Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has outlined a few improvements government can implement to make the lives of South Africans less stressful and costly.
Key among the improvements government can make, the President told Parliament, included improving performance in frontline services and substantially reducing waiting periods, in order to enhance service delivery.
He was delivering the Presidency's Budget Vote in the National Assembly.
"For most South Africans, government is the administrative clerk they see when they go to apply for a government document or any other service.
"We wish to reiterate, therefore, that government must improve performance in frontline services and substantially reduce waiting periods, in order to enhance service delivery," the President said.
Government departments that provide services directly to the public should also clearly specify the standard of service citizens should expect, including the appropriate behaviour of officials.
"They must outline the waiting periods and the quality of service, and the mechanisms of redress should those standards not be met," the President said.
A few years ago, a decision was taken in government, that staff dealing directly with the public should wear name tags to ensure a more personal connection with the public, and to enable members of the public to provide their names in the event of compliments or complaints. The President today said this decision should be implemented and monitored.
Meanwhile, in line with his commitment during the State of the Nation Address earlier this month that his administration would be a more interactive one, President Zuma today said the Presidency was working with Government Communications (GCIS) to establish a national liaison forum to deal with enquiries received from the public.
This forum, to comprise officials representing all government departments and Premier's Offices, will enable Presidency public liaison personnel to obtain quick responses to enquiries and complaints from their counterparts in all government offices across all three spheres of government.
The President said a skeleton staff complement had already begun working on the correspondence and enquiries being received.
"We are already experiencing an increase in correspondence volumes, from an average of about 300 letters around April to about 700 as we speak, for the month of June alone," the President said.
During his State of the Nation Address, the President had said that in addition to receiving letters and emails from the public, government would establish a hotline for easier access.
"Staff will handle each public inquiry as if it was the only one, following it through all the channels until it receives the attention it deserves," the President said at the time.
