T Makwetla: Premier's Service Excellence Awards

18 October 2007

Programme director
Members of the Executive Council
Executive Mayors and Councillors
Chairperson of the Mpumalanga Youth Commission, Mr Sipho Shongwe
Nominees and recipients of the Premier's Service Excellence Awards
Representatives of our partners, Standard Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers
Our Judges of the Premier's Service Excellence Awards
Managers in the Public Service
The youth of our province
Ladies and gentleman

Once again, we meet to recognise teams that have displayed commitment,
innovation and excellence in the performance of their duties. We bestow honour
on the public servants who uphold the values of continuous improvement and
innovation in the delivery of services to the people of the Mpumalanga.

Today's occasion also marks the recognition of youth organisations and
individuals whose projects and achievements epitomise values of commitment to
self-empowerment and service to society. The individuals nominated for awards
exemplify extraordinary dedication to 'deepen youth participation through
service' as was highlighted in June this year when we commemorated Youth
Day.

In these awards, we extol the virtues of hard work by our youth in the areas
of entrepreneurship, sports, arts and culture, volunteerism and education. We
trust that the recognition of the youth's contribution to service delivery and
development will inspire the youth of the province to participate actively in
development initiatives intended to empower the youth and contribute to the
development of the province.

Programme director, it is critical that we sustain ongoing efforts of
creating a responsive and caring public service characterised by leadership
commitment, speed and service delivery excellence. Excellent service to the
citizens defines the essence of government's existence. Therefore, public
sector institutions should inculcate a strong sense of urgency to serve and
change the lives of people for the better. This suggests that the leadership
and organisational culture of these institutions should reflect a deep sense of
appreciation for the need to entrench Batho Pele principles in their day-to-day
operations and interaction with citizens.

We need to entrench a servant leadership culture that puts the needs of
communities first, rather than self-serving bureaucracies that tend to sustain
red tapes that impede quick and efficient delivery of services. Servant
leadership in the public sector context should mean that the interests of
citizens that we are mandated to serve are placed above self-interest of
whatever form. A change of organisational culture towards service excellence
should result in improving service turnaround times, and delivering results
that change the citizens' lives in the areas of health, education, safety and
security, water provision, housing etc. The interaction of government with
citizens should result in positive experiences for the citizens.

For the public sector, service excellence is about commitment to making a
difference and changing lives for the better, especially for the poor and
previously disadvantaged individuals in our society. The projects and
initiatives short listed for the Premier's Service Excellence Awards display
extraordinary commitment to social empowerment and servant leadership.

We should applaud all Service Excellence Awards finalists for their
outstanding work that gives true meaning to 'Batho Pele'. Hopefully, best
practice case studies will emerge from the innovations and experiences of
institutions and projects selected for the Premier's Service Excellence Awards.
We should be able to learn from each other, share experiences and best
practices so that we enhance and entrench a culture of service excellence
throughout the public service institutions in Mpumalanga. This will take us a
long way towards realising the goal of a truly people-centred government.

In the implementation of Batho Pele, it is critical that provincial
departments, municipalities and parastatals develop and implement Service
Delivery Improvement Plans, with clear measurable targets and indicators to
monitor progress and evaluate outcomes. Necessary capabilities (in the form of
people, systems and processes) should be put in place to achieve service
delivery outcomes in line with the expectations of the citizens. To improve
organisational performance, Batho Pele should be integrated into the
performance agreements of senior managers as well as employee performance plans
and work plans.

Programme director, access to government services remains of the challenges
facing many of our citizens, especially in remote and underdeveloped parts of
the province. Some of our people still need to travel long distances to towns
to access services. In many cases, the fragmentation in the delivery of
government services means that citizens will access different services in
different locations that are not in close proximity.

As a province, we have prioritised the implementation of Thusong Centres
(MPCC's) to improve access to government services and provide a platform for
the delivery of government services in an integrated manner. Thusong centres
are facilities designed to centrally locate government services such as home
affairs services, welfare, municipal services, economic services, youth
services, health, labour etc. in order to bring government services closer to
where people live.

It is crucial that we accelerate the roll-out of these centres, and improve
the quality of services delivered in those centres.

As we congratulate the nominees of the Premier's Service Excellence Awards
for the work well done, we should be reminded that service excellence is the
responsibility to which all institutions of government should commit, and
strive to achieve at all times. This is the only way we are going to make a
difference in the lives of the citizens of the province.

Finally, I would like to thank our partners, Standard Bank and
PriceWaterhouseCoopers for their continued support to the Premier's Service
Excellence Awards programme. Your contribution is appreciated.

Thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
18 October 2007
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za)