Public servants to participate in an inaugural Batho Pele Walkie Talkie to promote health and wellness in the workplace for effective service delivery

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Provincial Government and Government Employees Medical Aid Scheme (GEMS), will on Friday, 30 September 2022, host a Batho Pele Walkie Talkie inaugural walk for public servants in the Mbombela Municipality.

The Batho Pele Walkie Talkie is part of the 2022 Integrated Public Service Month (IPSM) programme that is being held under the theme: “Batho Pele Revitalization – walking the talk”.

The purpose of the 10- and 5-kilometre walk is to engage frontline employees on service delivery improvement matters whilst involving them in healthy outdoor initiatives.

Society is still trying to understand the aftermath of COVID-19, especially on their well-being and the impact of service delivery. The Walkie-Talkie seeks to encourage public servants to live healthy lifestyles and engage in activities that will improve their wellness physically, mentally, and emotionally, for them to better serve South Africans.

The walk will also afford public servants a platform to contribute to activities aimed at relieving social distress in disadvantaged communities through donations from their own pockets and participating in voluntary activities. This will include public servants throughout the country donating non-perishable foods and sanitary towels through this initiative as part of Batho Pele-Putting People First.

The IPSM is a national annual commemoration programme focusing on the public service machinery and how it discharges its Constitutional responsibility to deliver services to the citizens, giving recognition to diligent public servants, as well as committing to upholding the values and principles of public administration.

Source: Government of South Africa