SPEECH PRESENTED BY THE MINISTER FOR
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY
HONOURABLE JABULILE MASHWAMA
LAUNCH OF SWSC CUSTOMER SERVICE
CHARTER
06 MARCH 2014
EZULWINI
Chairpersons of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy Portfolio Committees,
SWSC Board members present,
SWSC Managing Director and other Managing Directors present,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and gentlemen.
I am honoured to be invited to this important event where we are launching the Swaziland Water Services Corporation Customer Service Charter. We come here today not to launch another document but witness an assurance by Water services Corporation to provide a bench mark in service provision synonymous with the first world status vision. This is a continued team effort to provide a level of service that is second to none.
The importance of a Customer Service Charter cannot be overemphasized as amongst other things it enables customers to get the most out of an organisation's services. I am happy to note that SWSC as a customer centric organisation is working hard to continuously improve product quality and service in line with the Corporation’s vision which is to delight customers in the provision of potable water, wastewater disposal and other services.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Adherence to quality service provision is no longer an option but a requirement for Government entities, as customers (the Swazi nation) are now more informed and empowered. His Majesty through his speech from the throne, directed Parliament to have a set of indicators that are the key measures of the provision of social services to the people. Honourable Members of Parliament from different constituencies are also calling on Government officials to deliver quality service to the nation and we, as SWSC, have to play our part in the call to better service delivery.
This charter we see before us today represents the culmination of remarkable hard work, dedication and focus by Management and staff of SWSC. In order to reach this stage, Swaziland Water Services Corporation decided to go back to the beginning and understand again, exactly why the entity was created in the first place: “What was the Spirit behind the 1992 enactment of Parliament which created it?”
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The ultimate goal was to take water as a scarce resource and manage its provision to the nation. The major question then was, was the Corporation doing this to the best of its ability and what did its customers think? I am told that a nation-wide customer satisfaction survey was conducted in 2012, whose findings further contributed to the improvement of the document we are launching today.
A new mindset and way of doing business resulted from this process: A mind set of putting into practice the corporation’svision of delighting customers. SWSC here today is undertaking to ensure that customer satisfaction is to form the basis of every undertaking: Where before any decision or action is carried out, the first and foremost question will be, “what impact will this have on customers?”
Mr Managing Director and SWSC staff,
Government is proud of this step that you have taken. We are not only proud of what you are doing today but we are proud of the milestones that have been achieved by the Corporation. We have seen that the image of commitment to excellence that SWSC has cultivated and promoted is drawing the interest of other countries world over. We have seen the hosting of international conferences on water and study tours of entities and politicians from various nations seeking to emulate what we are doing here in Swaziland. This is a trend we hope to see continue.
Before I conclude I would like to note that in order for this Customer Service Charter to be a success, all stakeholders must play their part: The Corporation must meet the defined service levels and the customers must carry out their obligations. Success will only be achieved if everyone plays their part; this is the same not just here but in everything we do in the Kingdom; achieving His Majesty’s 2022 requires a collective effort.
This will not be an easy undertaking but it is one that the corporation has committed to. The targets we see before us are taking us to first world levels, certainly above anything that currently obtains on the continent.
I call upon you all here today to support the Corporation as we unpack and launch this charter today. Let us all commit to supporting this noble effort, let every comment, suggestion or question be constructive, not destructive.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is now my singular honour to declare the Swaziland Water Services Corporation Customer Service Charter officially launched.
May the Lord bless us all; Good Morning.
I thank you