Sociology Study ISSN 2159‐5526  July 2014, Volume 4, Number 7, 615‐628

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Principles About Batho Pele Principles: South  African Exploration and Analyses    Nditsheni Emmanuel Tshikwatambaa  Abstract  This paper explores Batho Pele principles within the ambit of the South African legislative framework regularizing the public  service.  It  informs  that  there  are  original  principles  apprising  what  is  commonly  referred  to  as  Batho  Pele  principles.  The  original  principles  are  principles  about  Batho  Pele  principles.  Batho  Pele  principles  are  not  Bantu  principles  due  to  the  historical  and  derogatory  orientation  of  the  phrase  “Bantu”.  They  are  people  orientated  principles.  The  analytical  axis  is  premised  on  that  Batho  Pele  principles  are  more  about  the  people  than  about  themselves. The  people  are  not only  first  in  relation with the principles but are the first to be first before the principles were documented. The principles are developed  by  the  people  in  order  to  regularize  the  actions  of  the  public  functionaries.  The  Batho  Pele  principles  and  the  original  principles do not exist in isolation. They are deeply rooted in the societal value systems of the people that existed from one  generation  to  the  other  to  the  subsequent,  emphasizing  the  centrality  of  people  in  relation  to  principles.  The  people’s  centrality is accentuated with references to a reasonable number of specific people orientated instruments that have bearing  in the global and international arena.    Keywords  Batho Pele, principles, value systems 

From the colonial apartheid past to the democratic constitutional dispensation, South Africa emerged with an acceptable body of the fundamental rules and the Bill of Rights. The various policy of legislative instruments and frameworks are developed to regularize the utilization of resources, operationalization of systems, and application of procedures for effective and efficient public service functioning. The notion of human value contemplation is inherently incorporated in various instruments, to facilitate management and development of human resources and guide the actions of public functionaries in relation with the public. The public administration values and principles are documented in the Constitution of the Republic and the Public Service Act to redress the disproportions of the past and

maximize democratic gains. References to other instruments beyond the South African geographical space, namely, the African Charter of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the Charter of the United Nations are aimed at consolidating the advanced propositions. This paper affects the hypothetical assumption that there are original and fundamental principles about the articulated Batho Pele principles that should be investigated and documented in order to facilitate the

aNational School of Government (NSG), South Africa    Correspondent Author:  Nditsheni  Emmanuel  Tshikwatamba,  National  School  of  Government (NSG), P/Bag x 759, Pretoria, 001, South Africa  E‐mail: [email protected]

616 implementation of the latter. The primary purpose of this paper is to consequently explore these original and fundamental principles about the articulated Batho Pele principles. The objective is to provide a critique of their originality, conceptualization, and application in the South African public service. Whilst the exploration is from the South African context, but the lateral and crosswised significances are broader than the country of delimitation. South Africa is a constituent component of the larger continent of Africa. The other African public services can thus benefit from the advanced thesis. The paper premises its critique from the definitional properties of terminological precision for functionality and application. The thoughtfulness of societal fabric and cultural value systems as the original source where the fundamental principles about the articulated Batho Pele principles emanate is discussed. The paper advocates the notion of people’s centrality in service delivery pursuit and epitomizes that Batho Pele principles are not about themselves, but about the people and are developed by the people to guide their actions. These in-depth explorations consist of synthesis and integration of various elements in order to appreciate the formation and the ultimate existence of the whole.

BACKGROUND  The phrase “Batho Pele” is of a South African Sesotho language origin. “Batho” means people while “Pele” means first, collectively pronounced as “Batho Pele” meaning “People First”. There are no single homogeneous Sotho people in Southern Africa. The term “Sotho” is essentially a label of convenience. Its usage rests essentially upon the broad linguistic homogeneity of the Sotho people and upon certain generalized practices such as common cross cousins marriages. The Sotho generic label blurs differences of dialects, varying settlement patterns and forms of socio-political formations within the greater Sotho

