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23 June 2008

Mayibuye Multi-Purpose Centre, Galeshewe, Kimberley

Director of Ceremonies, Acting Director-General Ms Moira Marais- Martin
Executive Mayor of Sol Plaatjie Mr Patrick Lenyibi
Members of the Provincial Executive Present
Members of the Provincial Legislature Present
Heads of Provincial Departments Present
Officials of the Local and Provincial Administration Present
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my pleasure to participate in this continental and indeed global celebration of dedicated public servants across Africa and the world. Africa Public Service Day is an opportunity for all Africans throughout the continent to acknowledge and applaud the work done by public servants in the reconstruction and development of the continent.

This day is celebrated a mere three days, after World Refugee Day which was on 20 June 2008. A large number of people in Africa are displaced because of the civil wars that ravage certain parts of our continent. A substantial number of African refugees are attracted to South Africa mainly due to the political stability in our country and the concomitant economic opportunities. We applaud our public servants who speedily work to confirm the refugee status of those of our vulnerable African brothers and sisters. We also salute those public servants who worked in collaboration with civil society organisations to accommodate those who were displaced from the communities that they were part of.

Ladies and Gentlemen

South Africa's African Peer Review Country Report highlights the stride we as a country have made since the 1994 democratic breakthrough. Amongst these achievements that are defined as best practices, include taking government and public services to the people. This as we know has been through Izimbizo and the Thusong Centres, previously known as Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCC's). As the people of the Northern Cape Province we are particularly pleased with this acknowledgment, because the concept of Izimbizo originated from the province's "government meets the people" initiative. Through our EXCO Outreach Programme, in which public servants play a critical part, we aim to ensure that public services are responsive to the service delivery needs of our communities.

Therefore, the contribution of South Africa and the Northern Cape in the development of Africa is in part through the institution of Izimbizo, an initiative that promotes a people-centred and people-driven developmental trajectory.

All these successes would virtually be impossible without the hard work and commitment of public servants, who sometimes work under difficult conditions. As public servants we must all frown at behaviour displayed by some amongst us who bring shame on all of us and overshadows all the good that we strive to do in service to our people.

As we celebrate Africa Public Service Day, we must do so cognisant of the pivotal role that an effective and efficient public service plays in the renaissance of Africa during this century that has been declared as the African century. Key to Africa's rebirth is the strengthening of governance systems and entrenching democracy.

Ladies and Gentlemen

At the forefront of strengthening our African governance systems, are our public servants that we celebrate today. The ability of a society to maintain safety, essential public services, protect human rights and to hold free and fair elections draws on the skills and sense of purpose of public servants working as a team. Without an effective public service, democracy and prosperity are virtually unattainable.

As we celebrate all the "virtues and values of public service" we must continue to explore creative ways to improve on the implementation of the policies and strategies that the government has already put in place, which are specifically aimed at building capacity within the public service. In our province we have the challenge to effectively implement the provincial Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategy. To this end, our partnerships with academic institutions especially through our own National Institute of Higher Education, civil society, private sector and labour must be strengthened.

We also need to expedite the process of developing the Northern Cape Public Service - specific HRD Strategy. The principal aim of the strategy must be the development, attraction and retention of scarce skills taking into consideration the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA). This is necessary as we compete nationally and internationally for scarce skills in this highly globalised and competitive world.

Africa Public Service Day is also about acknowledging innovation in the delivery of public service. The United Nations (UN) decided to celebrate 23 June every year to highlight the values of teamwork, innovation and responsiveness within the public service. In South Africa there is national consensus on the Batho Pele principles as the foundation of public service delivery.

Recently in our province we awarded, through the Premier's Service Excellence Awards, institutions that displayed excellence in the delivery of public services. We celebrated these public service achievements because not only did they manifest novelty, but also served as best practices worthy to be emulated throughout the entire public service. We urge all public servants to study the Premier's Service Excellence Awards reports in order to learn from the best practices displayed through the outstanding performance of the worthy recipients of our awards.

In addition, some of our municipalities have been recognised for their outstanding performance in the delivery of services through the Vuna Awards. In this regard, we give a special recognition to the Frances Baard District Municipality for making us proud at a national level, as consistent recipients of the Vuna Awards.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Today we honour public servants who through their outstanding and exemplary performance distinguished themselves as our Batho Pele Heroes and Heroines. They and a large number of our unsung heroes and heroines throughout the public service in the Northern Cape are the embodiment of the values that underpin our public service. All of us, together with our people who are recipients of public services, are proud of them. On behalf of the provincial government I wish to express our profound gratitude for the excellent work that they do in service of the people and congratulate them May their efforts inspire all of us, as public servants to commit more to the "virtue and value of service to the community."

Together, both as individuals and as a collective, let us continue to promote and live out the values of professionalism, accountability, responsiveness, ethics and performance as we move "from policy to results-based implementation".

Ke a leboga
Ndiyabulela
Baie dankie
Thank you

Issued by: Northern Cape Provincial Government
23 June 2008
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za)