1. PURPOSE

The purpose for the inaugural Service Delivery Month (SDM) 2011 is in three-fold:
Firstly, it seeks to strengthen and intensify relations between government and Service Beneficiaries.

Secondly, to sharply focus on the Batho Pele principle of ACCESS as a key focus area for Service Delivery in the Province and thirdly to measure the impact of Service Delivery in our Province.

2. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Despite the major strides that have been made since the 1994 democratic dispensation, there are still service delivery gaps in a number of areas with regards to the state’s performance in achieving an effective, efficient and development oriented public service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship
(Outcome 12). In the State of the Province address Honourable Premier Hazel Jenkins highlighted the need to invest in programmes, projects and campaigns that puts the interests of the people of the Northern Cape first by ensuring growth, development and improved Service Delivery in the Province.

The Premier supported by the Executive Committee, DG, DDG’s, Senior Managers and government officials will embark on a Month long Service Delivery and outreach programme in September 2011. This programme is envisaged to be driven by the Office of the Premier, all Provincial departments, Municipalities and NGO’s and CBO’s in the Province.

Service Delivery month (SDM) will incorporates elements of the Batho Pele Revitalization Strategy which seeks to instil and rebuild good ethics, morale and pride in public servants’ endeavours to translate the people’s contract into reality through the provision of quality services that respond to the needs of the citizens.
The SDM Programme will take the shape of a service delivery outreach to communities in their area of residence in the bit to provide ACCESS to government services.

3. DISCUSSION

The SDM 2011 seeks to embark on a broader interaction through:
• Project Khaedu (methods, perspectives and deployment).
• Attributes of the Public Service Week which ensures the delivery of quality and sustainable services to all the citizens
• Will culminate in the hosting of the Batho Pele Premier Service Excellence Awards

The SDM will be organised in the context of the Batho Pele Revitalisation programme and the Batho Pele Impact Assessment (BPIA) approach which has matured over time in dealing with the critical service delivery challenges, putting in measures that seek to ensure continuous service delivery improvement.

In addition to Service Delivery, the SDM will also focus on activities of the Premier Service Excellence Awards, with the Awards ceremony being the closing event.

The above also seeks to respond to one of the key elements of Operation Nala that of the improvement of the quality of life for all people in the Northern Cape.

4. KEY OBJECTIVES OF SDM 2011

4.1 The purpose for the inaugural Service Delivery Month (SDM) 2011 is to strengthen and intensify relations between government and Service Beneficiaries, with a sharp focus on the Batho Pele principle of ACCESS as a key focus area and to measure the impact of Service Delivery in our Province with emphasis on the following focused areas:

i) ACCESS to integrated service delivery
ii) Project Khaedu (methods , perspective and deployment)
iii) Announced and unannounced visits to service delivery sites
iv) Individual departmental social responsibility initiatives
v) Batho Pele Premier Service Excellence Awards

5. TARGETED AUDIENCE

The SDM outreach initiative programme is envisaged to attract diverse groups and participation, and these include among others:
i) Department Public Service and Administration
ii) Senior and middle managers from all government spheres
iii) Communication agencies like radio, television, etc
iv) South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
v) Premier and MEC’s
vi) Community liaison structures like Civil Societies, Faith-based organizations, etc.
vii) Oversight bodies
viii) Social partners like Business and Labour
ix) Chapter 9 institutions

6. APPROACH:SDM:01 - 29 SEPTEMBER 2011
The establishment of a properly constituted Provincial task team with all stakeholders is critical in the planning and execution of the SDM 2011. The key role of the Provincial task team will be to deliberate input and create awareness on the key focus areas and objectives mentioned above.

The SDM 2011 will unfold by having
1. A launch on the first day coupled with integrated service delivery on
01 September 2011 at Augrabies
2. Followed by individual departmental social responsibility: departments have to nominate a charity/institution of their choice e.g. ECD centre, School or Old Age home to assist on 05 and 06 September 2011
3. Unannounced visit on 07 and 08 September 2011: The Premier, MEC’s, DG and HOD’s will visit service delivery site in the Province.
4. The new and improved Khaedu curriculum: departments to forward names of officials for training and deployment 12 to 15 September 2011
5. Batho Pele Heroes: departments to forward names of their Batho Pele heroes to the Office of the Premier on or before the 14th September 2011
6. Khaedu deployment: all Khaedu trained SMS and MMS members must be deployed to service delivery sites 20 to 22 September 2011 and present a consolidated deployment report on 29 September 2011
7. Interdepartmental sports day: departmental teams to participate in a sporting day for government departments and municipalities on
23 September 2011
8. Batho Pele Premier Service Excellence Awards: recognising of Batho Pele Heroes and the Premier Awards Service Excellence Awards and officially closes the SDM 2011

6.1 Methodology and criteria for announced and unannounced site visits

Premier, MEC’s, DG and HOD’s and teams of Senior managers and all Khaedu trained managers will visit service delivery sites across the Province.

The purpose is to ensure that management take the lead in the implementation of the principles espoused in the Batho Pele White Paper and the Belief Set. The methodology and criteria for site visits is envisaged to unfold as follows:
• Focus should be on areas that have service delivery challenges and/or successes.
• Office of the Premier will avail a template to be used at service sites to assess and monitor service delivery issues.
• Site visits will also be used to identify and give possible solutions to management and administrative problems and thus, affording senior managers the opportunity to have a view of how their policies are implemented on the ground. This will ensure that their policy formulation is informed by the realities from service delivery points.
• It will further expose senior managers in the monitoring and implementation of policy frameworks, follow-up, feedback and reporting.

The overall programme is summarised as follows:

• THEME 2011 SDM

The proposed theme of the 2011 SDM

“Fostering leadership to ensure ACCESS to effective and efficient service delivery in the Northern Cape”.

The theme is informed by the Batho Pele Impact Assessment (BPiA) approach and the outputs of Outcome 12. The BPiA is aimed at the following:

• Create an all inclusive and community driven service delivery culture.
• Inculcate and deepen a culture of integrated approach to service delivery that allows maximum utilization of limited resources.
• Measure the impact of service delivery policies and programmes by adopting a hands-on approach to service delivery support.

The above is furthermore supported by the key pillars of the BPiA which are:

• The allocation of a Batho Pele principle to provinces (ACCESS for the Northern Cape)
• Impact Assessment of the Batho Pele principles (Awards Scheme – Excellence Awards)
• The monthly service delivery themes. (Annexure 1)

One fundamental innovation with regard to the SDM is the incorporation of this year’s Public Service Week (PSW) and Batho Pele Premier’s Service Excellence Awards, the integrated approach for the delivery of services and efforts to strengthen relations with service delivery beneficiaries, stakeholders and citizens.

• GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

The SDM 2011 is driven by the Premier and is coordinated by the Transformation sub unit in the Office of the Premier which reports to the Policy and Governance branch

The identified structures to drive the programme are as follows:

• Premier, MEC’s, DG and HOD’s
• Batho Pele Coordinators/ Batho Pele forum members
• Provincial task team – Includes DPSA and SALGA

• COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

An integrated communication strategy to drive the SDM 2011 in order to ensure effective communication prior, during and post the event. The strategy utilising various means should facilitate communication and create awareness throughout the SDM 2011 in order to ensure maximum participation of public servants, Service beneficiaries and citizens through the media channels and promotions.

• CONCLUSION

The SDM 2011 will be utilised as an outreach instrument to sharply focus on the Batho Pele principle of ACCESS to measure the impact of service delivery and to strengthen relations between government, stakeholders, Service Beneficiaries and citizens. In a quest to deliver quality and sustained service delivery the consideration of the concept document and approval of the attached Memo will facilitate and assist the team with the planning, procurement of services, stakeholder mobilisation, etc. to ensure effective participation of stakeholders with a view to achieve the intended results and the ultimate impact. Yours in Batho Pele J. Kale Transformation Office of the Premier