Programme Director, Dr Jonkers
Members of the Executive Council present
Executive Mayor of Sol Plaatje Municipality, Councillor Patrick Mabilo
Public Service Commissioner, Mr Anele Gxoyiya
Ms Mamello Mohammed from DPSA
Government officials

Ladies and gentlemen

Today’s gathering affords me the rare opportunity to personally engage with public servants. This platform allows me to interact with you and share some thoughts around the Public Service in general. Albeit a bit late in our celebration of Public Service Month, I deemed it very important that we commemorate this day even though we are a few weeks late because as the Premier I feel it is crucial that we get together to honour public servants and to give a true reflection of the public service as it is today.

Public Service Month is commemorated annually as part of an international best practice mechanism in order to improve service delivery. Public Service Month is thus a service delivery improvement mechanism which forms an integral part of the Batho Pele Revitalization strategy throughout the three (3) spheres of government. During this time we should reflect as well as devise mechanisms to assess the quality of service delivery with a view to address the aspects thereof that are found to be sub-standard or where evidence exists that the Batho Pele strategy is being compromised.

Public Service Month thus seeks to:
Instil and rebuild good ethics and professionalism in how public servants do their work;

Recommit and rededicate the public servants to the principles of Batho Pele;

Improve the morale and inculcate a sense of pride of being a public servant; and

Improve service delivery by exposing senior and middle managers to the coalface of service delivery service delivery to identify challenges and develop plans for corrective action and interfacing with the citizens.

In short I would say it encourages public servants to demonstrate their commitment to the social contract of government with the main aim being to revive the provision of service delivery. This year Public Service Month was commemorated under the theme, “Growing South Africa Together for an ethical public service, “We Belong, We Care, We Serve”.

This year as citizens of this country and the entire world we were confronted by a health pandemic that called on our collective responsibility to respond. When the President announced the national lockdown on the 23rd March 2020 as a response to the rapid rise in the number of people infected with Coronavirus COVID-19; as public servants we could not see this as a break from our calling to serve because we needed to ensure that essential government services are not compromised. We needed to remind ourselves that amidst the fear that the Coronavirus pandemic presents, we must draw our strength and courage from the fact that the people who we serve depend on us for survival.

Unfortunately during this time tremendous strain has been placed on our already scarce resources. As a country we took a decision to invest the majority of our resources in the Health sector and other services may have suffered as a result.

We were as I said necessitated to reprioritize and adjust our budgets and our resource allocation to ensure that our Health Services are strengthened and well equipped to deal with any eventuality that might have come up. Despite the negative comments and malicious reports over the last few months, I am satisfied that we stepped up to the plate and dealt with the Virus and its devastating consequences. Our frontline staff- from the emergency response units to the specialized health care did a sterling job and we- as the Provincial Government and as a people owe them much gratitude and appreciation.

The pandemic also once again demonstrated that we are resilient and resourceful in the delivery of much needed services. We sheltered the homeless, fed the hungry, healed the sick, protected the vulnerable and infirm and we did this without fear or favour. We managed with very little in comparison to other established and growing economies and we have proven that as a Government we can compete with the best.

Sadly though, with the sweet comes the bitter. The Corona Virus has also brought out the worst in some public servants. The rampant looting that occurred in some areas is condemned with contempt and we are doing thorough checks to ensure that we deal with any and every opportunist who at the expense of the safety of our people enriched themselves and those they favour. When we say that we are serious about fighting corruption, we stand firm alongside the President of the Republic when he calls for stronger action against corruption and crime; be it in the public or private sector. Collectively we should consolidate the ethos of public service and develop a conducive working environment that will prevent corruption, thereby ensuring that the relevant services are delivered to the public in an effective and efficient manner.

The Virus has also brought about another revelation- and that is that we need to review the staffing compliment of the Public Service. We have consistently delivered quality services during the Lockdown with less than fifty percent of the staff and with reduced working hours. This is something we need to consider as we analyse the effectiveness of service delivery and try to reduce already scarce and sometimes non-existent resources in government.  The reality is that the future workplace will be totally different to what we are used to, it is therefore critical that academia and Human Resource leaders play a proactive and innovative role in creating the future workplace.

Another remarkable aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the acceleration in implementing digital technologies: ICTs have facilitated millions of people in working from home during lockdowns. The Province has also implemented video conferencing tools for collaboration during the pandemic to ensure continuity of government services across the province and at the same time reducing the provincial carbon footprint.

As we plot a new future for us in what has become known as our new normal I want to urge public servants in the daily execution of their duties that they must aim to inspire others. We need to conduct our affairs with integrity, probity and ethical conduct of the highest order.  I want to make a call to all public servants to continue putting our people first and to always let our conscience guide us as we serve the people of this Province.

As we reflect on Public Service Month, let us remind ourselves that Batho Pele   should   not be about   plans, documents and statements   of   intent   to   improve   service   delivery.  It   should be about   life   experiences   and   the   practical   application of Batho Pele   principles in the daily interactions with the citizens of our province.  

I wish to thank the Public Service Commissioner for your valuable input on ethical leadership and express our continued reliance on your office to assist us in remaining ethically sound and in developing a working environment that prevents corruption and ensure that the relevant services are delivered to the public in an effective and efficient manner.

When we commenced this Sixth Administration, we articulated a vision of a Modern, Growing and Successful Province. Over the last couple of months we have been engaging different sectors on this vision to mobilise buy-in into this vision. This was done so that this vision can ultimately become the provincial shared vision and destiny for the entire Northern Cape citizenry. Your role in attaining this vision cannot be undermined or underplayed. I therefore call on all of you to grasp the opportunity to become agents of the change that we want to see.  This change must be tangible and translate into a life changing experience for many of our people and create the better life for all.

Let me make use of this opportunity to thank all the public servants especially frontline workers who continue to wage a brave fight against Covid-19. Your efforts do not go unnoticed. Allow me to also to extend our deepest condolences to the families of all public servants who have lost their lives in the fight against Covid-19. Similarly our sincerest condolences to the families of all our people in the Province who have lost loved ones to this pandemic.

As we continue to wage our fight against the Coronavirus I want to remind everyone that although lockdown levels are relaxed, the virus is still part of us and people should continue to wear their masks, practice social distancing and continue to wash hands with water and soap or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer. It becomes increasingly important for citizens to play their part to protect themselves and others against Coronavirus.

Finally improving service delivery is a continuous process for government at all levels and not a once-off task. It calls for a shift from inward-looking bureaucratic systems, processes and attitudes to searching for new ways of working that will give priority to the needs of the people we serve. Our people want service improvements and greater value, transparency and accountability from all spheres of government. Service excellence in government is thus of paramount importance to enhance a better life for all.

I thank you

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