Government will today close the Integrated Public Service Month by hosting a one-stop exhibition of services, rendered by various government departments and entities, at Chuma Mall in Diepsloot.

In addition to the exhibitions, departments and agencies such as Health, the Road Accident Fund, South African Social Security Agency and Home Affairs will render public services onsite.

This year, Public Service Month is celebrated under the theme, ‘Batho Pele Revitalisation – Walking The Talk’.

Public Service Month serves as a reminder of what it means to serve communities and to also look at the impact government has, especially around issues of service delivery.

This year, government celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Batho Pele White Paper as a framework for the transformation of public service delivery in South Africa.

Government is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Constitution that was signed into law by former President Nelson Mandela.

Speaking at the launch of Public Service Month at Freedom Park earlier this month, Minister Thulas Nxesi said the public service has skilled, competent and resourceful officials on the job, working daily at the coalface of service delivery amid serious constraints.

He said as far back as 2013, the Diagnostic Review of the National Planning Commission identified uneven capacity within and between government departments as a challenge and potential threat to the ability of the public service to deliver quality services throughout the country.

“As a responsive government, we have been addressing this specific challenge through a variety of targeted capacity-building interventions by the DPSA, in partnership with the National School of Government, including initiatives such as the District Development Model.

“Notwithstanding these interventions, I believe that our public service has the inherent capacity to walk the talk and deliver on its constitutional obligations to citizens,” Nxesi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency