22 Jun 2014

The Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Olebile Gaborone has applauded Francistown for making a successful district Public Service Day celebration.

Speaking at the Francistown Public Service Day celebration on Thursday June 19, at the northern city’s old stadium, Mr Gaborone said front liners in the district were the windows through which the government and the public service was often judged.

He urged employees to tighten their belts, build a culture of excellence, and guard against poor work ethic, which compromised efficient and effective service delivery.

He encouraged those who did not win any prize this time around, saying the race had just begun and performance opportunities beckoned them to keep on working hard. “Where there is a will there is a way, and success is a race without a finish line,” he reasoned.

The Assistant Minister also urged critical players in the district to retrospect and introspect and see where they made or missed it and what it will take to make a turnaround next time.  He said it had been complimented by more embracing recognition, which had also distinguished district individual star performers at a more intimate level.

Furthermore, he said organisations were what they are because of the people who make them, and the difference they create and hence the need for the recognition to be an ongoing practice among staff.

Mr Gbaborone said innovation was not just about technology, but it was for fairness, doing the right things right and giving quality service to the citizen. He added that the occasion was all about bringing efficiency into service provision and creating a sustained culture of performance across all levels of the organisation.

He noted that the celebration was also marked by motivation and recognition of identified staff that have excelled across different institutions, especially through awards to deserving departments and teams.

Mr Gaborone stated that nowadays society was becoming more sophisticated, more articulated, and urged public servants to face the challenges of provision of quality, responsive, timely and good service to Batswana head on.

He said the greatest challenge of the public was to maintain and sustain the legacy, adding that it would depend on commitment, innovation and delivery.

 In addition, he said the United Nations General Assembly and indeed Botswana government had recognised the need to celebrate the value and virtue of the public service. ENDS