Acting Executive Director of the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) Lydia Sebokedi says it is imperative to use the month of August to condemn all acts of violence against women.
"We need to unite as a nation to fight gender-based violence in our society," Sebokedi said.
Speaking at the 18th Public Sector Innovation Conference being held in Durban, Sebokedi said there will be no freedom for any woman in this country until the scourge of gender-based violence against women is decisively dealt with permanently.
"As we all know, in our country, August is a month dedicated to us, women. We look back with immense pride and sincere reverence, to those women and matriarchs of our nation who led a march in the 50s against the unsavoury laws that were in place then thus shaping our destiny as a country," Sebokedi said.
Many of those women never lived long enough to experience freedom.
"At the same time, lest we forget, we are in a society which has practically declared a cruel war against its women, where gender-based violence and femicide have reached a pandemic status.
"Let us all take a stand and say 'no' to violence against women and girls," Sebokedi said.
She called on the conference delegates to engage on ways to integrate innovation and innovative thinking in order to improve public services.
"Let us also use this platform to network and forge working partnerships for innovation," she said.
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Sebokedi told the delegates that the CPSI has been sustaining various innovation platforms and initiatives to capacitate government institutions to improve service delivery to citizens.
"This work was deeply rooted in our belief as an institution, that innovation is a pivotal catalyst that enables us to meet the needs of our citizens."
She said there was a need to find innovative solutions and approaches to deliver services better.
"There is a call for strong inter-governmental relations and the denouncement of silo mentality within government departments."
Sebokedi said there was also a need to forge cross-sectorial partnerships with business, academia, civil society, particularly the youth, to allow for mutual exchange of knowledge and expertise in innovation.
"We come together to explore new and innovative solutions to service delivery, this time using mission-oriented innovation.
The CPSI reports to the Minister of Public Service and Administration and was established with a mandate of nurturing innovation in the public sector. It was established in 2001 by the Minister for Public Service and Administration as a Section 21 company. In 2008, the CPSI became the first Government Component listed in the Public Service Act.
