Thusong service centre managers and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) provincial teams hailing from all corners of the country, gathered in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality to learn the best practices from the Thabong service centre.
The benchmarking programme was hosted by the National Inter-Sectoral Steering Committee (NISSC), which is the national coordination structure of the Thusong service centre programme. It was chaired by the GCIS at national level.
The vibrant intergovernmental programme took place on Tuesday, 16 April, in the heart of Thabong at the Boitumelo Junction Mall.
During the event, the Thabong service centre was acknowledged as one of the most optimally and efficiently performing Thusong service centers in the country. It is also the second urban centre to be located within a mall like the centre at Maponya Mall in Gauteng.
The one-stop shop provides information and integrated government services from various departments including the Office of the Premier, the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), social development, labour, GCIS, and the councillor.
The executive mayor of the Lejweleputswa District Municipality, Cllr Veronica Ntakumbana, attended the event where she spoke about the importance of bringing services closer to the people.
According to Mampoi Mahasa, marketing manager for the Boitumelo Junction Mall, the centre services a low-income community that cannot afford to frequently travel to town to access government services.
“The availability of Sassa and the clinic in the centre has been of great help to the community,” said Mahasa.
The Thusong service centre programme was first launched in 1999. The Free State has five operational Thusong Service Centers.
The programme will run over three days.
On 17 April, the structure will host a meeting at the Mangaung Municipality to provide feedback from the last meeting held in April 2023 and further outline new projects.
On 18 April, the NISSC will host another integrated services outreach at Hoffman Square, in the Bloemfontein CBD, which will be followed by the annual Thusong Service Centre Awards.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Floreat Hall, Bram Fischer Building, in Bloemfontein.
The event will be officiated by the deputy ministers in the presidency and the premier of the Free State.
