24 Sep 2017

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Thato Kwerepe has extolled public servants for their resolve to render top-notch service to the public amidst a myriad of challenges they contend with on a daily basis.

He said in his address to public officers on September 22 in Kanye that the role played by civil servants cannot therefore be played down considering glaring shortage of resources such as accommodation and resources due to budgetary constraints.

Nonetheless, Mr Kwerepe who is also a Member of Parliament for Ngami called on public employees to stay away from active politics saying engaging in partisan politics would be a gross violation to the Public Service Act; an instrument he said should be to the public service what the holy Bible is to the followers of Christ.

He said giving an analogy therefore that officers should observe to the latter the contents of the act and any other supporting instruments such as the Ten Points agenda in their execution of their mandate.

“It is true that the constitution of the land bestows one with the right to vote during elections but the same does not give public officers to meddle in active politics,” he said.

The assistant minister also challenged officers to always be respectful to customers and treat complaints from them as positive feedback that could help turn around performance and improve service delivery.

The Act, Mr Kwerepe also stated detests corruption in all its manifestation and that officers should shun it because it was also foreign to Setswana culture and ethos.

Deputy director of the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), Mr Victor Manyanda briefed officers on improved P90 000 Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) tailor made for officers on D4 scale and below.

He said the scheme also has home improvement component where an officer can be given a P60 000 loan.

Commenting, officers pleaded with government to consider giving housing allowance to officers who have not been issued with institutional houses and reconsider the decision to decentralise maintenance of government fleet by individual ministries and departments to which Mr Manyanda promised to escalate to the directorate for further consideration.

Southern district commissioner, Mr Mmoloki Raletobana advised that the dynamics of Botswana’s bulging workforce called on government to reinvent some of its processes including giving people who want to be transferred to their villages the green light.

Doing so, he underscored would help ease accommodation shortage that is giving government sleepless nights.

Mr Raletobana also gave Mr Kwerepe a pat on the back for appreciating efforts made by public officers; saying the gesture unlike being castigated inspired officers to work even harder. ENDS