launch of the Public Service Week
6 November 2006
Programme Director,
Members of the Executive Council,
Members of Parliament,
Honourable Executive Mayor for Amathole District Council,
Honourable Mayor of Buffalo City,
Members of the local government structures,
Distinguished guests,
Officials,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today we are here at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital as both the leadership and
officials of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government to revitalise our pledge
and commitment to serving the people of the province with humility, honesty and
integrity. We are here to mark the launch of the Public Service Week, a week
which we dedicate to the acceleration of service delivery through increased
access to information taking services to the people and most importantly
awakening and responding to service delivery challenges.
We have always been cognisant of the fact that access is vital to
accelerating service delivery, eradicating socio-economic marginalisation and
achieving the objectives of the developmental State.
In response to that we have over the past years through our Batho Pele
campaign aimed at inculcating a culture of citizen centric and pro-poor
approach to service delivery increased access to services through a number of
strategies amongst which include:
*�Using our provincial events to provide a range of services to our communities
including identity document (ID) applications, births registrations, social
grant registrations, mobile clinics etc. has ensured multiplication of the
benefits of our services.
* An engagement of Community Development Workers (CDWs) across the province
as foot soldiers to render salesmanship for government services has increased
access to information and services.
*�Setting up of customer care service units by all provincial departments and
call centres also facilitates quick turnaround times in addressing and
responding to queries and complaints by citizens.
The introduction of service delivery mediators and monitors by the Office of
the Premier in each district municipality, to play the interface role with the
communities has seen unblocking of service delivery blockages across the
province.
As I mentioned in the State of the Province address this year we are
focusing on service excellence. We are implementing a revamped project called
"Balasela" or Service Excellence programme, which will set our government even
more firmly on its way to a more co-ordinated platform for pro-poor service
delivery by enhancing institutional operational efficiency and effectiveness. I
am proud to learn that all our departments have recently concluded the
development of their service standards which we will be launching on 28
November together with our "Balasela/Excellence" programme.
In our attempt to continue fulfilling the fundamental constitutional
principle of "Just Service Delivery," we are now focusing on a vigorous Batho
Pele revitalisation campaign. Through this campaign we want to escalate Batho
Pele to a higher trajectory by putting in place strategies to address service
delivery challenges at the coal face.
The analysis thus far has indicated we still fall short of fully
implementing Batho Pele so that people down on the coalface experience it.
This year the Public Service Week's focus is on improvement of services by
identifying challenges and developing workable solutions to such service
delivery impediments, while exposing political leadership including our senior
managers to the coalface environment. We want to create a platform to encourage
senior managers in all departments to interface with citizens, thus making them
appreciate the gaps between policy formulation and implementation.
This is also part of encouraging provincial departments to institutionalise
customer or service user management programmes including:
*�Service Delivery Watch comprising MECs and Senior Management visits to
service delivery points so as to create a state of awakening to the cadres
deployed in those areas
* "Khaedu", the Senior Management Service (SMS) Delivery Challenge programme
which the Director-General (DG) spoke about this morning is emphasising a
culture of zooming closer to our community needs and dirtying our hands across
all levels of management to ensure full beneficiation of the poor on government
services.
The continuous review and refinement service standards and service delivery
improvement plans not only as a compliance issue but as part of addressing
service delivery challenges and aiming at continuous improvement.
Hence this week politicians and public servants will converge at service
delivery points to examine challenges, monitor how the services are provided
and to really portray the 'government at work.' The challenges identified will
feed into our service delivery improvement programmes as the various
departments.
It is on this basis that I call on all of us to stand up and put our
shoulders to the wheel, and make government work for the people. Success of
this programme depends on provincial departments pulling together.
I thank you!
Issued by: Office of Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
6 November 2006
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecprov.gov.za)
