NW MEC FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT REWARDS LONG-SERVING EMPLOYEES

By Staff Reporter.

• One hundred and seventy employees of the North West Department of Social Development received acknowledgement for their long service, ranging from 10 to 40 years.
• Certificates were presented to the recipients at a black-tie event hosted by the MEC for Social Development, Basetsana Sussana Dantjie.
• The MEC used the event to call on everyone involved in the department to work towards achieving a clean audit.

The North West MEC for Social Development, Basetsana Sussana Dantjie, has lauded officials who have served the department for a decade and more.

More than 170 employees received certificates recognising their long service, which ranged from 10 to 40 years.

The department hopes the awards will inspire a positive and competitive workforce.

MEC Dantjie made a clarion call for a clean audit at the black-tie event held on 26 September 2025 at the Mmabatho Convention Centre, Mahikeng.

“This department has men and women who are capable of achieving a clean audit with no hassles,” she said.

“It is a deep pain in my heart to see us floundering in achieving a clean audit. When the department achieves a clean audit, the benefits are not for political principals but the poor communities we serve.”

The MEC called on the officials to put their shoulders to the wheel to turn things around.

She noted that she was deliberately emphasising the need for a clean audit during the awards ceremony. “You are capable of being proactive and adding refreshing ideas to the growth of the department,” Dantjie said.

“We must rid the department of wheelbarrow mentality. We cannot move only when we are pushed.”

It was befitting that the employees in the North West Department of Social Development received certificates of recognition, the MEC noted.

“Although this gesture is quite modest when compared to the loyalty and energy you invested in taking the department to greater heights of service delivery, we want to express our profound thanks to all the recipients of these awards for their loyalty and dedication.”

Keamogetse Motate was one of the recipients, having served the department for four decades.

She called on her fellow employees to love themselves first so they can love their clients and dedicate their energy to serving them. “We are called to serve people, be the face of government at the coalface. Let us all be dedicated to our work.”

The awards ceremony, to boost employee morale, increase productivity, and reinforce the values of integrity and excellence within the public service, was held under the theme “Professionalising the public service to build trust and restore confidence in government”.

The theme underscored the urgent need to strengthen the capacity, integrity, and performance of the public service as a critical lever for improving service delivery and rebuilding citizen confidence in state capacity.

The focus on professionalising the workforce will see a clear improvement in service delivery, with the community being the ultimate winner.