MEC
Programme director
Acting Head of Department
Members of the Executive management present here
Our participants in the departmental 2014/15 internship programme
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning,
Let me take this opportunity to state right from the beginning that this occasion was scheduled to take place on the very first day you joined the department. I am sure some of you might have thought we were pulling pranks, playing jokes and hoaxes on you given the fact that the first of April is known as April's Fools day. Be rest assured and be happy today that it was not the case as there were equally pressing matters of government that had to be attended to and time being money and a scarce commodity, we could not meet you to officially welcome you on that day.
But today it is finally happening and is indeed a great honour to be given this opportunity to deliver the keynote address at this auspicious welcoming ceremony of our 2014/15 interns. It is a reality that you are joining us as part of the 2014/15 internship programme and you are most welcome to the Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Tradtional Affairs (CoGHSTA) family. A united family you will get to know and understand as time progresses.
What you must bear in mind is that, internship is an important programme and part of government's intervention and commitment to invest in our youth to ensure a skilled and capable workforce to support government project of reconstruction and development agenda. We welcome you as we respond to government's clarion call to provide unemployed graduates with valuable work experience and skills to enhance their employability. Just two weeks ago, we said our goodbyes and gratitude to our 2013/14 interns who came and made their service delivery marks and today we welcome the new set of cohorts who are equally determined to leave an indelible mark come the end of march 2015.
We hope that by then we would have as a department contributed to your lifelong learning, increased your job and career opportunities in the public service and provided you with valuable formal work experience.
You are joining the department in a historic year and month, a month in which twenty years ago the country held its first democratic elections. It is in this very month, this year when the country will celebrate its twenty years of freedom and democracy. This month is of significant importance because for the first time back in 1994, people stood together and began building one country that belongs to all who live in it. As we look forward at the occasion that rallies our nation together in celebration, we must honour men and women who have contributed in their own ways, big and small, to making the dream of a peaceful transformation a reality. We must honour men and women who have made it possible today for all South Africans to say with one voice that South Africa is a much better place to live in now than it was in 1994.
As we brace ourselves for these massive celebrations, telling all the good stories brought about by the hard earned freedom and democracy, we must take time off and familiarise ourselves with the country's Twenty Year Review in order to understand the legacy that democratic South Africa inherited. You should understand how the country has progressed in realising the objectives it set itself in 1994 and most importantly the challenges which still remain and how we should best address them as we enter into the third decade of democracy. As you join the department, you must be aware of these challenges in order to hit the ground with the rest of the workforce.
In celebrating how we have come and the strides made, having you here as our interns is part of looking into the future and continue to plan and be prepared for the challenges and opportunities that await us. Surely the struggle continues and we cannot allow any room for complacency. Part of that struggle is that we must fight and ensure that the future generations of this country continue to see meaning in having education in their lives, enjoy economic successes and social harmony in a democracy such as ours. We need competent and dynamic cadres of public servants whose sole aim is to work and transform the lives of the defenceless and downtrodden people. I believe seated here are such people who are combat ready to be guided and nurtured into servants whose hallmarks will be dedication, commitment and hard work. We can achieve more and register good progress by continuously building and nurturing talented young men and women to assume positions of responsibilities in the public sector.
I am told that the 110 cadets who were selected to participate in the department's internship programme were based on merit. It is in that light that I am convinced that all the participants in this important programme will not only gain and acquire experience but they will also impart and plough their expertise to the various sub branches where they are placed in the department. Our expectations from the interns are high and as you take part in this programme, you need to exhibit sound character; a deep commitment and a desire to serve our stakeholders which you will get to know as you start your duties.
We expect nothing else, but the highest standards of integrity in all that you do and remember your duty is to serve the people. Remember, you are preparing yourselves for the workplace in the future years, so put in your very best. We count on you to make best use of your respective skills and expertise to help the department to deliver on its mandate which is the provision of quality housing for all and that our municipalities become the hubs of service delivery than of havens service delivery protests.
As interns, note that you will be governed by Public Service Legislative Frameworks, for sure you know that by now and as such how you conduct yourselves becomes very key. Remain humble and be open to views and ideas that are not the same as yours. Have tolerance for a different viewpoint. Communicate clearly and effectively and learn to listen attentively to feedback. Take time to understand the people you will be working with; the people you will be serving and the culture of the organisation. The accomplishment of this programme should not mean you stopping to serve your community and the less privileged in our society.
We hope that the Graduate Top Up programme that the department will roll out during your stay in the department, will empower and expose you to key life skills programmes like entrepreneurial and financial management skills to enable you to think and develop survival ideas that are developmental in nature.
We value the contribution that you will be making in the department and for you to accomplish what you joined the department for; we will allocate you seasoned and experienced mentors to guide you in this journey. Both you and the mentors will be required to produce reports on a monthly basis on the progress made in your personal development as interns. I want to stress to our mentors that we want our interns to gain relevant experiences as per their qualifications that will put them in good steads when competing for employment. We must avoid tendencies that seek to reduce our interns to errands boys and girls doing stuff that has got nothing to do with what they are here for and gaining experience that will not help them in the future. Otherwise we will not win the war against unemployment because our youth will remain incompetent and without the necessary experience.
Having said that, we take this opportunity to congratulate our interns for being selected to participate in this programme. We also thank the responsible section of the department for selecting the very best for this programme. It is never an easy task when you have to go through more than 15 000 applications that were received and make final placements to various divisions of the department. It was a daunting assignment indeed.
As I conclude, it is our conviction that a well-planned, structured and managed internship programme will bring about the desired outcome and it will go a long way in assisting our interns to better understand the public service, its values, work ethics and the opportunities it offers. Ours should be to continue to build the new generation of the public service cadres capable of implementing the National Development Plan (NDP), which is a plan that carries the hopes and dreams of all South Africans from all persuasions, for a better life by 2030.
We must also work hard to build the new cadres of public servants that will assist government to pursue its vision of creating more jobs, decent work, sustainable livelihoods, improving quality of housing for all. We should look no further than in this 2014/15 class of internship programme. We must from this class produce public servants who will be equal to the task; challenges and priorities of our democratic dispensation and through mentoring, development and training such a wish is possible.
I have no doubt that you will receive exciting experience during your stint in the department. The experience that you will gain will stand you in good stead when you begin to look for a job. I guarantee you that the experience of interning in the department will be unique and very interesting. Let the journey of gaining great work experiences which will help you in your careers begin. I wish you all the very best in this journey and take this rare opportunity to welcome you in the award winning department.
I thank you.
