Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged the public sector employees to prioritise the delivery of excellent services, warning that non-performance and poor service delivery will not be tolerated.
“We do not have time to waste. We must move with the wagon, swiftly and with purpose. If you are ready to be part of this transformation, you are welcome on board. If not, you must re-evaluate your purpose in the public service. There will be ‘no business as usual’, and there will be consequences for non-performance and ineffective service delivery,” President Nandi-Ndaitwah warned.
The President made these remarks during her recent address to public servants, where she reaffirmed her commitment to building a responsive and efficient public service that serves as the foundation for inclusive development. She reminded public servants of the profound impact their work has on citizens’ lives and urged them to take this responsibility seriously.
“We have heard the complaints of poor service, inaccessibility, and rude officials. This is not how the servants of the people must serve the people. I therefore demand immediate change. We talk of public service because those who make up that body are people who have committed themselves to serve the public – not themselves,” she said.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah acknowledged the challenges facing government, particularly ongoing fiscal constraints. This, she said, means there is a need to use limited resources wisely, aiming to achieve more with what is available. She stressed that this requires public servants to be disciplined and committed to excellent service delivery.
“We are working under fiscal constraints. The public service wage bill stands at over N$35 billion, serving more than 100,000 employees. This situation is unsustainable. As such, we must prudently utilise the scarce resources at our disposal by applying the concept of achieving more with less. In doing so, there is a need to exercise the highest fiscal discipline, aiming to achieve efficient and effective outcomes for the benefit of our people,” she said.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah also addressed broader societal challenges facing the country, such as poverty, limited access to services, and the erosion of human dignity. She reminded public servants that their mission is to dismantle these barriers and empower communities.
“The State has a sacred responsibility to protect, promote, and fulfil the rights and aspirations of its people. It does so through the functioning of its institutions and through the hands of public servants. Each of us, in government or State-Owned Enterprises, must understand how we fit into this machinery,” the President added.
She therefore urged public sector workers to commit themselves to delivering excellent services to the public, regardless of individual differences.
“I make a humble but urgent plea: let us adopt a basic-needs and service-excellence approach. This is not optional – it is necessary. The Government must not fail those it has sworn to serve. This means that all Namibians, regardless of race, religion, status, or location, must have equal access to basic services: clean water, sanitation, food, healthcare, education, employment, justice, and opportunities for economic advancement,” she said.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed gratitude to public sector workers, highlighting their dedication, resilience, and hard work towards achieving the mandates of their respective Offices, Ministries, and Agencies as deeply valuable.
“You, the public servants and technocrats, are an indispensable national resource. You are the most vital component of the machinery that keeps the wheels of Government turning. You are the gears of the engine of state administration. You are the bridge between policies and people, between vision and reality. Without your active, ethical, and capable participation, Government cannot function effectively, nor will it deliver the required services to the nation,” the President said.
