Hit unresponsive public servants where it hurts most

It must come as a relief to thousands of parents, especially mothers, that the NPA has at last been brought to book for its shoddy work.

A magistrate has exposed how the aloofness and half-hearted attitude of prosecutors is depriving mothers of their monthly maintenance payments.

The Kempton Park Magistrate's Court has ordered the head of the National Prosecuting Authority, Mxolisi Nxasana, to appear in court to explain why he should not pay R30000 maintenance in a matter involving a Johannesburg couple.

The ruling reflects the service we too often get from civil servants - if we are not ignored, we are treated as if we are demanding the impossible.

We are told that the NPA plans to deduct money from the salaries of staff found to have ignored a court directive.

The Public Service Commission should take note of this if it is to encourage a new culture in our public service.

To change the uncaring attitude of public servants, and speed the pace of delivery by state departments, perhaps the culprits should be hit where it hurts most - in the pocket.

The court was bold in ordering the NPA to pay about R27800 in maintenance arrears to a Johannesburg mother.

But it is a shame that mothers have to struggle to get money from a court system that is supposed to protect the vulnerable.

If NPA staff are "cold" and "lackadaisical", as the court says, then we still have a long road to travel. The issue of maintenance goes to the heart of whether a parent is able to put food on the table for a child.

The bad attitude of some civil servants has been allowed for far too long.

The new Minister of Public Service and Administration, Collins Chabane, should bring in a new culture that embodies service, not torture.

We hope that the decision by the court will send the message that we deserve better and that public officials who sleep on the job should look elsewhere for a living.