Public servants encouraged to adhere to the PSC
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Tuesday August 19, 2014 14:54
Acting Director of Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM), Theophilus Mooko, said this during the Public Service Charter Pylon launch at Tlokweng Education Centre (TEC) on Friday. TEC hosted the launch for the Ministry of Education and Skills Development under the theme, ‘Empowering civil service on the Charter- The key to service Delivery. Mooko told the gathering that a government for the benefit of people living within the jurisdiction provided public service and as such, public servants were hired to serve the nation.
“It is against this background that we need to understand the essence of the PSC. It represents a collective outlook and commitment to serving the public. The charter clearly defines our relationship with the attitude towards the people we serve,” he said.
Mooko said the public service must always put their own interests aside in favour of public interest. He encouraged public service to be neutral and serve everyone equally, irrespective of his or her social status, tribe, gender, age and background.
He pointed out that public officers had to lead by example and follow the Charter principles. The principles are as follows as regard to the public interest: neutrality, accountability, transparency, freedom from corruption, continuity, the duty to be informed and due diligence.
“If we were to embrace and live in accordance with these principles, we will become a world class public service that is efficient, effective, caring and responsive to local and global challenges,” Mooko explained.
However, he pointed out that despite the existence of the charter principles, the public was not pleased with the services they were given by the public servants.
He highlighted the Ten Point Agenda, which he said was a clear indication of poor services provided by the civil officers. He said that the Ten Point Agenda issues raised were rebuke and ridicule to complaints, lack of respect, especially to senior citizens, cleanliness, décor and physical appearance, comfort, care, clarity of directions, apparently increasing corruption in government offices, lack of adherence to prescribed time schedules, including staff absenteeism during working hours, inaction on reported cases of negligence by officials, lack of redress for grievances including inappropriate direction and handling of grievances and others..
Mooko said he hoped that TEC’s pylon launch would bring change within the public service. He pointed out that the pylon must become a reminder and rallying point for TEC workers to pursue quality service delivery.
He, however, applauded the centre for its good gesture saying that it would enable the public to know their role and hold them accountable for their deeds as the pylon was a public declaration of their commitment to the people they serve.
TEC Principal Education Officer 1, Ruth Matlhape, said they established the pylon after observing that some of their staff members needed to be educated on the principles of the PSC to cordial co-existence.
“We are of the view that the pylon will be instrumental in forging a common understanding of the Charter by our customers and by saving the community which should perceive us as transparent. Therefore, we should understand what is expected of us as public officers in terms of the service that we render,” she said. She applauded her staff for its dedication, perseverance and commitment to improving the centre and its services.