Government rolls out the third annual Thusong Service Centre Week
Monday 19 September 2016 will mark the beginning of the Third Annual Thusong Service Centre Week, to be commemorated under the Public Service Month theme: “Moving the Public Service Forward: “We Belong, We Care, We Serve”.
A showcasing event for the Annual Week linked to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of South Africa’s democratic Constitution will be led by the Deputy Minister of Communications, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams in collaboration with Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mr John Jeffrey and will take place at the Mossel Bay Thusong Service Centre in the Western Cape Province.
Nineteen subsidiary showcasing events will be held across all provinces today to kick-off the week.
The week was officially opened through a broadcast of the well-known “Let’s Talk Justice” community radio talk show on Thursday 15 September 2016 which saw sixty-five Community Radio Stations linked and callers reflecting on a range of issues including how the Thusong Service Centres embody the principles of access to services and opportunities as enshrined in the democratic Constitution.
Government will focus on widening access and promoting an informed citizenry through Open Days, Exhibitions, Outreach events and activations at different communities across the country in partnership with various stakeholders which includes Home Affairs, Labour, Justice, Small Business Development, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the Road Accident Fund, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Military Veterans Department and SARS, to mention but a few key service providers participating.
Since the inception of the Thusong Service Centre programme in 1997, government has established 197 centres countywide and has improved access to information and services. It is estimated that each year at least five million citizens utilise the Thusong Centres in their communities.
Thusong Service Centres promote access to economic opportunities and advance the government’s vision of a better life for all as entailed in the National Development Plan through the integration of services. While not in all centres, skills development programmes exist in a number of Thusong Centres to empower communities with the necessary skills and training to better their lives, through existing partnerships with government, parastatals and the private sector.
“Government continues to prioritise the acceleration of service delivery and remains determined to ensure that citizens can access various basic government services in their residential areas. A number of the centres also cater for the development of small businesses to help them grow and thrive in the communities they serve”, said Liphoko.”
“Government calls on communities to continue utilising the Thusong Service Centers and empower themselves with information and government services” said Mr Liphoko.
A total of eighty six events have been planned across the nine provinces during this Annual Week as a way of drawing public attention to the centres and the programmes and services they offer.
The closing event of the Third Annual Thusong Service Centre Week will take place on Friday, 23 September 2016 at Breyten Thusong Service Centre in Mpumalanga Province.
Source: Government of South Africa