South Africa has a good story to tell!

We are not where we were  30 years ago. 

The story of the Thusong Services Centre exemplifies a caring government, yearning to connect; an effort by a 5 year old democracy to draw closer to her people. 

Although the Thusong programme is not without challenges the Mangaung Metro hosted a celebration of the undeniable successes that have been achieved since its inception 25 years ago. 

The Annual Thusong Services Awards were hosted on the evening of 18 April  at the Bram Fischer Building in Bloemfontein.  

The gala ceremony was a celebration of top-performing Thusong Centres and  public servants  from across the length and breadth of the country .

The Province of Kwa-Zulu Natal proved to be a shining  example of service delivery excellence as their centres and managers racked up most of the evenings awards and runner up nominations.

KZN took home seven awards including :Outstanding Centre Manager ; Outstanding Thusong Centre Satellite and Dedication and commitment to the programme.

The Western Cape Province also stood out with several runner up nominations and a win for Exceptional stakeholder relations and dedication. 

Deputy Minister in the Presidency , Kenneth Morolong described the occasion as a celebration of distinguished patriots, democrats and public servants.

“The people we celebrate today have fundamentally altered the circumstances of our people,” said Morolong.  

Currently, there are 121 are fully operational and functional Thusong Service Centres providing services to communities on a daily basis.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency , Nomasonto Motaung said the Thusong Service Centre Programme provided South Africans from all walks of life the chance to reflect on what it is like live in a  democratic South Africa.

“We remember how far we have come as a nation in improving the lives of South Africans and undoing the damaging legacy of apartheid,” Motaung added.

GCIS Deputy Director-General: Intergovernmental Coordination & Stakeholder Manager , Micheal Currin echoed the sentiment that the Thusong programme cannot be excluded from the story of the country’s Freedom. 

“The Tintswalos president spoke about are from Thusong service centres in rural areas, where they got birth registration documents and IDs,” said the DDG.

Director General of the Free State, Kopung Ralikontsane lamented  that  Government is often praised or condemned because of the actions of public servants.

According to the DG the awards were held to recognize the selfless contributions of those who often go unnoticed . 

“We are filled with pride to see exceptional public servants who go above the call of duty to make  a difference, ” said Ralikontsane.

The DG committed that the Free State Office of the Premier will be working on a programme to strengthen Thusong Service Centres across the Province .