Programme Director,
Head of Department: Mrs Khumalo,
Senior Management of the department,
Staff members,
Good afternoon.
I am delighted to join you this afternoon to celebrate the achievements of the recipients of the Service Excellence Awards. Today we honour our colleagues who have gone the extra mile in an exemplary way to provide a good service to the department.
We also honour those who have served the department with distinction for more than 20 years. This ceremony is also going to salute students who have completed their internship training with the department. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate them and wish them all the best as they prepare themselves to enter into the competitive job market.
I also want to thank our staff members who dedicated their precious time in mentoring these interns. They deserve a huge pat on the back. Colleagues, this is an important occasion for us to reflect on our roles in the department and to renew our commitment to serve the people of this country. When the current administration took over in 2009, the president made a call to all of us that we must do things differently in order for us to deliver on the five government priorities.
In past few weeks I have been interacting with the senior management of the department including the regions. I was delighted to learn that the government priorities do find expression in our programmes. As you celebrate your achievements today, I also want you to celebrate the fact that you are responding to the president’s call. However, the call to do things differently was informed by a widely held view that the public service is slow and has too much red tape.
This view was confirmed by the Public Service Commission Report which looked at the key drivers of the citizen’s satisfaction with the public service delivery. The report noted that most government departments were not providing swift and prompt services and were also not providing citizens with accurate information.
To turn this situation around we need to ensure that we practically apply the Batho Pele principles in the daily interactions with the citizens of the province. The fact that you are being honoured today, demonstrates that you are able who take on the challenges which impedes service delivery with great resolve and fortitude in pursuit of excellence.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In order for an organisation to achieve good results, it must invest in its human resources. The availability of quality training can put the public service in good stead to continuously raise the bar on service quality. I therefore urge all of you to continuously improve your knowledge and skills in your area of work for the benefit of the people we are serving.
Another important point I want to emphasise to you today is that of conducting the affairs of our government with integrity and ethical conduct of the highest order. Government has a monopoly over the services it provides to the citizens. In many instances this monopoly gets abused instead of being used to improve the lives of the people. For the greater good of the people of this province let us use this monopoly only to serve not to achieve our selfish interests.
Finally, as I indicated earlier that I have been meeting with the senior management of the department, shortly I will be announcing the dates where I will be interacting with all staff members of the department.
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the recipients of the awards and appeal to you not to rest on your laurels now that you have been honoured. These Service Excellence Awards must continue to be the catalyst for our goal of a better life for all.
I thank you!
