Zimbabwean Minister blasts civil servants

BULAWAYO Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Judith Ncube yesterday blasted slothful civil servants in the province as she demanded servant leadership from public officers.

Minister Ncube said it was disheartening to learn that some civil servants were turning away people seeking Government services for unjustified reasons.

She said this while addressing a Provincial Development Committee meeting at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex in Bulawayo.

Minister Ncube said there is a need for every worker to put shoulder to the wheel as President Mnangagwa has already set the tone for transforming the country into an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

The PDC meeting was the first for this year and during the meeting provincial heads of different Government departments outlined their operational plans for the year.

Minister Ncube said it was a must for civil servants to provide servant leadership in line with the expectations of the Second Republic.

She said as the resident minister, she expects Bulawayo to scale heights in terms of improving service delivery hence she is worried by the negative attitudes of some Government workers.

Ncube said she experienced first-hand the attitudes of some Government workers who turn away people seeking services. "I sometimes visit some of the offices. You knock and knock at the offices and get no response yet the workers will be in the offices. You then move in only to find someone busy reading a newspaper and they don't bother attending to you.  You are later told its already lunch time, come after lunch," she said.

Minister Ncube said when the worker later realises that he or she is attending to a Government Minister she becomes friendly which is not supposed to be the case. She said such negative attitudes to members of the public has to change as all the Government employees are out there to serve the public.

"It's not right and if you check the clock when they say its lunch time it will be 15 or 20 minutes before the lunch hour. You are turning away people, some who would have come from very far away and probably have no bus fare to come back," said Minister Ncube.

"Let's attend to the people, let's respect the people we serve. Without these people we have not work".

Minister Ncube said Bulawayo's development lies in the hands of its residents hence heads of Government departments should lead by example and contribute to creating an environment that will propel the city's growth.

She said the province should play a role in ensuring President Mnangagwa's vision of attaining an upper middle-income status becomes a reality.

"As His Excellency the President is always emphasising, ‘Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabantu balo', u-Bulawayo wakhiwa ngabanikazi bakhe. As leaders in our various ministries, departments and agencies, you have an impact on how the general citizenry views the Government," said  Minister Ncube.

Ncube directed all provincial heads of Government departments to provide Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary, Mr Paul Nyoni, with all the reports of projects being done in Bulawayo in line with the devolution agenda.

She said she heard that some civil servants were refusing to provide the reports to Mr Nyoni claiming they only report to their head offices in Harare which is against the Government decentralisation policy.

"As you are all aware the Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, ubaba uNyoni, is the most senior civil servant in the province and you all report to him. This year it should not be business as usual, we need hard honest work at every level," said Minister Ncube.

She said Government workers should utilise the limited resources available to make the province attractive to foreign investors.

"I expect all of you to fully co-operate with the Permanent Secretary and my staff and give them all the information they request," said Minister Ncube.

She said it was worrying that line ministries come to assess projects in Bulawayo yet her office will not be having adequate information on the projects.

Some of the issues that were raised during the meeting include concerns over parents and guardians who fail to timeously obtain birth certificates for their children.