Speaking at a community meeting at the Mountview Civic Centre in Verulam, North of Durban yesterday, Mr Roy Padayachie Deputy Minister for Public Service and Administration stressed government’s commitment to working with and for the people in delivering efficient and speedy services. The community meeting is part of the deputy minister’s four day public service initiative currently taking place in Tongaat and scheduled to end on Monday, 3 May 2010.
The public service initiative is a direct response to President Zuma’s call for the year 2010 to be a year of action; whose defining feature is a government administration that knows where people live, understands their needs and responds in a fast and effective manner.
Deputy Minister Padayachie’s initiative started on Wednesday, 28 April with a visit to the Thabani Magwaza Clinic in Hambanathi, where he met with the head of the clinic, the staff, as well as had direct and intimate talks with the patients. Deputy Minister Padayachie has since visited the local police station, child and family welfare society, municipal offices, old age homes, as well as the local South African Social Services Agency (SASSA). The deputy minister has also made unannounced visits to the local Home Affairs offices as well as the Tongaat Municipal Offices.
The main objectives of the programme are to establish if government services at service points are people-friendly; engage the community in making recommendations on the improvement of services; as well as to establish a localised Service Delivery Improvement Forum (SDIF) that would improve the functioning of the public service institutions.
On Monday, 3 May 2010, the Deputy Minister will visit the Tongaat Post Office to assess the level and standard of the pension payouts and to also look at ways to streamline the payments, as well as hold a community meeting at the Hambanathi Resource Centre. SASSA, the Department of Labour, Department of Higher Education, National Youth Development Agency as well as the Department of Home Affairs will accompany the minister with mobile clinics which will allow the community of Hambanathi to access their individual services locally.
For more information contact:
Philile Ntuli
Cell: 082 883 2335
Kuben Govender
Cell: 082 049 9629
Issued by: Department of Public Services and Administration
30 April 2010
