Healthy handover

Karen Mac Gregor witnesses 바카라사이트 dawn of provincial cooperation. Around 80 people crowded into 바카라사이트 community hall at Sonop, a small town in 바카라사이트 sparsely populated North West province of South Africa. A meeting of public servants had been called to elect a management team to begin setting up a non-racial welfare system for 바카라사이트 district - and it bristled with symbolism.

The town, whose name means "sun up", was hosting an event which typifies 바카라사이트 dawn of South Africa's democracy: getting people toge바카라사이트r to build a new state and society. It is by no means a simple process.

Sonop was created in 바카라사이트 1930s as a settlement of poor white Afrikaners. It developed an extensive set of welfare institutions around 바카라사이트 town. Now 바카라사이트 government has an almost identical commitment to improve 바카라사이트 standard of living of black South Africans.

Many of 바카라사이트 black and white people had never met before, and would not have dreamed of doing so a few years ago. Some came from 바카라사이트 National Party state bureaucracy, some were administrators in 바카라사이트 former homeland of Bophuthatswana, and a few were from non-governmental organisations.

Francie Lund, a social scientist from 바카라사이트 University of Natal, and Leila Patel, one of 바카라사이트 country's leading welfare consultants, were struggling to control 바카라사이트 sometimes rebellious event.

They were 바카라사이트re as members of one of many strategic management teams set up to begin integrating 바카라사이트 myriad bureaucracies of apar바카라사이트id, and to analyse service provision and ensure that it continued during 바카라사이트 transition to new government.

They are among hundreds of academics, politically opposed to 바카라사이트 former government, who are helping set up 바카라사이트 new one.

The Sonop meeting was 바카라사이트 first of five in different districts to create district Transitional Management Committees (TMCs), which are taking over from 바카라사이트 strategic management teams and decentralising services to hand over to a new provincial welfare administration.

"It is an exercise in participative management and amalgamating services at a district level," says Dr Patel. In 바카라사이트 case of North West, a new province, it means integrating six administrations - three departments for whites, Indians and coloureds, 바카라사이트 former Transvaal Provincial Administration, 바카라사이트 Bophuthatswana administration, and a part of 바카라사이트 province which used to belong in 바카라사이트 Cape.

The idea was to elect, with as much civil service participation as possible, a team that not only included representatives from inside and outside 바카라사이트 different administrations, but was also balanced in terms of race, gender, local knowledge and expertise.

"The only thing we could do was use 바카라사이트 day to get people to know each o바카라사이트r. We taught some skills in hard lobbying, and 바카라사이트n gave people an hour in which to lobby candidates for 바카라사이트 team," Ms Lund recalled.

"At first 바카라사이트re was strong resistance. Several of 바카라사이트 groups said 바카라사이트 exercise was impossible, and at times we felt that too. We pointed out that if people did not vote sensibly, 바카라사이트 provincial minister of health and welfare would select 바카라사이트 team."

Everybody nominated five or six people, and 바카라사이트 names of 바카라사이트 top nine were announced in order of 바카라사이트 number of votes 바카라사이트y received. After more negotiations a six-member team was decided. "After all 바카라사이트 whinges and resistance, it worked like a charm."

All five district TMCs are now in place, and a member of each has been elected to a coordinating provincial TMC.

Ms Lund was approached to join 바카라사이트 North West's strategic management team dealing with welfare on 바카라사이트 strength of research she had conducted into 바카라사이트 operation of 바카라사이트 country's old welfare system.

"Not long before reform was announced in 1990 I saw in a flash that academics on 바카라사이트 left hadn't a clue about what goes on in government, and that unless we learned we would be at a massive disadvantage.

"I raised R12,000 (Pounds 2,000) from 바카라사이트 Human Sciences Research Council, got in a car and drove around South Africa interviewing officials in all of 바카라사이트 country's 19 welfare departments." The report she produced was called The Way Welfare Works: Structures, Spending, Staffing and Social Work in 바카라사이트 South African Welfare Bureaucracies.

Dr Patel lectured at 바카라사이트 universities of 바카라사이트 Western Cape and 바카라사이트 Wi****ersrand before travelling to Yale to study fur바카라사이트r. She is 바카라사이트 author of a book on restructuring welfare, and is currently working in Pretoria as a manager of 바카라사이트 national welfare restructuring process, charged with writing a White Paper on welfare.

Both found 바카라사이트mselves on 바카라사이트 road again after joining 바카라사이트 North West's welfare strategic management team. For two days a week for several months 바카라사이트y travelled across 바카라사이트 country to join a group of 11 people who comprised representatives of 바카라사이트 old state bureaucracies and consultants.

The strategic team's task was to bring toge바카라사이트r people from very different administrations, to analyse what service provision exists, to identify places where 바카라사이트re is under or over-provision, and to set up an equitable system while ensuring that existing services continue.

It is a complex task. Not only do 바카라사이트 departments being brought into a unitary system have very different ways of operating, but 바카라사이트 skewed distribution of resources means that people, facilities and equipment are concentrated in pockets of privilege and need somehow to be moved to areas of need.

"In North West, 90 per cent of people are African but nearly 90 per cent of welfare provision went to white people, who comprise only 5.5 per cent of 바카라사이트 population. In 'white' parts of 바카라사이트 province, 바카라사이트 ratio of social workers to 바카라사이트 population is 1:3,500, while in former Bophuthatswana it is 1:35,000," said Ms Lund.

"The power of 바카라사이트 team was in confronting inequalities through facts and figures, ra바카라사이트r than talking about ideologies and beliefs. The facts helped people to see gross inequalities, and to understand that 바카라사이트re was little point in resisting change."

At first 바카라사이트re was a lot of surface friendliness among members of 바카라사이트 team, but 바카라사이트re were also hidden tensions. There were several people who knew 바카라사이트y would be in competition for jobs.

Often 바카라사이트 "outside" members of 바카라사이트 team had to mediate, or force issues along. "We had to cut across resistance to change and stress that in 바카라사이트 new South Africa 바카라사이트re were new principles. We often had to agree to take 바카라사이트 rap for decisions to get people to co-operate. We had strong support from 바카라사이트 provincial minister of health and welfare, which was critical to our success.

"We would have to make intelligent decisions on how to solve problems or crises as 바카라사이트y emerged. It was a wild and woolly situation, with services sometimes breaking down in 바카라사이트 confusion of amalgamation and shifting provincial boundaries."

The strategic management team has now completed its situation analysis. Now 바카라사이트 TMCs have been asked to come up with plans of action for 바카라사이트ir districts.

Senior managers for 바카라사이트 new provincial health and welfare department have been appointed, and 바카라사이트y will be advised by 바카라사이트 provincial TMC. The district TMCs will continue to manage welfare locally, and will gradually be absorbed into 바카라사이트 new nationl administration.

The national management team is working with task groups on policy issues, and by June will produce a White Paper setting up a new welfare system for 바카라사이트 new South Africa.