Sociology  Study  4(7)  family. The Sotho family consists of the Southern and Northern Sotho as well as Tswana. There have been various historical and social links and similarities between the Tswana and Southern Sotho. Firstly, there is a linguistic connection. Secondly, certain historical and ancestral lineages, notable “Kwena” and “Kgatla” were common to both. Thirdly, both Tswana and Southern Sotho chiefdoms have displayed similar propensities (Maylam 1986: 42, 48). Due to the linguistic connection, the phrase “Batho” and “Batho Pele” applies to the greater Sotho family cited above herein. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (The Republic of South Africa 1996: 4) considers 11 official languages of which Sesotho is one of them. The meaning of “Batho” differs from “Bantu” in that the latter has the pejorative connotation pertaining colour and has been used historically to promote exclusivity in the implementation of apartheid policy framework. The Reader’s Digest Universal Dictionary (Universal Dictionary 1986: 132) clarifies that inasmuch as “Bantu” refers to a member of any of the several Negroid tribes of Central and Southern Africa or a black South African or pertaining to any of the “Bantu” people or their languages, its usage is considered offensive. The phrase “Batho” is not only acceptable and inclusive to all people but is considered more appropriate to use in relation to the phrase “Bantu”. Significantly, it refers to all people, black and white irrespective of colour, culture, religion, origin, and value systems, thus Batho Pele principles are not Bantu principles. Whenever reference to the people is made from the biblical perspective with God being the creator (Good News Bible 2011: 1) through Genesis Chapter (1: 26), such is made unrelatedly of colour. In the South African public service, the democratic South African Government incorporated the Batho Pele concept and principles to position the people at the center of service delivery pursuit. The use of the phrase “Batho Pele” in the administrative state

Tshikwatamba    machinery is deliberate and in line with the stipulation of the Constitution of the Republic that aims to recognize the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of the people of South Africa. The state is constitutional mandated to take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of the applicable indigenous languages (The Republic of South Africa 1996: 4). Whilst Batho Pele is a Sesotho phrase as mentioned above herein, the principles are however stipulated in English and they are namely, consultation, setting service standards, increasing access, providing information, redress, openness, and transparency ensuring courtesy and value for money. The practical realisms of the Batho Pele application is that people require to be consulted about the level and the quality of the public services they receive and they should be given the choice about the services that are offered to them. The people should be informed about the service standards to an extent that they should be involved in the formulation of such standards where possible; that there should be open and not restricted access to public service and that such access require to be equal in the measurement of scale; that as people, people should be treated with courtesy and reasonable human consideration in all forms of people’s interaction; that the people should be provided with relevant and accurate information; that the political and the administrative system of the state should be open and transparent to the people; that in the circumstances that services are not rendered to the people as expected, they should be some form of redress and that the services the people receive should be value for money on economic scales of efficiency (Department of Public Service and Administration 2004: 10). These principles are documented in order to provide a framework for the transformation of the public service from an exclusive system of managing people to an inclusive and participatory model. They have been central in the White Paper on transforming the public service also known as Batho Pele White

617 Paper. The Batho Pele White Paper is instrumentally a policy framework that ensures Batho Pele concept and principles are interwoven into the very fabric of government machinery. The White Paper signaled governments’ intentions to adopt a citizen orientated approach to service delivery. The principles are initiatives to get the public servants to be service orientated when serving the people; to strive for excellence in service delivery and continuously strive for service delivery improvements. They are a simple and transparent mechanism which countenances the citizenry to hold public servants accountable for the type of service they deliver. In fundamental expressions, the principles are required to be embraced as integral part of all management activities. Their application in the public service is to ensure that management processes improve service delivery and citizenry satisfaction. The principles are not expected to be construed as separate or “bolt on” management exercise that requires to be attended to occasionally and aloof daily government activities, but inherently as and when services are delivered to the citizenry. Batho Pele principles are the soul of the public service and the heartbeat of the nation, assisting the public servants to rise above the legacies of the past and strategically manage the public service with courage and pride (Department of Public Service and Administration 2010: 8-9). Furthermore, Batho Pele principles are aimed at familiarizing a post-apartheid service delivery orientation which puts people at the center of planning and implementation, improving the face of service delivery, fostering acceptable attitudes and increased commitment, personal sacrifices and dedication among others, and improving the image of the public service. Whilst a lot of progress is reported to have been achieved since the inception of the Batho Pele concept and principles, insufficient knowledge and lack of shared understanding of the principles impose challenges at the implementation level at selected public service delivery sites. The common challenges are namely, lack of adherence to the basic

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618 good management practices, inadequate awareness of the principles in local government, lack of adherence to the principles, integration of the principles in the functionality, and the practice of basic administrative practices and function (Department of Public Service and Administration 2004: 4-5). In addition, a lack of understanding and application of the original and fundamental principles that inform Batho Pele principles is/are apparent. The principles are implemented in silos without proper connection to the societal value system of their origin. The assertion made by Hanekom and Thornhill (1983: 119) is that principles could even prove to be restrictive to apply to the divergent situations and systems to which public administration is subject.

