The people of Limpopo province are experiencing the positive impact of the Khaedu project – a government initiative aimed at ensuring residents consistently receive high-quality services at frontline service delivery sites.
Earlier this week, the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) partnered with the Limpopo Office of the Premier to deploy a team of senior managers to the province’s five districts to monitor frontline service delivery centres.
Two days after their arrival, the deployed teams in the Capricorn, Sekhukhune, Mopani, Vhembe, and Waterberg districts are already providing much-needed solutions to address the needs of citizens, with the main goal of improving service delivery.
Leading the team in the Vhembe District, Ms Mamello Mahomed from the DPSA said, “As the DPSA, our constitutional mandate is not to render services directly to citizens, but to develop policies that enable public servants in frontline services to improve service delivery by reducing long queues, prioritising senior citizens, people with disabilities, and those who are sick.”
She further explained, “Ours is an intervention program, and we are in this province to work hand-in-hand with our colleagues who are dealing with the day-to-day challenges faced by all people who visit the respective frontline service delivery sites.”
The good news is that the deployed teams in all the districts have already unblocked some of the identified challenges, leading to improved service delivery for the people.
Mr Evans Sithi, the Home Affairs Office Manager at the border town of Musina, shared his positive experience: “We are happy to report that the old local Home Affairs office is now modernised. At this frontline service centre, we’ve already improved our performance in serving citizens efficiently and effectively with civility.”
According to Mr Sithi, the high-quality service they are providing has not only earned them a good reputation but has also attracted residents from other parts of the district to receive services at the Musina Home Affairs office, despite it being further from their residential areas.
Mpho Leshabane from the DPSA, who is leading the deployed team in the Capricorn district, emphasised the importance of visible office managers who can provide leadership in all the frontline service centres.
“We’ve noticed that where there is a lack of the implementation of Batho Pele (People First) principles, there are long queues. Now, we are here to help managers in frontline service sites implement our best service delivery solution-driven strategies.”
Limpopo’s first female Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, in her Youth Day speech in Polokwane, expressed her commitment to service delivery, stating, “we are not talk show hosts, we are implementors. The support we received at the recently held general elections means that the people of Limpopo need services, quality education and healthcare systems, and roads to be fixed.”
The Khaedu project, a Tshivenda word meaning “challenge,” was approved by the Cabinet in 2004 as a management tool to deploy senior managers to the frontlines to help unblock service delivery challenges.
