The Thusong Service Centre Programme-a one-stop service centre providing government information and services to communities is still being coordinated by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).
Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet revealed on the National Assembly’s question for written reply recently.
“The Thusong Service Centre Programme is still being coordinated by the GCIS since the inception of the Programme as Multi-Purpose Community Centre’s (MPCC) in 1999, she said adding that the Steering Committee comprising of the DPSA, GCIS, Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and National Treasury developed a Situational Analysis Report which recommended that the Programme would be best situated at the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) due to its footprint in the local government sphere.
However, Minister Kiviet indicated that COGTA advised that they do not have the capacity to assume the role of leading Thusong Service Centre’s.
According to Minister Kiviet, currently, there is no date that has been determined to ensure the lead and co-ordination of the Thusong Service Centre Programme by a designated lead department.
The 2006- 2014 Business Plan set out the operationalisation guidelines which sought to assist provinces in a decision to delist center’s if they do not meet the set functionality criteria.
These include amongst others:
- A centre that does not have any anchor department(s) present or services points (e.g., Home Affairs, SASSA) within 1km radius.
- A Centre’s infrastructure conditions are in a bad state and pose a health hazard or in state of collapse and might endanger people lives in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
- Lack of ICT connectivity in the area as a permanent challenge.
- A centre has been vandalised or destroyed during community protests.
The Provincial Intersectoral Steering Committee (PISSC) is expected to undertake extensive consultation process prior to a decision to re-list a centre back to functionality.
Minister Kiviet said coordinating departments are required to prepare provincial business plans to guide the roll-out and management of the Thusong Service Centre Programme in their respective Provinces as guided by District and Municipal Plans.
In terms of the GCIS database, the delisted Thusong Service centres due to non-functionality are spread across the nine (9) provinces.
