22 Aug 2021

Public servants have been encourage to put the interest of the community first in service delivery.

The remarks were made by Ngamiland district commissioner, Mr Keolopile Leipego in his farewell speech during District Development Committee (DDC) meeting held on Friday. 

Mr Leipego will be e retiring from public service end of August

He said public servants had been entrusted with the responsibility to drive government policies hence they should keep their eyes on the ball.

Mr Leipego said it was important for members of the public to fully benefit from policies and initiatives aimed at improving their livelihoods.

He urged the civil service to be steadfast in driving Presidential Reset and Transformation Agenda in the districts. 

He pointed out that Ngamiland region was one of the richest areas in natural resources but its poverty level was high. 

Therefore he stressed the need to turn around things and ensure the wealth of the region was reflected in the communities’ livelihoods.

Mr Leipego implored public servants to lead the way in creating an economy that worked for communities noting that they should change the way they had been doing things and consider local market in their procurement processes.

He said they should prioritise local suppliers rather than procure products from other regions while the same products were available locally.

On other issues, Mr Leipego also urged public servants not to take advantage of flexible hour arrangement to conduct their personal errands noting that the arrangement was meant to decongest workplaces in an effort to fight COVID-19 pandemic.

Working from their homes, he said, did not mean that they were on leave as they should be available when needed physically.

For his part, North West District Council secretary, Mr Motlogelwa Thuso stated that it was critical for leadership to be at the forefront rallying behind government to achieve its mandate hence the reset priorities and transformational agenda.

He said they should be seen working as a unit to realign the government delivery machinery to the agenda. Mr Thuso also highlighted that COVID-19 had affected implementation of projects as funds had been channeled towards the fight against the pandemic. Ends