02 Nov 2017

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Thato Kwerepe has commended public officers in Serowe for their dedication in serving the nation despite the challenges they faced in their work environment.

Mr Kwerepe said this at a consultative meeting with the officers in Serowe recently.

He said their mission as the leadership of government was to consult regularly with public employees.

“It is crucial that we understand the challenges hindering your performance. We are aware of the shortage of transport and accommodation. These are some of the cross cutting issues as they affect most public officers,” he said.

He noted that the public service was critical in facilitating government to deliver on its mandate in a secure and stable environment.

“To this end, gvernment has continued to develop strategies to enhance service delivery, raise employee accountability to customers, improve customer service experience and enhance overall efficiency and effectiveness,” he said.

He said with continued improvements and recognition of the importance of service delivery, and the role of citizens as non-passive recipients of services as part of solutions, it showed that government was responding to increased customer needs.

Mr Kwerepe said since the 2009 study that raised concern about the decline in public service provision, government came up with service improvements that responded to customer needs.

He said the service focal points of the 10 point agenda were intended to facilitate the delivery of customer centric standards and facilitate the engagement of the citizenry and customers in the business.

“The 10 point agenda also demonstrates government’s commitment to citizens and facilitates the adoption of a customer centric mindset whilst helping government to deliver,” he said.

He encouraged positive handing of customer complaints, adding that officers should refrain from taking them personal, but rather as a way of facilitation to positive experience and action for the customer.

“Collectively, these are to provide for positive behaviour and improve processes and facilitate timeliness, convenience, transparency and value for money,” he said.

He urged public officers to be respectful to customers at all times and to maintain professionalism and zero tolerance for corruption. He added that they should also  adhere to service standards and ensure prompt response to all communication.

The assistant minister also revealed that there were improvements in customer satisfaction levels from 58 per cent in 2013 to 72 per cent in 2017.

“Whilst I applaud this improvement and commend public officers for this, I wish to observe that there is still room for improvement,” said Mr Kwerepe.

He noted that improvements were recorded on communication, staff knowledge and competence to deal with customers as well as response to customer needs.

“Areas of decline were noted in speed of answering calls which dropped by 7.3 per cent from 27 per cent and officers directing customers to appropriate persons which dropped by six per cent from 18 per cent,” he said.

Mr Kwerepe also noted that all ministries had scored low in commitments including timeliness of service, staff competence and knowledge, Botho, professional appearance and cleanlines of the premises.

He urged all ministries and departments to improve on such aspects

A representative of the Serowe public officers, Mr Desmond Serero from the Department of Forestry and Range Resources, cited shortage of accommodation as the most challenging issue which cuts across most departments.

He also said shortage of offices and transport hindered service delivery.

“We still experience network challenges in the GABS system. We also face challenges of overtime allowance, as some officers work odd hours due to shortage of staff,” he said.

He said other challenges include lack of funds, delayed transfers and dilapidated government facilities. BOPA