N Mapisa-Nqakula: Service Delivery Awards Ceremony

6 December 2007

Deputy Minister
Director-General
Deputy Directors-General
Honoured comrades and colleagues

I welcome you all to this first National Service Delivery Awards Ceremony
and invite you to enjoy this very special and auspicious occasion. Together, we
will celebrate those of our colleagues whose work has been particularly
outstanding and an inspiration to us all.

Shortly after taking up my position as Minister of Home Affairs, I asked
Human Resources to develop a system for recognising and honouring exceptional
employees. I realise that it is not an easy task setting criteria and choosing
worthy candidates for such awards, as there are among us many deserving
officials who go beyond the call of duty to provide services to our people
(although if we believe the Sowetan it might seem that such colleagues are
endangered species!). But I would like to start by thanking you, Tampane and
your team for the excellent job you have done in delivering on my mandate. I
trust that these National Service Delivery Awards will now become an annual
event.

There are three categories in which awards are made: firstly Civic Services,
for which candidates were nominated by clients; national Immigration Branch,
for which candidates were also nominated by clients; and finally Support
Services, for which nominations came from outside the branches, but within the
department. Those who are to receive their awards tonight have performed
exceptionally well, and have made significant contributions to improved service
delivery.

Because we believe it is vital to emphasise personal professional
development, the awards have chosen accordingly. For the number one candidate
in each category, the award is a 12-month training bursary for a programme
suited to the individual and funded by the department. Numbers two and three
will be awarded six-month training programmes sponsored by the department.

Our experience has taught us that people who perform well always seem to be
the ones who want to do even better and we are recognising this admirable trait
by presenting awards that will enable these stellar individuals to improve
themselves still further, and to pass these benefits on to their colleagues, as
well as the public they serve. My heartiest and warmest congratulations go to
all award-winners and achievers being honoured here tonight. We are truly proud
of you. Thank you for inspiring us.

At present, we have seven Deputy Directors taking part in the Department of
Public Service and Administration/ South African Management Development
Institute (SAMDI) Sustainable Pools Programme. Six of these are women and one
is a man, so at least no one will be able to criticize us on the 50-50
requirement at this point! They are all here today, and all have passed the
management development programme. You have done us proud, and we wish you
success for the executive programme which you will undertake next.

Our aim is to grow such a large pool of good officials and good managers
that the task of selecting high achievers for awards like these will become
even harder than it already is. This year has already seen significant forward
steps in the area of service delivery, with the launch of our long-awaited
client service centre and the track and trace system for IDs, to name just two
new innovations. I am really looking forward to the introduction of Centres of
Excellence throughout the country over the next two years.

Much is said about capacity or lack thereof, and it is often used as an
excuse by government departments, including ours, for lack of delivery of
services to our people. We have all heard about the Turnaround Project, which
has been specifically designed to deal with this and related issues. However, I
believe we are our own most valuable resource in terms of developing capacity.
To draw from the ideas of Steven Bantu Biko, the 30th anniversary of whose
untimely death we marked this year, we need to look within, not without, to
find our richest treasures.

Steve Biko believed that we should not hold ourselves to false and external
standards, but instead realise our innate capacity for dignity. He urged all
South Africans to strive for real and authentic self-worth, based on true
self-knowledge and self-respect. And this is a call we need to heed as much now
as we did 30 years ago. It is by finding a source of deep self-respect within
that we will find true pride in the work that we do. This will also develop our
capacity to give and receive love and compassion in the season that lies
ahead.

I wish everyone present who celebrates Christmas a safe and happy festive
season with your families. For those who do not mark any religious festival at
this time of year, we wish all of you and your families a safe and happy
holiday and a wonderful new year. My wish is that you will all come back
refreshed and energised to implement our great plans for turning around the
department and being members of a truly new Home Affairs, where service to our
people is our principle aim and driving force.

Thank you

Issued by: Department of Home Affairs
6 December 2007
Source: Department of Home Affairs (http://www.dha.gov.za)