The Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Ms Ayanda Dlodlo will on Friday, 21 September 2018, honour retired public servants during a community engagement programme in Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province.
 
The Minister intends to honour the former public servants who spent their lives in the public service, for their selfless dedication to the people of South Africa.
 
Amongst the former public servants to be honoured will be Mrs Nontsikelelo Biko, a former nurse and wife of the late struggle stalwart, Steven Bantu Biko, who will also deliver a speech at the event.
 
The event will also focus on issues of land expropriation and how land ownership could restore people’s dignity, identity and also expedite access to public services.
 
Minister Dlodlo is expected to conduct  door to door visits to the densely populated Sun City informal settlement, in the local Joza Township, to get first-hand experience to how the lack of access to land has condemned people to condensed spaces and how this affects the delivery of government services to these people.
 
 
The Minister will then proceed to an Imbizo with the community to reflect and pay tribute to the history of Makhanda Ka Nxele, the anti-colonial warrior who stood against colonial conquest and fought to defend the land and livelihood of his people.
 
This citizen engagement forms part of the month-long Public Service Month activities planned across the country to serve as a mechanism to assess the quality of service delivery, with a view to improve government services and to comply with the standards of the Batho Pele Principles.
 
This year’s theme is:
 
 “Thuma Mina”: Taking Public Service to the people"
 
 
Details of the event are as follows:
Date: Friday, 21 September 2018
1. Minister to conduct a door- to- door visit to Sun City informal settlement in Joza Township
 
Meeting place: Makana Municipal Chambers, Makana Local Municipality
Time: 9h00
 
2. Engagement with the Community
Venue: Joza Township (Extension 6) Multi-purpose Centre, Makhanda
Time: 10:30
 
Kindly confirm attendance with:  Ms Wisane Mavasa at 0828061351/ wisane.mavasa@dpsa.gov.za
 
For further media enquiries please contact: Mr Mava B Scott 0760952350, email: Mava.scott@dpsa.gov.za