Programme director
MECs present
Director-General
HODs present
Ladies and gentlemen
Good evening
Let me first extend a warm welcome to all of you who have graced this event tonight. This ceremony has become an important annual event in the calendar of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, and is aimed at celebrating and inculcating service excellence in the public service.
Under the new democratic government, we have put in place service delivery systems to ensure that we eradicate the culture wherein civil servants behave as if they are doing a favour to members of the public.
We have done so taking into account the fact that, under the democratic government, general members of the public are fully aware of their which are enshrined in the country’s constitution. As we all saw during the period leading to our recent local government elections, the citizens of South Africa showed determination to protecting their rights.
Everywhere we went during the campaign, the people of this province, said they wanted a responsive government with councillors who are always in touch with them. It is thus imperative that our civil service evolves accordingly in order to effectively serve this increasingly sophisticated citizenry.
Not only must our civil service serve with an increased sense of urgency, but it must be at all times be sensitive and responsive to the needs of the general populace.
Citizen’s Charter
Honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am sure that you are aware that in our effort to create a more responsive and competent civil service we have this year launched the KwaZulu-Natal Citizens’ Charter.
The Citizens’ Charter has been developed from the Bill of Rights as provided for in Chapter 2, Sections 7 to 39, of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The Citizen’s Charter is a commitment by us as government that the citizens of the province will be provided with information mapping out the route to follow should service standards be compromised.
Critically, through the charter we are reminding all civil servants that the people who voted us into office voted because they had hope for a better future. By voting, they were exercising their democratic right.
We thus need to ensure that it is the ordinary people who must taste the fruits of freedom in a manner that changes their lives for the better. This is their inalienable right. The government, therefore, through the Charter makes a solemn commitment that it will uphold the rights of the citizen in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic, and as set out further in the Bill of Rights.
Ombudsman
In addition, in April, the Office of the Premier established an Office of the Ombudsman for the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The appointment of the Ombudsman, Mr Vivani Made, is the reinforcement of the Hotline established in 2009 by the PresidA core function of the Office of the Ombudsman is the management of complaints received from the general public regarding the work performance of public servants, and service delivery issues.
We are confident that with this development, addressing pressing issues of service delivery will be enhanced.
Operation Sukuma Sakhe
Earlier this year the province re-launched Operation Sukuma Sakhe. Operation Sukuma Sakhe aims to integrate the services of government in order to ensure that government enriches the lives of our citizens. It derives from the motto engraved on the crest of our Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal: “Masisukume Sakhe” – Let Us Get Up and Build.
Sukuma Sakhe therefore is a brand which says to the citizens: ‘Government cannot go it alone; the community must stand up and join government to rebuild the fabric of our society.’ We are mobilising communities through already existing structures such as traditional leadership, religious structures, NGOs, civic, cultural and sports bodies and others.
We are saying that together with government, communities must work hard to confront social ills such as HIV and AIDS and TB, which are the core to all social problems such as poverty, crime, teenage pregnancy and others.
It cannot be argued that nothing can stop the people of this country when they are united and pulling together in the same direction. The dismantling of the most brutal system, the apartheid regime, is an example of what we are capable of doing as a nation. Although we look set on to close in on the dream of a prosperous province, we face many challenges that require the same unity, hard work and stubbornness that was unleashed against apartheid.
It is in that spirit that we as government have decided to launch operation Sukuma Sakhe, a campaign aimed at uniting men and women, young people and adults behind a common goal of creating a prosperous province.
Ladies and gentlemen,
These awards are as a result of the performance evaluation system to oversee the quality of work done, and its impact, that we have painstakingly put in place. It is based on criteria that evaluate commitment to the principles of hard work, fairness, honesty, integrity and humble service to the people.
It is also based on a civil corps free of corruption and the upholding of the principle of Batho Pele. We salute all of you for your commitment to the principles of fairness, honesty, integrity and humble service to the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
Public protests
From our criminal service we need a committed to serve our people better, more effectively, with respect and dignity. The creed of our service delivery must be “integrity in service”, where we inculcate consciousness that being called upon to serve far surpasses the material reward associated with our service.
The attitude of our civil servants in service delivery is the taste of freedom and democracy to our people. The more efficient, respectful and responsive the civil service, the sweeter the taste. Public protests often reflect the rejection of shabby treatment by government officials. We must take a stand against corruption and fraud in the civil service not only because it erodes on our resources unjustifiably but because it is not in our culture other any guise. It offends on the moral values that define our nation.
It is not the matter of the fear for arrest or conviction; it should be a pledge of loyalty and patriotic duty. It should be a matter of collegial peer review that defines acceptable conduct of a civil servant that serves a democratic government in a free South Africa. This talks to the core values that must define civil service.
People do not need to fear the police and conviction in courts to avoid crime but they do good simply because they are human beings – good human beings. We are aware of the challenges that each and every one of you, the civil servant, face on a day-to-day basis, and acknowledge. We reassure you that all members of the Provincial Executive have committed themselves to building a team of motivated cadres who are willing to work as a collective to improve the lives of all our people.
I, in turn as Premier of the province, have committed myself to continue to oversee and ensure that the Provincial corps delivers as expected by the citizenry. To the recipients of the Service Excellence Awards we say, “Well done! May your spirit of dedication and hard and honest work percolate to every corner of the civil service.”
Our goal of a fully democratic and prosperous South Africa will only be realised through hard work, integrity and honesty.
I thank you.
Mulalo Afrika Tshipembe.
