Liaison, Roads and Transport at the launch of Motor Vehicle Renewal Service by
the South African Post Office, Garden Court, Mthatha
30 October 2007
We are once more recommitting ourselves to another innovative way of
improving government services, especially for the rural communities of our
province.
I believe that this partnership with the South African Post Office will
continue to present new and lasting solutions to our challenges of improving
service delivery to our people.
I would like to commend the Post Office for a remarkable intervention it
continues to make in the Nelson Mandela Metro, Buffalo City and now King Sabata
Dalindyebo.
After 13 years since our liberation, we cannot continue to complain about
apartheid, instead we need to recommit ourselves to the social transformation
programme of our country and emerge with solutions to deal with our problems.
The time has come for all of us to come close in pursuit of a common goal,
which is to serve our people in a dignified manner. It cannot be business as
usual!
As we are currently busy with the transformation of the public service, we
need partners, who will add value to our broad strategy, which seeks to
introduce norms and standards that are consistent with principles of the new
democratic institution of promotion of service delivery activism.
Our approach seeks to provide space for us to realise our objectives of
maximising the principles of Batho Pele â People First, in an attempt to
respond to the challenges of providing the necessary support to all our
people.
We must all work towards cutting down long queues that have been experienced
by our people and become service delivery activists. Today, we are expanding
this licence renewal service to five local Post Office sites, which include
Madeira Street, Mqanduli, Mthatha, Unitra and Viedgesville.
These outlets are expected service a vehicle population of more than 30 000.
We believe that this approach will improve service performance, as it will be
guided by our Best Practice Model that we developed with the assistance of
Business Against Crime. We have realised the importance of drawing the private
sector on board in order to strengthen our capacity.
This Best Practice Model features the Batho Pele principles and has been
incorporated in the service level agreements that the department signed with
the three municipalities and will be renewed on a regular basis. Our electronic
National Traffic Information System (e-NATIS) helpdesk has been restructured to
conform to this Best Practice Model.
We will then monitor improved service delivery on a regular basis. These
outlets are already operating and have longer operational hours, including
weekends. I am convinced that this new arrangement will benefit our people and
restore public confidence in government.
I hope that the local sphere of government will take this challenge
positively and start to learn something out of it. Leaders at this level should
unite in order attract investment confidence, because were there is conflict,
there is no development.
The time has come for leaders, especially in the King Sabata Dalindyebo
Municipality, to consider unity as a source of strength to take the
municipality forward.
In conclusion, I would like to once more express my sincere gratitude to the
South African Post Office for the good work. Let us continue to work together
as government and private sector in providing lasting solutions to the
challenges that continue to haunt our young democracy.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape
Provincial Government
30 October 2007
