07 May 2013

The United Nations Public Service Day, which was designated for June 23 every year by resolution 57/277 of the UN General Assembly, will be celebrated at the University of Botswana Stadium on June 13 and 14.

This year, the day promises to be bigger and better compared to last year’s, according to Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) senior assistant director, Mr Nathaniel Tlhalerwa.

Following the inaugural and rather dull Public Service Day celebrations last year at Gaborone’s Fairgrounds, this year the event will be marked by a lot of activities, Mr Tlhalerwa said in an interview.

He said the inaugural public service day was evaluated and the report showed that a lot of action needed to be taken to revamp the day’s profile.

He thus noted that the organising committee decided to rope in many youthful public servants because it was discovered that the past event focused more on older employees.

Mr Tlhalerwa said the day will also be characterised by less speeches and more participation intended for public officers to have a feel and ownership of the day.

He explained that on the morning of the first day of the celebrations, there will be a convention, followed by choral choir competitions and beauty pageant in the evening. 

The second and third day will see public officers participate in a carnival walk, traditional dance, poetry, as well as inter-ministerial games.

The convention will culminate in an awards ceremony hosted by the Ministry for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration where Minister Mokgweetsi Masisi will give deserving public officers monetary awards (13th cheque).

Various ministries are expected to exhibit by showcasing their projects that are in line with the convention theme which is geared towards enhancement of an effective public service through e-governance.

For his part, DPSM principal management analyst, Mr Joseph Moroka said the convention is one way of making the public service more appealing and attractive.

“There is a lot of untapped talent among public officers and this day can be used by public officers to discover their talent and be rewarded accordingly,” he said.

The day will be commemorated under the theme: ‘e - Government: the key to efficient and effective service delivery.’ ENDS