TERMINOLOGICAL PRECISION    The Readers’ Digest Universal Dictionary (Universal Dictionary 1986: 1225) clarifies that the word principle emanates from the Latin phrase “principium” which means basic or original, quality or elements determining intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior. There are four distinctive definitions of the word principles, namely, they are source of action(s), fundamental truth, propositions or general statements where the dominant emphasis is on truth, generality, or comprehensiveness. Principles are general rules accepted as guide to action or basis of conduct. The emphasis is on action in terms of standard to behavior rather than on truth. A principle is a rudiment or element as in the natural sciences where the term is used to signify an original element. In the American public administration, the word principle is used in the third sense of a guide to action rather than representing the search for fundamental truth. Would it not be desirable to restrict the use of the term principle to mean a hypothesis or proposition, so adequately tested by observation and or experiment that it may intelligently be put forward as a guide to action or as a means of understanding? Without expecting experimental or

laboratory verification as a sine qua non, would it not be desirable to understand that a principle implies: (1) an original hypothesis; (2) adequate verification; and (3) in consequences the statement of a proposition possessing the quality of generality and conforming to truth at least in the pragmatic sense. If principle maybe thought of in terms of hypothesis and verification, then the frequency of its reference will be greatly reduced, but greatly defined. An intuition will be called an intuition and recognized as such something personal, the outcome of a unique experiential history, but pointing perhaps to insight and truth. (White 1936: 18-19)

Deductively from the dominant characterizations of the American public administration, the articulated Batho Pele principles are guide to actions of the public servants and they are the basis for an acceptable conduct in the public service. The principles are a summation of the fundamental ideas that formed part of the societal value systems. Whenever principles are developed, articulated, and applied, they are applied from

certain

original

and

tested

fundamental

principles which are not necessarily articulated when articulated principles are expressed. Articulated principles are expressive form of what is original while they are not original in themselves. Principles tend to be specific and somewhat reduced in their application from the original premise they represent. The original premise of principles is broader than the specific and the reduced articulated principles. They are the outcome of the collection of theories and practices and they necessarily point to insight. They are the means to an end and the end being the beginning and the well-known insight premise of originality. As hypothesis, principles are rather tested against their original representation, against original and fundamental concrete principles that inform their articulation and hence the subsequent notion of principles about principles. The meaning of principles lies much deeper than the cursory references as principles also relate to a number of related concepts, including norms and values. From this orientation, Gladden (1966: 16)

Tshikwatamba    remarks that attempts to formulate principles soon run up against serious difficulties. The difficulties are borne from the deliberation that principles can sometimes be inadaptable while the duties of public officials are expected to be adaptable all the times. The set of principles rather code the standards by which man should live and be treated. When an attempt is made to discuss principles, it is imperative to first distinguish between facts and principles, though it is not necessary to commence with an elaborative discussion on the nature of facts because truth states facts (Brodbeck 1968: 48). When reference is made to Batho Pele principles, it refers to prescripts or guidelines that articulate how the public servants should treat and interact with the people they serve. The analogy of the application is to the effect that Christian principles refer to guiding standards which prescribe the behaviour of those who are Christians (Popkin, Charles, and Schmitt 1981: 1) and such is the same with public servants in relation to Batho Pele concepts, principles, and application. Batho Pele principles are thus the ultimate reflection about the basic truth, but they are not fundamentally the basic truth in themselves. The basic truth is that Batho Pele principles are vocalizing the basic truth pertaining fundamental expectations and aspects of truism pertaining the people they serve. Principles represent the facts of existence and not necessarily the truth and they cannot be taken as absolute. An account of the truth in terms of the correspondence with facts can be at best a partial one. Coherence theory connects the articulated principles with principles about them as principles do not dispense the notion of principles as facts, but offers a contemporary and amplified interpretation of them. Principles are flexible and the fact regarding them can be established than apprehended. A fact for the principles is not something which exists whether or not anybody takes notice of it; it is rather the conclusion of a process of thinking. The acceptance of this interpretation consents a paradoxical assertion that principles are

619 provisionally fixed and everywhere liable to be revised (Walsh 1963: 76-77). It is a fact that people should be consulted and that redress requires occurring where expectations are not met. As factual representation, principles are a theory which has to establish itself, a theory about whose serious reliability doubts no longer exist. Batho Pele principles are flexible and have been proven adaptable in the South African public service and mechanisms are continuously being devised to overcome difficulties at the implementation level. Due to their flexible application, the Kwazulu Natal Province of the Republic of South Africa had added two more principles from the eight original ones, namely, creativity and innovation.

