A framework for embedding citizen-centric service delivery in a selected department in the Western Cape Government

Abstract

It is becoming more apparent that creating and implementing effective training and development interventions to ensure citizen-centric service delivery post-democracy is a priority in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape. These interventions are essential to strengthen communities' technical capabilities and contribute to the comprehensive development of public service personnel skills in public engagement and citizen-centric service delivery. The results of this research project were expected to offer knowledge that may be used to influence policy development. It is becoming more acceptable for communities to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with governments when they fail to carry out their duties. If the government's interventions prove beneficial and productive, it may be recommended that their application be approved and promoted. The problem that motivated this research study is the insufficiency that can be attributed to government workers' insufficient critical engagement skills and relationships with communities that resulted in government’s inability to carry out its service delivery responsibilities. The research problem therefore further relates to the need for government to capacitate its workforce in an attempt to address its officials' inadequacies pertaining the impact and position of community participation in order to effectively carry out their department's service delivery mandates, which may be a direct cause of dissatisfied communities and service delivery agitations. Simply put, public workers, cannot offer citizen-centric services because they lack the capacity, which necessitates a holistic training regime The outcome of the study supported the research objective which aimed to determine if training and development opportunities were driven by the need to enhance employee’s abilities to achieve and deliver their department’s service delivery mandates. The results of the study further indicated that shifting governments focus to citizen centricity would indeed improve efficiency and service delivery. The study adopted a mixed research methodology and non-experimental research design. The data was collected via 20 open-ended interviews and 130 structured questionnaires. Through the literature reviewed and the data collected the study finds that government departments execute its Constitutional mandates through service delivery to its citizens. It was further identified that government policies and strategies were more informed if continuous efforts were made by government to consult with communities pertaining matters of service delivery. Thus, resulting in government being able to bring about societal change and effectively provide for the needy, ensuring equality and fair treatment of its citizens through effective policy development. The study further found that if policy development and training opportunities are driven by the need to enhance employee’s abilities to achieve and deliver their department’s service delivery mandates it would indeed improve efficiency and service delivery. It should however, be noted that the study highlighted the fact that the financial implications of not adequately training employees could prove to be more expensive than the training itself. This research offers constructive recommendations, identifies critical training interventions, and in an effort to respond to the literature reviewed through the study’s findings a comprehensiveframework that holistically promotes a citizen-centric approach to service delivery was created.Thus, answering the question of how training enforces citizen-centric service delivery in the public sector?Additionally, this study may be useful for the government in its formulation and implementation of policies, useful for communities to receive informed and citizen-centric services and for researchers intending to further study the research topic.