“The National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards Programme harbours our hopes for a change of mindset among public servants across all three spheres of government—to work even harder in responding to the challenges that citizens face on a daily basis,†said the Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi.
His remarks were delivered on his behalf by the Acting Director-General of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), Mr Willie Vukela, during the official launch of the National Batho Pele and Innovation Awards, held today, 6 June 2025, in Limpopo province.
The launch officially kick-starts the processes leading up to the NBP&IA ceremony later this year. It marks the second edition of the Awards, following the inaugural event in November 2024, which was co-hosted by the DPSA and the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI).
While the glamour of the Awards may be a rightfully anticipated highlight, Minister Buthelezi emphasised that the primary goal is to advance impactful service delivery. He noted that individuals and teams honoured on stage would have been thoroughly evaluated against stringent criteria—including compassion, commitment, dedication, problem-solving, and innovation.
“Beyond the glitz and glamour, this journey is meant to be motivational—to inspire all of us to reach higher levels of performance, spurred on by the trailblazing public servants who are uncovered and celebrated through these awards,†said Minister Buthelezi.
He called on public servants, communities, and civil society organisations to begin identifying hard-working public servants and institutions demonstrating excellence and innovation in service delivery, underscoring the value of the Public Service in citizens’ lives.
“When people are acknowledged and lauded for good work, they tend to strive for even greater excellence. In doing so, they inspire others, and before long, a culture of service excellence and innovation takes root. Our experience has shown this clearly—once recognised, many public servants return with second and even third service excellence or innovation projects,†observed Minister Buthelezi.
Once the nomination process opens, entries will be assessed in the following categories:
- Best Front-Line Service Delivery Employee of the Year
- Best Service Delivery Institution/Department
- Best General Worker of the Year
- Best Implemented Project of the Year
- Best Public Service Leader (Senior Manager) of the Year
- Citizen-Focused Innovative Solution Award
- Enhancement of Internal Innovation Solutions
- Innovations Harnessing Technology (ICT and Frontier Technologies)
- Replication and Adaptation of Innovative Solutions
- Overall Batho Pele Winner of the Year
- Public Sector Innovator of the Year
- Ministerial Awards
