President Mnangagwa challenges civil servants

Harare (New Ziana) – President Mnangagwa has called for a strengthened work ethic in the civil service, highlighting that a hardworking and honest public service is crucial to the attainment of the national development agenda.
He said this at the burial of the late National Hero Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwah, the former Public Service Commission chairman.
President Mnangagwa said Dr Nzuwah, who died on Tuesday last week at the age of 80, had worked hard to lay the foundations of a modern public service which is results based, agile, skilled and adaptable.
“Benefiting from this, our public service officials should change their mindsets and be up to the task of delivering on their mandates including delivery of services at every level in both rural and urban areas,” he said.
“They must be an embodiment of unity and drivers of our devolution and decentralisation agenda. In this way, they will bring dignity to every citizen through ensuring uninterrupted delivery of basic services such as clean water, good roads, timeous availability of inputs, access to renewable energy and well resourced schools, among other aspects.
“Our public servants should also identify with communities as well as respect the cultures and languages of the duty stations they would have been deployed. In light of this, it remains incumbent upon the entire civil service to continue upholding the unwavering, patriotic, humble hard-working character, high degree of professionalism and sense of duty-consciousness exhibited by the late national hero Dr Nzuwah.”
He said government would play its part by ensuring improved conditions of service for public workers.
Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa described the late Dr Nzuwah, who served as PSC chairman between 1992 and 2018, as an eminent public servant.
“He was instrumental in the transformation of our bureaucracy to make it both African and responsive to the aspirations of the post-independence epoch. He always answered to the call and availed himself in the crafting and implementation of sustainable socio-economic development programmes and activities,” he said.
“The late national hero will also be remembered for his well-crafted and thought out professional and widely researched advice on matters of public administration.”
Before independence, Dr Nzuwah was actively involved in mobilising support for the liberation war effort while working for the University of Maryland in the United States.
“He diligently participated in organising material and logistical support for our freedom and independence. He was always deeply rooted and guided by our African philosophy and cultural identity,” he said.
New Ziana