02 Mar 2026

Public officers have been hailed for upholding neutarlity as custodians of administrative continuity during Botswana’s political transition that saw the emergence of a new government in 2024.

 “I will like to appreciate the entire public service for its commitment and resilience in promoting service delivery despite administrative difficulties before transition and even after ushering in the new government,” Permanent Secretary to the President Ms Emmah Peloetletse during an inter-district consultative meeting with public officers in Ghanzi on Friday.  The meeting was attended by officers from three districts of Ghanzi, Charleshill and North West.

Ms Peloetletse said public officers played a critical role in the transition of power as they were the operational backbone of government, responsible for implementing policies and managing public resources with integrity and accountability.

To ensure continuity and a smooth transition, she implored public officers to familiarise themselves with the Public Service Charter and to also uphold it at all times.

She said the Public Service Charter carried the principles through to which serving officers were expected to conform to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.

She outlined the principles of the Public Service Charter, including regard for public interest, as a cornerstone of ethical public service.

Ms Peloetletse said the principle also called for every officer to serve with courtesy, humility and respect for all persons while acting in the best interest of the public at all times. Other principles, she said, included respect for the law, and avoidance of personal interest in the execution of public duties.

On other issues, she underscored the importance of investing in Information and Communication Technologies by migrating services and offering them digitally so that human effort could be concentrated only on those that could not be automated.

Moreover, she called on serving officers to familiarise themselves with the National Development Plan (NDP) 12 and the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP), and ensure that they developed local economic plans that aligned with such reforms.

Ms Peloetletse also highlighted the fiscal challenges faced by government and called for financial prudence and accountability to ensure that NDP 12 and BETP plans were realised to accelerate the economic development of the country.

She, however, noted that rationalisation of functions and technology-driven efficiencies were expected to contribute to cost containment and better value for money.

Earlier in her welcome remarks,  Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) deputy director, Ms Tebogo Mogotsi said the objective of the consultative meeting was to interact with public officers and gather feedback that would improve decision making and foster a shared and inclusive vision for the public service.

In his closing remarks, Ghanzi District Council secretary, Mr Gabobofane Mbwe appreciated the meeting saying it would serve as a wake-up call for public officers to introspect and identify bottlenecks that hindered service delivery.

He also implored them to develop personal and organisational strategies that could help enhance productivity in the public service.

Furthermore, he said the meeting laid a foundation for stronger collaboration between the three neighbouring districts and offered an opportunity for them to explore strategic working partnerships that would ensure continuity in their service delivery endeavours.ENDS