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS    The history of political thoughts is a long and ample story of ideas and how these ideas affected the lives of people. The people in turn shaped prevailing political thoughts and ideas from one generation to the other. Men of varying professions, callings, and turns of minds contributed to the structure of political and social wisdom and each age bears a characteristic stamp of their dominant influences at work. A man is something less than human in the event that he is not a member of a political and social society, connected through social conventions and normative value consideration of the state as a natural entity. A meaningful and true liberty is impossible without man living in accordance with the social conventional rules of the state. An individual man is less important than the state and his relation to it is analogous to that of a cell in a whole translating into the organic theory of the state (Heater 1964: 81). According to Weber (1964: 358), society does not have a lifespan as the same way as an individual man has. Social conventions represent ideals which exist by virtue of being articulated and accepted by man as normative values and guiding principles. The conventions represent the pattern of

620 human conduct and qualify the formal roles of individuals in the society, and furthermore appeal to an individual sense of solidarity. Society relates individuals to each other and to relate is to emphasize what is common and impersonal. People are approached and interacted with in terms of general principles that are societally acceptable. The societal approach views the “part” of the “whole” in terms of the “whole”, whilst the traditional approach views the “whole” in terms of the “part” (Venter and Johnston 1991: 10). The feasible way to conceptualize and implement Batho Pele principles is through comprehending the principles from the premise of the societal structure, applicable believe systems, and societal normative values informed by formal and informal social conventions. Batho Pele principles are an expression of societal values pre-determining the collective and individual role of public officials in relation with each other and the entire public they serve. The principles are operationalized and institutionalized in the South African public service to guide the actions of public officials as cited above herein. They are not human value management principles applicable exclusively in the work environment. They are the broad principles of acceptable ways of living and interactions. Their origin is not from policy framework and legislations of the post-apartheid South Africa but from social conventions and normative parameters protecting the people in a secular environment from social and unacceptable behavioral anarchy. An internalization and contextual application of Batho Pele principles in the public service requires to be shaped first and foremost by the indulgent that the principles have social origin first and the subsequent legislative and policy framework. The social origin of the principles has been inadequately explored, whilst the supposedly later legislative and policy framework gained prominence over the recent years. As principles, they are socially informed by other societal principles that require closer examination before their

Sociology  Study  4(7)  legislative comprehension. The concept of social structure in general or the structure of any given society refers to the typical behavior of the members of the society. There would be no way to predict how people would act in every new and unexpected situation without certain expected behavioral patterns. The cited abstraction denotes that behavior should be consistent and people should act and be treated in the same manner in similar situations, even though technically no two sets of events are exactly the same. The generalization about social interactions submits that although people’s social interactions are unique; it is analogous enough to expect others to recognize and act in predictable ways (Friedl 1981: 199). Batho Pele principles are in essence the concrete connections and configuration of social lives and not merely manifestation of abstraction and generalization of values foreign to people. They are people’s principles emanating from social structures and norms, enabling man to distinguish right from wrong as well as sensible from senseless. They advocate for the societal origin and long endurance of original and fundamental principles and values as well as societal conformity and acceptable behaviors of human population. They are essentially part of the material and the spiritual interface of human activities, the outer societal frame of reference as well as the inner image of the subjects at a particular time, place, and space (Shelly and Winck 1993: 204). The African value systems are for example not exercised individually or in isolation since they are relational and find their place in people’s social conventions (Pityana 1990: 42). The social fabric and African cultural value systems are premised on the notion of Afrocentricity, a mode of thought and action in which the centrality of African common good and values are predominant. The Afrocentricity social theory consents to a placement of African people in the center of analysis of African phenomena governed by acceptable principles that are about them. It is a devotion to the idea that what is in the best interest of

