Deputy Minister Kekana Proposes a Review of the Thusong Service Centre Integrated Service Delivery Model

During her visit to the Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre in Soweto today, 18 September 2024, the Deputy Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Ms Pinky Kekana, made proposals for reviewing the urban Thusong Service Centre (TSC) model.
Among the proposals advanced by Deputy Minister Kekana was that it would be ideal to explore changes in the operating hours of the Maponya Thusong Centre to align with those of shopping malls, which operate until late and on weekends. The Deputy Minister made these remarks after a briefing on the operations and interactions with citizens during her site visit to the Centre.

While the Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre has achieved impressive successes since its official launch 15 years ago, Deputy Minister Kekana expressed concerns about the agility of the model in a fast-changing social and operational environment.
“It’s a good model, but we need to improve it,” she said.

Previously called Multi-Purpose Community Centres when the program was initiated back in 1999, the Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre is part of a national network of 187 Thusong Service Centres, all aimed at bringing services closer to communities in an integrated manner.

Situated on the western side of the Maponya Mall, the Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre houses services from the Departments of Home Affairs, Labour, the Gauteng Province Department of Roads and Transport, the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, and the Gauteng Professional Job Centre. The Centre operates on a shared services model, meaning costs for cleaning and security services, among others, are shared among client departments and agencies.

Combined, the client departments and agencies employ 120 people and serve about 5,000 individuals weekly, which amounts to just over a quarter of a million annually, according to the Centre Manager, Mr. Daniel Ndzula.

As part of Integrated Public Service Month (IPSM), the Deputy Minister’s site visit to the Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre also aimed to identify solutions to the challenges the Centre faces. The Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre has become a victim of its success, said Centre Manager Mr. Ndzula.

Consequently, he explained, the Maponya Mall Thusong Service Centre attracts people from communities outside Soweto, which stretches already strained capacities. The Centre has lost two client departments due to space challenges, according to Mr. Ndzula.
“Let’s look at things differently. If we are ready to serve and put people first, then we need to start looking at things differently,” said Deputy Minister Kekana.

“When we conduct lessons learned, let’s be comprehensive and anticipate situations where government services will be offered in malls that operate until 8 PM, and create the systems to support this,” she added, citing an example of a Department of Home Affairs office located in Menlyn shopping mall in Pretoria.