Launched in April 2023, the final cohort of the Emerging Leaders in the Public Service ended on a high note as the third cohort of young public servants and interns received certificates at an awards ceremony, held in Boksburg, today, 21 February 2025.
In addition to the certificate awardees, ELIPS coaches and public servants, the ceremony was virtually joined by 50 people online and 100 others watching on YouTube. In total, over 400 young people have gone through the programme from the start of the programme two year ago until its finale today.
Conceptualised, chaperoned and championed by the Director-General of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), Ms Yoliswa Makhasi, ELIPS seeks to close the gap in the leadership pipeline of the Public Service not only by focusing on the often-neglected young people, but importantly seeks to develop the so-called “soft†aspects in the professional development of young public servants.
Consequently, the ELIPS programme aims to equip young public servants with the necessary skills and knowledge to become effective leaders in the Public Service. Additional to the foundational activities, the ELIPS programme revolves around the delivery of five coaching and mentoring blocks, which progressively cover the following areas:
- Leading Self
- Leading Change
- Leadership Effectiveness
- Leading Teams
- Leading Performance
Thanking all the people who have ensured that each of the three ELIPS cohorts delivered on the objectives of the programme, DG Ms Makhasi emphasised ethics and integrity as most important traits that the participants should not forgot above everything else as they prepare to implement their learnings in the world of work.
“Being ethical is about doing the right thing whether someone is watching you or not,†DG Makhasi exhorted the emerging leaders.
“You should not allow yourselves to be swallowed by bad cultures in the Public Service because what you have learned through ELIPS is meant to help you navigate the bad cultures that you will surely encounter during the course of your professional life in the Public Service,†DG Makhasi advised.
In addition to remarks by ELIPS programme facilitator Ms Zingaphi Ngewu; Ms Rethabile Matolweni of Metropolitan representing the sponsors; and guest speaker, Ms Lerato Sono – Dr Izimangaliso Malatjie spoke on behalf of the coaches who guided the transformative journeys of the third cohort participants and those before them.
“What you are going to do with the knowledge that you got and the networks that you have developed depends on you. The journey is not going to be easy but is doable. However, it is up to you what kind of story you want to tell at the end of your journey,†said Dr Malatjie.
Naturally, the day’s ceremony was about the awardees, with the programme creating ample spaces for reflection, including a panel session on the weighty issue of: “The ELIPS programme and its Contribution to the Leadership Pipeline of the Public Serviceâ€.
“As we close this chapter of ELIPS, we are not simply ending a series of coaching and mentoring sessions but starting our journeys. This programme has challenged us to reflect on who we are as leaders. It has pushed us out of our comfort zones and now our real-life training begins in earnest,†reflected Mr Mpho Mathole, one of the third cohort certificate recipients.
