North West Premier, Mme Thandi Modise has appealed to all Senior Managers in her provincial government to improve communications with its citizens and recommit themselves to adhere to the principles of Batho Pele as they conduct their work.
“Government has got a mandate to provide services to the people and it is through us senior managers to ensure that the mandate is fulfilled.
We need to make sure that we listen to the concerns of our people and respond to them accordingly,” said Premier Modise when addressing the Provincial Senior Management Services Conference held at Mmabatho Convention Centre in Mahikeng on Thursday.
The Conference is a platform for deployed managers who did unannounced visits at service points as part of Public Service Week to table salient findings and challenges observed during their visit.
It is held under the theme, “How can we as public servants improve service delivery in the province” and it is centred around service delivery challenges facing the province with a view of recommending appropriate intervention and reflecting on the turnaround strategy.
Premier Modise told the conference that government should inform the public on the reasons behind failure to deliver promised services.
“As we look at the challenges that we have today in the public service, we need to ask ourselves whether we are communicating with our citizens enough.
We can avoid most of the service delivery protests in our province if we understand our constitutional mandate and communicate effectively with our people,” she said.
She emphasised that public servants must recommit themselves to provide services to the people through the principles of Batho Pele also adding that people will always expect government to deliver on the mandate they have committed to deliver.
“We have the responsibility to service our people with pride and passion and not seeking to impress our seniors.
It must be the citizen who will praise us after delivering services to them in a manner that we have promised,” she cited.
Echoing Premier Modise’s sentiments, Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela said government must prioritise its citizens first when it carries out it work.
“The state must at all the time check if they are fulfilling the promises they have made to the people. They must always see if the people have got water, electricity, houses and other services that must be provided.
Our people have got the right to complain if they do not get the services that are due to them,” she said.
Madonsela also raised a concern that many people in government do not listen to the concerns of the people hence continued service delivery in the country.
She encouraged delegates to listen to the citizens to remedy the situation
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North West Government senior managers urged to promote Batho Pele Principles
Province
