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Civil servants with temper not fit for office

The Chronicle

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Leonard Ncube [email protected]

THE public service should have workers that execute their mandate in a manner that is fit to address the needs of citizens.

This came out at the ongoing 9th Continental Africa Public Service Day (APSD) being attended by participants that include organisations active in the sphere of public administration drawn from across the continent.

Speaking to journalists, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Permanent Secretary Mr Simon Masanga said the conference seeks to help build a public service that has a new mindset driven by the desire to execute duty and serve the public, while listening to clients.

SPDA

He said Zimbabwe is coming from a history where citizens would struggle to get services at public offices because of the attitude of some civil servants.

“This conference is such that we have a public service that is fit for purpose. We have to build a public service with a new mindset and divert from back there where citizens had to beg to get services.  We want a public service that listens to people, he said.

Addressing delegates at the conference, Professor Ludeki Chweya from Kenya said public service should be able to attract investors into the continent as business thrive on trust.

He said public service workers should be able to serve multicultural clientele.

The African Union organised the event that is being hosted by the Zimbabwean Government through the Ministry of Public Service and Public Service Commission.

It is being held under the theme: “The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will require a fit-for-purpose African public administration to succeed.”

The conference is being held to deliberate on how the continent can have a public service that is fit for the African agenda.

Public Service Day is a special day for civil servants and public service organisations across Africa.

It is celebrated annually on June 23 to mark and recognise the role of public servants, public sector organisations and their positive contributions to communities.

The APSD serves as a platform for the Public and Civil Service to showcase and reward good initiatives and achievements in the public sector. This platform equally provides an invaluable opportunity for public servants to promote values such as professionalism, accountability, responsiveness, ethics, and efficiency in the delivery of services.

The APSD initiative is derived from the collaborative work of the Pan-African ministers’ programme to enhance governance and public administration across the African continent.

The first Pan-African Conference of Ministers of Public and Civil Service, which was held in Tangier, Morocco in 1994 agreed that 23 June every year should be set aside and dedicated as Africa Public Service Day to recognise the value and virtue of service to the community.

The ministers’ declaration was reaffirmed by the Stellenbosch Declaration adopted at the fourth Pan-African Ministers’ Conference held in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2004.

The meeting acknowledged the importance of the APSD initiative as part of the continental strategy to boost public administration programmes, public sector performance and governance.

The United Nations adopted and designated 23 June as Public Service Day and has been celebrating the day since 2002 coinciding with the APSD.

The APSD which is now on both the AU and UN calendars, is celebrated annually at national level and biannually at a continental level.

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