Quthing, Sept. 19 — The Minister of Public Service, Mr. Moeketsi Mot’soane, has urged public servants across various government departments in the district to strive for improvement of public service delivery for their own benefit and of the community.
Addressing Quthing public servants at a first of its kind meeting in the district, Mr. Mot’soane said effective public service delivery gives public servants a clear sense of purpose, professional pride, and stronger working relationships with the communities they serve.
He said it cannot be denied that poor public service delivery is a serious concern, and invited attendants to share challenges that contribute to it to be addressed professionally for sustainable change.
Minister Mot’soane further said it is pathetic that workplace incivility is a serious challenge in the public service, citing cases in which retired officers take long to get their remuneration after retirement.
He called on them to improve their performance to make it easier for government to address their concerns over poor salaries.
He added that this year’s Public Service Day celebrations will also be held at district level to give those working in districts an opportunity to observe the day and that sports activities to mark the day will be launched with marathons organized by the districts celebrations committees.
The Minister encouraged public servants to join the Lesotho Association for Public Administration and Management (LAPAM),which provides networking, skills, ethical guidance and collaborative problem-solving to improve public service delivery.
He said Lesotho will host the 45th Round Table Conference of African countries, and urged Quthing public servants and the business community to take the opportunity to participate.Speaking at the event, District Commissioner of Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Adv. Seabata Tutuoane, expressed gratitude for the engagement.
He said public servants in Quthing are eager to render services effectively to the public, but lack of resources, including transport and human resources, is a hindrance.
He appealed to central government to consider addressing public servants’ challenges at district level where services are mostly rendered to vulnerable communities due to lack of roads, citing the staff shortage in the Quthing police service which has 150 staff against a requirement of 700.
The Minister’s visit ended with a tour of government staff housing.
The visit covered Public servants welfare, staff housing, LAPAM and public servicents performance management system.
The Minister of Public Service’s ongoing tour of districts is scheduled to end in Thaba-Tseka on September 30th.
Ends/NS
