04 Feb 2013

 

 The Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi has appealed to all government employees in the media fraternity to be cautious when they report on different issues.

 Mr Masisi said this during a meeting with employees of the departments of information and broadcasting services in Kanye on January 31.

He said government journalists should learn to separate facts from opinions and always verify facts from their sources before writing. “As government journalists you are not like any officer, you are unique, knowledgeable and most influential employees in the public service.”

Minister Masisi advised government journalists to lead by example and maintain ethical standards.

Furthermore, he appealed to employees to live within their means, saying more than 2 000 civil servants had a zero net pay monthly.  

On other issues, Minister Masisi appealed to government employees to desist from mishandling office furniture.

He advised that government employees had the responsibility to take care of office furniture, adding that government was spending huge sums of money to equip offices with furniture. He said some officers had a tendency of mishandling office furniture. 

The minister said during his tour of the departments of information and broadcasting offices, usable office furniture was lying around and nobody took the responsibility to put it in a safe place. He said some furniture was left in the open and as a result got damaged. 

 He further told employees that they should focus on hygiene and ensure that their offices and environment were properly cleaned. Employees of the two departments decried shortage of suitable office space in Kanye. 

The bureau chief of the southern region, Ms Sereki Mpitse said their offices were situated where there was no Internet, adding that the situation negatively affected their work.

She also said Dailynews distribution to settlements with public transport problem was a challenge. However, she was hopeful that the department would find those with private transport to sign a contract with them if funds are available. ENDS