SPEECH DELIVERED BY

 

THE HONORABLE MINISTER – TINKHUNDLA ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

MOBILE SERVICE DELIVERY MECHANISM LAUNCH

BOBABE TIKHULU  

MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS 

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT 

INDVUNA YENKHUNDLA 

BUCOPHO 

SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS 

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, 

I GREET YOU ALL, SANIBONANI BEKUNENE. 

IT IS WITH HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE THAT TODAY I STAND BEFORE YOU TO BE PART OF THIS HISTORIC OCCASION, PRESENTING ON BEHALF OF HIS MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT YET ANOTHER INNOVATION AIMED AT ENSURING THAT EVERY SWAZI IRRESPECTIVE OF LOCATION HAS ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT SERVICES. THE MOBILE SERVICE DELIVERY MECHANISM IS A PRODUCT OF MANY YEARS OF DISCUSSION AND EXPERIMENTATION.  

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE DESIRE OF GOVERNMENT TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE COUNTRY’S GOOD TELECOMMUNICATIONS COVERAGE TO REACH OUT TO THE MOST REMOTE OF OUR CITIZENS. THE MOBILE TRUCK IN FRONT OF US IS ENABLED WITH THE MOST SOPHISTICATED COMMUNICATION GADGETS AND TAILOR MADE SYSTEM TO FUNCTION EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS A CONVENTIONAL OFFICE WOULD OPERATE. WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT IN CONFIGURING THE SYSTEM WE DID NOT IMPORT ENGINEERS FROM ABROAD BUT USED OUR OWN ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO CONNECTED THE WIRES AND PUT TOGETHER THE SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE MOBILE OFFICES SERVE THEIR PURPOSE.  

AS GOVERNMENT WE EXTEND OUR THANKS TO ALL THE GOVERNMENT OFFICERS WHO WORKED TOGETHER TO FINALLY GET THE MOBILE OFFICES MOVING. WE ALSO EXTEND OUR SINCERE THANKS TO MTN SWAZILAND WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED THE NETWORK, SYSTEM AND THE DATA BUNDLES TO EXPERIMENT ON THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE MOBILE SERVICE DELIVERY MECHANISM. WE HOPE MTN WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE BEYOND THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD.  

THE MOBILE OFFICES WILL AS I HAVE SAID ABOVE OPERATE LIKE ANY CONVENTIONAL OFFICE. THE SERVICES THAT WILL BE PROVIDED THROUGH THIS MODEL WILL THEREFORE BE EXPANDED AND FLEXIBLE TO INCLUDE MANY OTHER IT BASED GOVERNMENT SERVICES. FOR NOW THE SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED WILL BE RESTRICTED TO CIVIL REGISTRATION AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES.  

ONE WILL PROBABLY ASK; WHY IS GOVERNMENT DOING ALL THIS? WHERE DOES TINKHUNDLA FEATURE IN ALL THIS? THE ANSWER IS RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THE FOUNDING OBJECTIVES OF TINKHUNDLA. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND ESTABLISHES TINKHUNDLA TO BE CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH GOVERNMENT SERVICES REACHES TO COMMUNITIES; NOT JUST COMMUNITIES BUT EVEN THE MOST REMOTE OF THEM ALL.  

GOVERNMENT’S ATTEMPT TO REACH OUT TO ALL CITIZENS IS IN LINE WITH HER MORALE AND COMPULSORY MANDATE TO BRING PROSPERITY AND HAPPINESS TO CITIZENS. SERVICE DELIVERY WHETHER DIRECT THROUGH GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES, SEMI-DIRECT THROUGH PUBLIC ENTERPRISES OR INDIRECT THROUGH PRIVATE SECTOR AGENCIES OR NON- STATE ACTORS IS OUR CONCERN AS TINKHUNDLA. OUR EARS ARE ALWAYS WIDE OPEN TO LISTEN TO THE FAINTEST VOICE CALLING FOR SERVICE. RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS TO REACH OUT TO EVERYONE IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE. WE ARE EXCITED TODAY THAT THE MOBILE SERVICE INNOVATION IS NOT ONLY RESPONDING TO SERVICE DELIVERY GAPS BUT MAXIMISING ON USE OF LIMITED RESOURCE TO COVER A WIDE AREA AS WE ARE PLANNING TO HAVE COVERED ALL THE CONSTITUENCIES BY END OF 2016. I AM AWARE THAT THIS IS QUITE A TALL ORDER BUT WITH THE COMMITMENT AND ZEAL WE ALL HAVE, I AM CERTAIN WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS TARGET. 

MAY I AT THIS POINT URGE ALL THE PARTIES WORKING, USING AND HANDLING THIS EQUIPMENT TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT SO THAT IT BENEFITS MANY GENERATIONS TO COME. ONE DAY IN THE FUTURE WHEN WE ARE ALL GRANNIES AND GRANDFATHERS, PROBABLY THE MACHINE ALSO RETIRED TO OUR MUSEUMS, WE MUST STAND WITH PRIDE AND LOOK AT THE MACHINE IN ADMIRATION AND SAY “SHE SERVED US VERY WELL”. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THIS GOVERNMENT WANTS TINKHUNDLA TO BE KNOWN ABOUT EXCELLENT SERVICE DELIVERY. 

WITH THESE FEW REMARKS, I ON BEHALF OF HIS MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT COMMISSION THE MOBILE SERVICE DELIVERY TRUCKS AND REQUEST ALL COMMUNITIES WHERE THE TRUCKS WILL BE GOING TO COME OUT IN BIG NUMBERS AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GOVERNMENT’S CLOSE PROXIMITY. DON’T LET IT PASS YOU. COME EXPERIENCE TINKHUNDLA’S HIGH TECHNOLOGY SERVING YOU RIGHT WHERE YOU LIVE. 

THANK YOU.