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Date : 19/03/2004
Source: North West Provincial Government
Title: P Molefe: Public Servants Day


SPEECH BY NORTH WEST PREMIER, DR POPO SIMON MOLEFE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE PUBLIC SERVANTS DAY, 19 March 2004

Programme Director
Colleagues in the Executive Council
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature
The Resident Public Service Commissioner, Mr Squire Mahlangu
The Director General and Heads of Department
Honoured Members of the Public Service
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to address this important gathering of members of public service in the North West Province.

To me personally this is a particularly poignant occasion as it is my last address as Premier to public servants, many of whom were there in 1994, as we began the long journey towards a better province for all.

This gathering is also taking place as part of the ten-year celebrations of freedom in our province. It therefore provides us with a unique opportunity to pause and reflect on the road we have travelled since 1994 in transforming our public service.

Organised under the theme: "Proudly Celebrating Ten Years of Quality Public Services"; this important gathering seeks to acknowledge and pay tribute to our collective achievements in building a people centred public service - a public service united in its committed to serving all people with honour, humility and distinction.

We are gathered here today to honour many public servants in our province who, through their work, have made the task of governing easier and brought us closer to our goal of building a better life for all.

This occasion is a fitting tribute to those public servants who continue to go beyond the call of duty and, on countless occasions, have made personal sacrifices in service of their people.

Their hard work and dedication is part of the reason we are today able to say that; North West Province is a better place than it was ten years ago. They are part of the reason we look back with pride on the road we have travelled since our liberation in 1994.

It is thanks to these committed men and women that; today more people in our province have access to services such as water, electricity, decent shelter, health care and education - services that were denied to them for many generations.

Often unnoticed and without seeking personal glory nor self enrichment, public servants in whose honour we have assembled today, are a shining example of what we mean by a new public service cadre. This is a cadre of public servants who have internalised principles of Batho Pele, the principles putting our people first.

They understand the critical role they have to play in defending the gains of our liberation by ensuring expanded access to services.

Against all odds, this cadre of public servants will remain focused on the goal of serving the people. They refuse to succumb to mediocrity and apply their skills diligently for the benefit of all.

The people of the North West Province owe these dedicated public servants a huge debt of gratitude. We salute them and this important day belongs to them.

On this day, we must also celebrate massive progress we have made in transforming our public service.

We of the North West Province in particular, must celebrate the admirable progress we made to forge a single, coherent public service from no less than three disparate administrations.

We must celebrate the introduction of a policy and legislative framework that allowed us to do away with the culture of discrimination, inefficiency, patronage and mismanagement, which were hallmarks of the public service we inherited in 1994.

We must celebrate progress we have made in increasing representation of traditionally under-represented groups such as women in public service.

We take pride in the fact that about 26% of senior positions in government are occupied by women. The most senior public servant in our province, the Director General is a woman.

We must applaud the progress made in fostering a common vision among public servants at all levels. Many of our public servants have embraced the vision of the democratic government and are determined to implement its programmes.

Equally, we must celebrate the smooth manner in which the process of implementing the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council Resolution 7 of 2002 is proceeding.

We wish to reiterate that Resolution 7 is part of the broader effort to build a more efficient public service. It seeks to resolve the problem of inappropriate deployment of staff, while increasing productivity and improving service delivery.

On this important day, we add our collective voice to those who applaud the introduction of Community Development Workers whose role is to bridge the gap between government services and the people.

More specifically, these workers will assist our people with matters such as birth certificates and ID and social grants applications at their doorstep and in their own communities.

The introduction of Community Development Workers will go a long way in ensuring that our people access government services and thus improve the quality of their lives.

We are encouraged by the fact that North West Province is one of the provinces where the introduction of Community Development Workers is being piloted.

We await their contribution in the ongoing effort to build a better province. We also look forward to their contribution in enhancing the ability of our public service to broaden access to a better life for all.

Let us emerge from this day with a renewed commitment to serve our people with even more determination. Future generations demand this of us and we dare not fail them.

Programme Director, allow me to take this opportunity to thank all public servants in the North West Province for their co-operation, support and guidance during my terms in Office.

Working with all of you has been a fulfilling experience. Without your contribution, we would not be where we are today.

I trust that the smiles and tears of joy you have brought to many people as a result of your good work, will be your ultimate reward.

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
19 March 2004

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