Put the people's needs ahead of party politicking

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all public servants to serve the people. Our nation is one beset by service delivery protests.

Over the past few years, the ANC has deployed some of its most trusted cadres to head various government departments and parastatals, with the aim of driving government policies.

While there is nothing automatically sinister about cadre deployment, the current crop of public servants appears to be far more loyal to the party than it is to the public.

Too often, party politics determines which projects get stalled or fast-tracked.

It is all well and good for Ramaphosa to urge public servants to put the public first, but a call is not the same as implementation.

By and large, citizens struggle to get basic services, and every time the government does do something, it behaves like it has done the people a huge favour.

Service delivery is not a favour but a duty.

On Sunday Ramaphosa told residents in Soweto that "effective public administration is not a privilege in a democratic society - it is a fundamental right".

But our public servants know on which side their bread is buttered.

So long as promotions and jobs are based on political connections and party loyalties alone , the public is bound to be the loser.

Cadre deployment is no longer simply an ANC phenomenon. Other parties seem to be following the trend too.

Government cannot afford a "public" service that ignores the public.

Yesterday, the Gauteng government issued a statement calling on the public to treat its staff with respect.

Just as citizens should treat public servants civilly, public servants cannot insult civilians with shoddy service.

It does not help if complaints are never attended to.

If our public services are to become more efficient, it is essential they first become more accountable.