Cullinan – Africa Public Service Day (APSD) should be celebrated every day to encourage public servants to serve people speedily and on time, says Thokozile Memele, a resident from Refilwe location, who attended the APSD event today.
“This celebration should not end today. Services are needed every day in our communities,” Memele, 38, told SAnews at the event held in Cullinan, north of Pretoria.
The aim of celebrating APSD is to recognize and set standards that would restore prestige and dignity to the public service and raise performance levels and competence in government.
Africa Public Service Day brings public servants together to commemorate the value and virtue of service delivery improvement to the communities they serve.
As part of celebrating the day, various government departments were on site exhibiting or showcasing their services.
These included the Department of Correctional Services which was exhibiting art works done by inmates, the Department of Home Affairs which afforded people an opportunity to apply for their Identity documents and birth certificates, Sassa and the Department of Transport, among others.
For Jacob Mzamani, the celebration came at a good time as he used the opportunity to apply for a new Identity Document without having to spend money on transport to Home Affairs' offices.
“I’m happy that I have applied for a new ID here without having to spend money on transport,” he told SAnews.
This year’s Africa Public Service Day is celebrated under the theme: African Public Service in the Age of Open Government: Giving Voice to Citizens.
City of Tshwane employees used the occasion and signed a pledge committing themselves to providing good and professional service to members of the public at all times.
Public Service and Administration Acting Director-General Nhlakanipho Nkontwana called on public servants to continue the good work they were doing to serve the public in a professional manner.
He urged them to always be professional and accountable when serving members of the public.
“What we stand for as government is to give people a platform to air their views,” he said.
Africa Public Service Day is an annual event in which all African countries share best practices, challenges and progress in respect of transformation programmes.
In South Africa, the Africa Public Service Day is celebrated in Gauteng and in Accra, Ghana for the continental event.
The Pan African Conference of Ministers in 2001, declared 23 June as Africa Public Service Day.
The South African National Cabinet has moved the official celebration of Africa Public Service Day to 22 June. However, this year 22 June would be on a Saturday. – SAnews.gov.za
