DoT leads the country in mission directed work teams

by Chris Hlabisa

The vision of the KZN Department of Transport ‘Prosperity through Mobility’ is short and simple, but is packed with meaning.

First and foremost, in the context of our business it means the same as the overall vision of the public service, being to "IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE ALL SOUTH AFRICAN CITIZENS" through transportation.

This vision is realized through the implementation of our key strategic focus areas which are saving lives, developing people, infrastructure and the economy, ensuring value for money and practicing good governance.

In carrying out our core business, we also have a responsibility to alleviate poverty and ensure rural development. Therefore our core business includes the provision of a safe, balanced and equitable Provincial Road Network, Road Traffic Safety, Traffic Law Administration in the licensing of both vehicles and drivers, Public Transport Regulation, and Good Governance.

In 1997, the Premier of KwaZuluNatal initiated the implementation of the White Paper on public service transformation which included the Batho Pele principles. Officials were taught the principles of Batho Pele and that implementation action plans were developed.

We enjoyed pockets of excellence winning some of the highest accolades in the Province at the time –the Premier’s gold award as well as one of the silver awards. It soon became apparent that whilst we enjoyed the success of those pockets of excellence, meaningful transportation through the organization was not being achieved.

There was no fundamental change in the organizational culture and it was still ‘business as usual.’ The programme lacked mechanisms to engage front-line staff in the business. Therefore there was no evidence of success or failure in our service delivery.

Historically officials had not been exposed to a climate of participation, nor had they been given the ‘tools’, skills and authority to meaningfully meet the requirements of each Batho Pele Principle. They did not participate in decision –making.

We had to find a way that would help team members to break the bonds of apathy and mere compliance to rules and regulations. We knew what we aiming for, but we just did not know HOW to get there .We required a holistic transformation mechanism that addressed commitment of staff, systematic improvement of processes and leadership development so that world-class service delivery could be achieved.

We were known for laziness, high levels of absenteeism, lack of responsibility and accountability and lack of being proactive. We needed to find way to capture the hearts and minds of our team members.

We are Public servants NOT government employees- the largest machinery when it comes to service delivery and we are the public face of government. We need to change, not tomorrow, not today but NOW!

back