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LEttEr from BatHo PELE HousE

Rekindling Mandela’s spirit

of public service

Government has resolved to spend and effective. In essence, this means to professionalise the public service,
the year celebrating the centenary and that the heightened sense of renewed the awards are also part of the big
memory of former president Nelson commitment to service delivery ought picture, which is building a capable and
Mandela, his legacy and his exemplary to start with public servants themselves, developmental state.
life of service. In 2018, we also cherish especially as we work towards attaining
and celebrate the legacy of Albertina the ideal public service as envisaged in Furthermore, mechanisms such as
Sisulu, one of the stalwarts in the fight the National Development Plan (NDP). the NATIONAL Batho Pele Excellence
for a just post-apartheid South Africa. Awards are central to learning and
Both these leaders (and many more When President Cyril Ramaphosa, knowledge management in the public
before and after them) have left us a rich during the 2018 State of the Nation service. The awards are as much about
legacy of commitment and visionary Address, echoed the words of the peer-to-peer learning and providing a
leadership. Their teachings are a worthy legendary jazz musician Bra Hugh platform to showcase good practise
source of learning and deserving of Masekela, in his song, Thuma Mina as they are a means for gauging the
emulation by all public servants. (Send Me), he might as well have satisfaction of citizens with the quality
been referring to the renewed sense and levels of service that government
In one of his speeches, former president of purpose and commitment to Batho provides.
Nelson Mandela famously observed that Pele that is so urgent and critical to the
changing the world begins with changing public service. As a public service, we More than at any other time, the year
the self. This is a truism that aptly applies need public servants who will heed the in which we celebrate the centenary
to public servants, whose very mission call of President Ramaphosa and say, of the birth of former president Nelson
is to change the lives of South Africans Send Me, because: I Belong, I Care, Mandela and the legacy of struggle
for the better. The change that we have I Serve. Early this year, the Ministry stalwart Albertina Sisulu, particularly
to initiate within us as public servants for Public Service and Administration calls for the renewal of our commitment
starts with maintaining high standards (MPSA) hosted the fifth annual National as servants of the people of South
of professionalism and ethics that are Batho Pele Excellence Awards. The Africa. n
worthy of imitation by our peers and awards epitomised the spirit of coming
colleagues. It means finding ways of forward and going that extra mile in the Minister for the Public Service and
doing things differently in cases where service of the public and in the truest Administration Ms Ayanda Dlodlo,
current efforts are no longer efficient spirit of Thuma Mina. As a mechanism MP

Volume 11 No. 3 of 2018 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 3