Tshikwatamba    African humanity and consciousness should be articulated through certain ethical and acceptable behaviors as well as coded principles (Asante 2003: 2) such as Batho Pele principles. The African devotion translates into cultural normative value system of the African humanity. It is considered valuable and acceptable to apply Batho Pele principles to place the people at the strategic center of their destiny where they are properly consulted; where open and transparent measures are applied; where information is adequately provided; where redress in applied; where the culture of courtesy is promoted; where the service standards are articulated; where access to service is increased and value for money principle is complied with in order to advance the people’s course. The African conception of man is understood in terms of a set of belief or pictures of man in the form of empirical generations, rather than in analytical sense. A people’s conception of man is as varied as there are human communities (Teffo 1990: 153), and whilst the emphasis herein is on African orientation, other world views around the ecosphere might articulate and apply Batho Pele principles from own distinctive societal interactions informed by their written or unwritten social conventions. The emergence of a new social order has been the major preoccupation of contemporary social science, inter-culturally connecting people around the globe. Sociological and anthropological analyses provide insights into conditions and mechanisms of continuity, disruptions, and change in an old social order. All analyses make the point that the presence of new technological methods and machines in the developing nations of Africa creates the atmosphere within which traditional institutions are encouraged to undergo change. The gradual and continual erosion of the characteristics of traditional institutions arising from rapid technological development is clearly observed in African society (Boadu 1990: 83). South Africa attempts to balance modern political and administrative systems with traditional institutional systems which formal and

621 informal, written and unwritten social conventions apply.

PEOPLE’S CENTRALITY  The articulation and application of the Batho Pele principles denote that people are central in relation to the principles. The principles are not about themselves, but the people and the latter have prominence over the principles. The people are not mandated by the principles to interact harmoniously with each other, but it is the people who documented the principles as instruments to regularize harmonious interaction of human population outside and within the work environment. The principles find their articulation and application from the people centrality. The resolution of a complex “whole” into its “parts” as opposed to synthesis which is the construction of a “whole” out of “parts” (Urmson 1960: 17) signifies that Batho Pele principles are not as well principles of Batho but Batho Pele principles. The people “Batho” comes first before the principle to demonstrate that it is the “people”, “Batho” that these principles are about and “Batho” the “People” are not merely put first before the principles without meaning and thoughtful consideration. It is about the people, not as subjects consisting of a structure, but the people and their dignity in that people’s dignity is a central value of the objective normative value system which is the most probably pre-eminent value. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is established on the values of the dignity of the people, the achievement of people’s equality, the advancement of people’s civil liberties, and reflecting extra-curially on the recognition of people’s dignity as a founding value of the constitution (Currie and de Waal 2005: 272). The centrality of the people has biblical references in that God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small”. So God created

622 human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them and said “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. I have provided all kinds of grain and fruits for you to eat” [The Good News Bible (2011: 1) through Genesis Chapter (1: 26-29)]. The notes in the Holy Bible New International Version (The Holy Bible 1995: 7) spell that man is a climax of God’s creative activity and God has crowned him with glory and honor and made him rule over the rest of the creation. Since man was created in the image of God, delegated sovereignty is bestowed upon him. The Universal Dictionary of Reader’s Digest (Universal Dictionary 1986: 750) stipulates that human refers to man or mankind or the people, having or manifesting the form, nature, or qualities characteristics of man as distinguished from machines and that a human being is a member of the genus Homo, and especially of the species Homo sapiens, a person. The political ingredients of the current South Africa are largely informed by the stipulations of the 1955 Freedom Charter. Whilst the charter consists of various phrases and texts, its expressions are largely about the people and not about phrases and texts incorporated therein. The texts are about the people who participated in the formulation of the charter and those whom it was drafted for, from one generation to another. In its preamble, it is stipulated that, We, the people of South Africa declare for all our country and the world to know that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people; that our people have been robbed of their birthright to land, liberty, and peace by a form of government founded on injustice and inequality. (African National Congress [ANC] 1955: 1)

The phrase “people” appears in the Freedom Charter about 20 times and this demonstrates that the charter is about the people in the same way as the

