Question NW316 to the Minister of Public Service and Administration
25 March 2021 - NW316
Gondwe, Dr M to ask the Minister of Public Service and Administration
Whether his department has put in place measures and/or mechanisms aimed at ensuring that Batho Pele principles are fully entrenched in the public service; if not, why not; if so, what has been the impact of the specified measures and/or mechanisms on the public service and its ability to deliver services to our people?
Reply:
1. Yes, the DPSA has mechanisms to ensure Batho Pele principles are entrenched in the Public Service.
Chapter 10 of the Constitution mandates the MPSA to ensure professionalization of the Public Service with high standards of the professional ethics. To this effect, MPSA launched the Public Service Professionalization Consultation Process led by the National School of Government.
The Public Service Act 1994 empowers the MPSA to ensure transformation, reform, innovation as well as any other matters that improves the efficacy of the Public Service. Policy Frameworks such as The White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service (1995), The White Paper on Transforming the Public Service Delivery (1997) are central to the implementation of the Batho Pele Principles approach in the public service.
2. Amongst others, mechanisms to ensure Batho Pele principles are entrenched in the Public Service are:-
2.1. Public Service Charter (2013) which accelerates the Batho Pele policy as a social contract between the Public Service and organised labour in ensuring quality services to the citizenry.
2.2. National Batho Pele Forums consisting of both national and provincial departments coordinators.
2.3. Implementation of the “Khaedu” programme that is centred on the deployment of Senior Members Service employees to various frontline government department to monitor, ensure compliance and redress of the delivery of services to the people.
2.4. National Batho Pele Excellence Awards is one of the key mechanism that the DPSA host annually to celebrate those employees who has mastered the implementation of the Batho Pele principles.
3. Impact of the specified measures and/or mechanisms on the public service and its ability to deliver services to our people
3.1. The Department host the Integrated Government-Wide Public Service Month in September annually to lead the entire government in assessing the impact of public service delivery in line with the Batho Pele principles.
3.2. The major impact was demonstrated currently during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the public servants who are working in the front line were able to deliver quality public service by living the ethos of Batho Pele principles
END