Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched Public Service Month with the aim of improving the way public servants work to deliver quality services to citizens.

Ramaphosa argues that effective public administration is not a privilege in a democratic society. It is a fundamental right.

“To function effectively, the public service needs to institutionalise a sustainable and holistic approach to innovation in public governance and administration. Public servants need to become change agents, enablers and facilitators. They need to collaborate with citizens to resolve complex service delivery challenges,” he said at the launch.

During this month multi-department task teams of senior managers will be deployed to frontline service delivery sites. There will be expert-led roundtable engagements to mark Africa Public Service Day, and all activities will culminate in the Public Service Improvement Indaba.

 

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa during the launch of Public Service Month

 

Putting people first

This year Public Service Month will take place under the theme “Reinventing the way Public Servants Work: Batho Pele Putting People First”.

“We need to revitalise the Batho Pele programme. We need to go back to the basics. We need to put our people first, treat them with respect and address their needs,” said Ramaphosa.

The Batho Pele programme will be included in the strategic and operational plans of all departments.
Overcoming challenges

The deputy president argued that government will continue to face the same challenges unless necessary technical skills are developed, committed and motivated officials are nurtured, and proper coordination across the three spheres of government is ensured.

The establishment of service delivery forums that include community members as key stakeholders are a necessary building block towards improved service delivery, he said.

Ramaphosa argued that the leadership in the public service needs to be visionary, proactive and responsive as it determines the direction, controls the acquisition and deployment of resources, and is a repository of knowledge.

 

Service Charter

The state is currently working to institutionalise the Service Charter. The Service Charter is a social contract between the state, public servants and the citizenry.

Based on the recognition by the partners that citizens are at the centre of service delivery — as recipients, providers and custodians of public services — the Charter is a pledge that enables service beneficiaries to understand what they can expect from the state.

The focus for this year will be on the adoption of a pledge to popularise and promote the Service Charter and consultation on how public servants can reinvent the way they do their work.