Sociology  Study  4(7)  Batho Pele principles should be interpreted and applied. The people drafted and articulated the principles and had it not been the people, these principles could not have been known. In the OAU, the African Charter is on human and people’s rights. While the phrase “human” is mentioned, the phrase “people” is specifically stipulated to emphasize that the charter is about the people and that the phrase “humans” refers to people and that people are emphatically humans (Togni 1984: 270-282). The preamble of the Charter of the United Nations states that “We, the People of the United Nations Determined” to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice has brought untold sorrow to mankind; determined to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small; and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedoms. While the Charter of the United Nations consists of more than 110 articles in various aspects and spheres of people’s interactions, the articles are fundamental about the people. The emphasis on people, human rights, human persons, men, and women as it appears in the preamble demonstrates people centrality (United Nations 1947: 429). The preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (The Republic of South Africa 1996: 1) stipulates that “We, the people of South Africa recognizes the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country”. The constitution demonstrates that as a body of fundamental rules and application, its clauses and stipulations in its provision are about the people. The South African leading and ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC) emphasizes that its contemporary administration is people centered in that it would like to know where the people live and construct mechanisms of addressing issues which they raise, thus implementing the Batho principles in practical scenarios.

Tshikwatamba    When managers are asked about what takes the foremost part of their time in executing their duties and responsibilities in the work environment, one thematic area arises and that is “people” management. The larger part of their budgets is on people through salaries; learning and development geared at improving people’s skills is predominant; motivating the people is critical; negotiations and conflict resolution among employees as people is equally demanding; negotiating performance contracts with employees as well as rewarding the best performers among other people related aspects covering the greater scope of the managers’ duties and responsibilities. Managers fulfill people related aspects through capacity development and seminars as well as conferences pertaining people’s empowerment, multiculturalism, and diversity citizenship; organisational behavior to provide profound exposure on people related aspects is at the center of analysis. The people spend larger part of their life at work in order to satisfy their basic and primary needs and workplace organisation are instrumental in ensuring that such is realized. Organizations cannot function without people even if physical and financial resources are sufficiently available. The obtainability of financial and physical resources is mobilized by the people in the first place. People are the lifeblood of any organisation and they are resources that get other resources mobilized. The people orchestrate systems and procedures when organizations come into being and when two or more people come together to realize objectives that are complex for one person alone to resolve. As a sub-system, the people influence the environment in which they function. The people strive for equilibrium either physiologically or psychologically, thus certain physiological mechanisms create the urge to eat in order for the equilibrium of a hungry person to be restored. A person can experience a psychological imbalance that could be resolved through mobilizing energy to resolve the tension. People are able to pursue many

623 goals simultaneously which can sometimes cause tensions thereby being in conflict with each other. The workplace managers need to be aware of the needs of the citizenry to enable them to understand why different people act differently in the organisation and as to how other systems influence people (Smit et al. 2007: 295-296) and with all these, the centrality of people cannot be challenged.

PRINCIPLES ABOUT PRINCIPLES  A plausible or contradictory principle exists for every identified and articulated principle. A need exists to trace and clarify the origin of every principle in order to exclude ambiguities and contextualize the articulation of any applicable principle. Tracing the origin of a principle is a deliberate effort geared at exploring the principles about the articulated principles. In the event that it becomes difficult or not achievable to trace the origin of the applied principles, articulated principles cannot be stated or applied meaningfully if correctly stated in the first place (Simon 1976: 20). The thesis of Kenneth Kaunde through the eyes of the mind of Van Rensburg (1981: 463) stipulates the original and fundamental principles in stating that “Plans to develop more and more should not become more and more important than ‘man’ for whom, these plans are after all, made for, or supposedly made for”. “The word ‘man’ is abstract unless it is contextualized that man refers to ‘people’. The ‘people’ must come first so that they just do not become a meaningless cog in the wheel but important key stone on which development highes”. “The ‘people’ are expectant and should be involved in the national development programmes of the state where they participate individually and collectively” (Van Rensburg 1981: 463). From these original and fundamental principles, Batho Pele principles were developed and articulated. The inherent premise is that people should be consulted in the developmental agenda and priorities of the state. Through a Batho

624 Pele principle of consultation, a balance or compromise between what citizens want and what the government can realistically afford to deliver can be communicated by the government and understood by the citizens. Mutual respect between government and the people as citizens might increase, culminating to openness and transparency. An increase in mutual respect is an ultimate desired outcome in service delivery driven machinery of the government (Department of Public Service and Administration 2010: 133) promoting courtesy and broader access to government services. The original and fundamental principles about Batho Pele principles should thus be explored in order to implement the latter with contextual understanding. The original principles such as that “the fact that I am I, and not the other; and that the other is another and not me is not acceptable”. “Man is a family and all human beings are linked together through chains of humanity through which the world energy flows, outside these chains life withers”. “Man is more than a mere social beings, he is in an inmate relationship with other forces which influence him and others”. “Man is one of great many subjects that constitute his natural and human environment”. “Man is not surrounded by things but by human beings, things are not just objects as they each contain a being and at the apex is God, who is omnipresent as a luminous force in creation” (Oosthuizen 1985: 92). It is undoubtedly an advanced understanding of these original and fundamental principles that propel meaningful implementation of Batho Pele principles. Where service delivery was implemented below the expected standard in that service standard is an articulated Batho Pele principle, redress resultantly occurs. Batho Pele principles are mutual inclusive in that the implementation of one specific principle culminate to the implementation of the other and the other to the successive ones. The Moral Code of the Builder of Communism (1961: 2) articulates original and fundamental principles in stating that “Man is to a man, a brother, a friend, a

Sociology  Study  4(7)  sister, and a comrade”. “One is for all and all for one”. It is contended herein that Batho Pele principles located their articulation existence from the fundamentals such as these and that the purpose and intense of the Batho Pele principles are served well in these originalities. With the background comprehensions of these original and fundamental principles, Batho Pele principles are facilitated for effective implementation. An emphasis is made in the writings of Tshikwatamba (2005: 45) that a man is not only a brother, a sister, or a comrade to the other and that people do not only come first because they are the first to be first and should benefit from the aggregate application of Batho Pele principles. The people being the first to be first require to be consulted before and during the implementation of service delivery programmes; they need to be treated with courtesy accompanied with redress where they might have received public service below the expected standards. The understanding of the original principle that employees are people first and foremost before they become employees and treating them as people provide an acceptable frame of interaction within work based organizations (Tshikwatamba 2004: 597). The establishment of wellness programmes in the public service, cited elsewhere herein is a deliberate determination that corroborates the notion that employees are people first and foremost, and the confidence of the general members of the public increases when their people in public offices are treated as people first and not exclusively as employees. The departmental reports to citizens should be widely published to facilitate access to the services the people are entitled to, assuming that a man is indeed a brother, a sister, and a comrade to the other and that equal access for one and all should be promoted. Batho Pele principle for value for money has its origin entrenched in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (The Republic of South Africa 1996: 107) and is: “Efficient, economic, and effective use of resources must be promoted”. The

Tshikwatamba    government departments are expected to demonstrate that efficiency savings for improved service delivery are taken into cognizance. In the earlier writings of Willoughby (1927: 39) pertaining Principles of Public Administration, an attestation is made that there are certain fundamental principles analogous to those of any science that must be observed. These principles are original, testable, observable, and experienced, and they inform articulated principles. Water is for example the principle of matter. Principles are meant to indicate that one is dealing with articulation having immediate present. They have immediate present, instantly pronounced or adopted but are not considered original because they include meanings of other construction as shown earlier on, where social verdicts were used. In material mode, it means that principles are formed by sentences that do not immediately describe observed facts. The original principles in their series of the simplest atomic sentences establish relation with what is referred to as articulated principles with immediate presence, the immediately observed fundamental truth, or guide to actions (Von Mises 1951: 92). Inasmuch as specific principles are adopted in a work or secular environment or at any level of human and organisational interaction(s), such principles are informed by other original principles and the earlier principles are principles about the articulated principles. The principles about principles are informed by the societal normative value orientation. The influence of the normative order in social life implies that human beings do not simply act but that in addition, they reflect upon, have theories about, and pass judgment on their acts. Inevitably and ironically, they reflect not only in their acts but also upon the normative order which compels them to reflect. In human thought, there is an attempt to explain the source of authority or power behind the norms (Davis 1948: 54). Batho Pele principles of consultation, information, access, service standards, courtesy, openness and transparency, and value for

