OPINION: Good Business Basics – Batho Pele principle has all but faded out in civil service

My daughter got a first-hand view of our (not so) civil service in all its glory in the last few weeks.

So, she is an educator, and needed to update her South African Council of Educators (SACE) registration.

For those who may not be aware, SACE registration is so important, that it is underpinned by its own Act, The SA Council for Educators Act (2000), which states that ‘no person may be employed as an educator by an employer unless that person is registered with the Council’.

Many a new educator has found out the hard way, through docked and withheld salaries how seriously employers take this requirement.

One would expect therefore, that the processes for registration and renewals with SACE would therefore be well executed.

In recent years, an added requirement for registration or renewals was a clearance from the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) which was established in 2007, and is administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

This is where the fun and games start: she needed her fingerprints taken at a police station affixed to a prescribed form, for submission to the DOJ.

As she was based in Durban for a few weeks, she thought she would dispense with this there, and duly presented herself at Point Road Police Station.

Apart from the total lack of interest in attending to her, she was shocked firstly that no one had heard of the NRSO, and secondly that there would be a ‘fee’ of R160,00 to take her prints and affix them to the prescribed form.

Note that the checking was going to be done by the DOJ.

Then, when they determined that she was not resident in Durban, she was told that they were not allowed to as she was not in their jurisdiction.

Try Durban Central she was told by a disinterested constable busy on her cellphone.

So, off she trooped to Durban Central, only to be met with much of the same.

She was embarrassed to say to me that the most interest she had in her mission was from a group of young male officers…..enough said.

One can imagine how red my ears were getting in the meantime, as she vented after each episode.

The story has somewhat of a happy ending though, as she found herself at Pinetown Central, and was received and attended to by knowledgeable and efficient personnel.

When relating her experiences in Durban, especially the ‘fee’ demanded, a knowing shake of the head and comments about ‘Durban cops’ and corruption said it all.

I relate this sad tale for the following reasons.

Firstly, my daughter is a university educated professional with a strong will, not afraid to speak her mind, yet this interaction with one arm of our civil service left her despondent and disappointed.

Secondly, she had the resources to pursue alternatives to accomplish her mission.

Thirdly, she would possibly have been able to cope financially if her employer had withheld her salary for non-compliance with the Act.

Contrast this with the thousands of other citizens seeking assistance from the myriad of government departments across the country.

The cost, anxiety and frustration is no doubt immeasurable.

The principles of ‘Batho Pele’, (People First) introduced by Mandela in 1997 and meant to be espoused by all government departments is nothing but a myth, evident only in the faded posters on the walls of state offices.

Vijay Naidoo is the CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum. He writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.

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