Deputy Minister
MECs
Mayors
CEO's
DG's and Heads of Department
CPSI CEO, Ms Thuli Radebe
Chair and Members of the Assessor and Adjudication Panel
Municipal Managers
Valued Partners
Our most important guests, the Awards finalists
Ladies and Gentlemen
All protocol observed
It is appropriate that I start by acknowledging the efforts of the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) for staging this magnificent evening for recognising, rewarding and celebrating innovation within the public sector. The CPSI continues to bring us together around public sector innovation and encouraging us to innovatively find ways of conducting government business smarter, faster more effective and improving service delivery in our country. I would also like to single out the special and extra-ordinary lengths our officials have gone to in our endeavour to make citizen-centredness a reality where it seems impossible.
The programme tonight is not an end to itself. The critical work begins tomorrow, or rather on Monday. To illustrate this point, I am happy to announce that last year's Innovator of the Year, the Mpumalanga Pre-School Water Project, replicated the project throughout the province after receiving the CPSI Award. Therefore, the projects that are being awarded tonight bring a lot of lessons to the fore, not only for the country but for the whole world, both developed and developing. After all, this is a knowledge economy in which access to best practice is critical. Somewhere in South Africa and in the world, someone in a village or city will find value in one of these projects and extract that value for the benefit of all citizens.
We have a huge task to transform and modernise our public sector, lest we lose every shred of our citizens' trust. Excuses not to deliver services to our rural and other vulnerable communities are running hollow nowadays. Even the most illiterate citizen is no longer gullible to believe empty promises and excuses day in and day out. We have to push all the boundaries and challenge ourselves beyond limit to find innovative solutions. Therein lies the importance of this programme. The support that this event has received over the past nine years is indicative of what we can achieve through collaboration amongst various stakeholders. We have a common mandate to serve the people of South Africa and it pleases me to note that all nine provinces and local government have come through with entries for this year. I applaud this partnership that stretched across spheres and geographic boundaries!
Programme Director, this year's award entries once again demonstrate that there are po throughout all the spheres of government. Whilst this is encouraging, there is a greater need for all of us to ensure that our public servants are industrious and innovative so as to alleviate poverty and ensure socio-economic development of all our people. We are encouraged though that this time around, some of our municipalities have featured prominently amongst the entries and finalists. As you are all aware, our local government is the first port of call for all our citizens and it is in the interest of our country that they are efficient, effective and innovative.
Programme Director, let me acknowledge our assessors and adjudicators here this evening for their hard work of assessing and adjudicating the projects efficiently. We appreciate their commitment to support and assist us as a country. These esteemed men and women sacrificed time and energy, without any expectations or rewards for themselves. On behalf of the South African government, I thank you. Let me also acknowledge our partners, public and private for their continued support, Gems, Eskom, Bytes Technologies, Microsoft, SITA, Department of Science and Technology, Deloitte and GIZ . We have worked with these partners over the years and your support is extremely appreciated. We further appreciate the partnerships in the making with the Innovation Hub, CSIR, Accenture and Wits.
As the Ministry, we will without any doubt give our unprecedented support to the CPSI, their partners and the innovators recognised here today to continue their highly important work. They should execute this mammoth task with renewed vigour and force, using all the resources at their disposal, thinking outside of the bounds of conventional wisdom, to develop truly efficient, relevant and useful solutions for all the people in our diverse rainbow nation.
As new Minister for Public Service and Administration it gives me great pleasure and I am also humbled to recognise and award these outstanding innovators today, a grand welcome for me to the Portfolio! These trophies and a certificates are only small tokens of appreciation from Government to show our gratitude towards these individuals and the projects they have undertaken. I truly believe that, they are contributing towards a future where every citizen in South Africa will benefit from exceptional public services. And this is where the real fulfilment lies: In knowing that you have helped to create a better South Africa.
It is my wish and my vision that the creative work done by the CPSI and by all our innovators, will permeate through all of Government - national, provincial, and local - resulting in a high standard of service delivery and a public service that makes all South Africans proud.
I encourage you to learn from these innovators whose projects are awarded here tonight and start improving service delivery together because together, all of us here in this ceremony can and must do more for our country.
I hope that you will all have a memorable evening, enjoy yourselves responsibly.
Thank you,
Ministerial awards
Before I award the winners in the 2011 CPSI's Public Sector Innovation Awards, I would like to first recognise, as Special Ministerial Awards, the following Innovators.
Department of Home Affairs:
Ladies and Gentlemen, we must all acknowledge that, over the past year or so, the Department of Home Affairs has put systems in place that are truly improving service delivery, they have turned the tide and there is no turning back. The Home Affairs Department has become the 'talk of the town' but in this instance, for a different reason, the new positive image they have created over the past year. For this I would like to call upon the Director-General of Home Affairs, Mr Mkhuseni Apleni to join me on stage to receive a token of our appreciation and to encourage the Department to continue with its turnaround strategy.
Ms Phuthi Rakgophala: Pulamadibogo Primary School, Limpopo
The second Ministerial Award goes to a public servant who epitomises selflessness and outstanding dedication to her work. She continues to inspire more and more people and we hope that her enthusiasm and selfless leadership will be a lighthouse for all of us. She was recently recognised by the South African Council of Education with the prestigious Stars in Education 2011 Award for her outstanding contribution to the lives of the youth. Ms Phuthi Rakgophala, the principal of Pulamadibogo Primary School ( Limpopo) please join me on stage.
Speech for The 9th Public Sector Innovation Awards 2011 by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Mr Roy Padayachi
