Put people first’ – says Makhura
Gauteng Provincial Government senior managers have rallied behind the new dawn – recommitting themselves to Batho Pele principles, high standards of accountability, values and serving the public with passion.
Subsequently, all senior public servants in the province signed a pledge recommitting to serve the public with dignity after the meeting Premier David Makhura to talk about the renewal of the public service as espoused by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the State of the Nation Address. The meeting took place at Centurion in Pretoria on Wednesday, 28 February 2018.
“Public servants should be aware of the enormous responsibility they have as millions of people depend on the service they render.
“We need determined, ethical, and dedicated public servants,” said Makhura.
The meeting comes after the commitment Makhura made during the State of the Province Address on Monday where he promised all South Africans that he will be meeting with all senior managers to discuss a renewal of public service in the wake of the Life Esidimeni tragedy which glaringly showed government’s service delivery challenges.
“It would be a problem if we think the Life Esidimeni tragedy is only the problem of the Department of Health. It might seem like it’s the only department but on a daily basis citizens endure victimisation from public servants who are hired to serve them. Premier Makhura reiterated that stability, continuity and consistency were key in ensuring that public service worked better.
He made a call to senior managers to leave the meeting with a renewed sense of service and commended those senior managers whose departments have received clean audits in the past financial year.
He further warned corrupt senior managers that he has appointed an ethics advisory council led by civil society to help Gauteng fight corruption., warning senior managers that this new dawn demands even more accountability as well as consequence for people who break the law.
