in its service offerings, particularly as it relates to the ICT environment. There remains scope internally in the department to follow a more integrated and coordinated response when dealing with client departments. More focus will therefore be placed on optimal

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DOTP ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN FOR 2023/2024