Pretoria - The recent success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa has provided an example of how the public sector can work together across spheres to deliver a world-class event, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
The efficiency demonstrated during the hosting of the tournament highlighted how the public service can work better and smarter, Motlanthe said at an awards ceremony to recognise excellence among employees of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
SARS holds the annual Amakhwezi Awards as an acknowledgement and appreciation of its employee's contribution to the work of the organisation.
"We should ask ourselves if public servants work beyond the call of normal duty, as they did during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, what would stop such service excellence becoming a norm in the delivery of general public services." Motlanthe said.
He hailed SARS employees for their "excellence" saying the capacity to collect revenue from citizens - both individuals and corporate - to finance the provision of public services was one of the key defining features of a stable and capable state.
"The ability of a country to borrow from the capital markets is linked to its capacity to collect taxes. As any good banker will tell you, one of the key considerations when evaluating an application for a loan is whether there is ability on the borrower to pay back."
Motlanthe said the exceptional individuals and teams understand their mandate "which was not merely about collecting tax revenues, but contributing to support the development of our country".
"Under the capable leadership of Ministers Pravin Gordhan, Trevor Manuel and Nhlanhla Nene, SARS has laid a foundation for a strong and sustainable revenue system by building an institution with a reputation for integrity, fairness and effectiveness," he said.
But, as with the task of promoting tax compliance, maintaining this reputation was a continuous process.
"One way in which we as government can leverage the investments made in SARS, especially in terms of technology, is by expanding the use of your systems for other parts of government where synergy exists," he added.