625 money consequently have immediate presence in the South African public service, but they are other principles that are original to them, rooted to the societal normative values of the past that have implications in the present. The principles about principles represent the past, lived and tested to be acceptable by the majority of the people in a given place and time. The correspondence theory takes everything on the notion of a past which is at once over and done with and capable of being reconstructed at least in some degree. The coherence theory by the way of contrast argues that both the present and the past cannot be fulfilled, and further contends that it is essential to choose between the past which is independent and one which can be known. The past consists of series of separate events that require to be reconstructed from independent and various series as part of the whole. A fixed and finished past, a past divorced from the present and uninfluenced by the present, is a past divorced from evidences, for evidences are constantly present. The past varies with the present, rests upon the present, and is the present. The past cannot be rescued from nonentity and replaced by what the evidences oblige man to believe. There are no two worlds, the world of the past happenings and the world of the present knowledge of those past events. There is only one world and that is the world of the present experience. When reference is made that the past rests on evidences which are in the present, that is one thing but when the conclusion is reached that the past is the present, that is quite another. The evidences of the past must no doubt be present in the sense of being present to man now, but it does not follow from this that it must refer to present time. It is characteristics of the evidences which the past deals with that such affects the present (Walsh 1963: 80, 87-88). The African orientation toward the past events means that the present should conform to the past. The past is sacral and nothing must be done to disturb its harmonious relationship with the present. The past is

626 the norm and it represents the final destination of everything, the finality of everything (Oosthuizen 1985: 99), and the end which the present intends to pursue. The Batho Pele “Belief Sets” which are: “We Belong”, “We Care”, and “We Serve” serve as original and fundamental sets of principles informing the articulated principles with immediate presence. They are the “Belief Sets” principles and not “Sets of Opinions” and as “Belief Sets”, they activate the conscience of public servants to do the right things; and to do things right in serving the public. Agnosticisms and atheism can be included in both terms “belief” and “conscience”. Conscience is usually interpreted to include the system of belief such as rationalism not centered on a deity and which for that reason is sometimes not classified in religious terms (Currie and de Waal 2005: 338). The “Belief Sets” are not to be applied religiously but merely humanly as original and fundamental principles about Batho Pele principles. Each part of the “Belief Sets” has building blocks that aim to assist public servants to gain a better understanding that can be applied in the context of Batho Pele discourse. “We Belong” is about recognizing the importance of creating a sense of making every public servant feel that they belong to the public service that cares about them as human beings and not just as workers or employees. The general members of the public who are not public servants are equally incorporated in the “Belief Sets” from the premise that the public service is not exclusively for the public servants, but for them too and much more for them as much as it is for the public servants as well. “We Belong” has external and internal proportions. It encourages a culture and practice of collaboration, teamwork, joint efforts, and collegiality among employees and general members of the public. It inspires the true feeling of belonging to the public service they serve and belong to. “We Care” pertains caring for the general public thereby treating them with courtesy and makes them feel that

Sociology  Study  4(7)  the public service exist for them. It is about treating the public with respect and dignity befitting human treatment as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (The Republic of South Africa 1996: 3) is founded on the values of human dignity and the achievement of quality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. It propels effective and responsive leadership in the public service both at the political and administrative spectrum to care for the wellbeing of employees and the general members of the public. As an original and fundamental principle, “We Care” requires the creation of external consultation forums for citizens to participate in policy and decision making processes. Caring for all and others is encouraged from the assumption that when one rejects others that translates into self-rejection. “We Serve” is about serving the public with diligence, going an extra mile beyond the normal call of duty, and seeking for the appropriate solutions where challenges exist. This “Belief Set” requires that regular customer satisfaction surveys are carried out to determine the level of satisfaction of the members of public with service delivery pursuit. It requires the creation of integrated service delivery centers of excellence to reach out to the remote areas where service delivery is needed the most. “We Serve” necessitates and facilitates the vertical and horizontal integration of all the articulated and immediate Batho Pele principles (Department of Public Service and Administration 2010: 18-19). In overall, all the “Believe Sets” promote the heritage of the African philosophy of Ubuntu that embraces the notion of morality, humanness, compassion, care, understanding, and empathy. They address the question of sharing and hospitality, honest and humility drawing from people’ patterns of living and daily interactions (Boon 2007: 26). The principles about the Batho Pele principles are thus fundamental and original, they are the earlier principles that inform the immediate and articulated principles that are at the preset of the past.

Tshikwatamba   

CONCLUSIONS    The foregoing discourse accomplishes that there are principles about the Batho Pele principles that should be explored toward effective implementation of the latter. The principles about principles are premised from the societal normative values that serve as the communitarian building blocks, existed over time, from one generation to the other to the subsequent. The implementation of Batho Pele principles slack meaning where such is carried outside the context and the scope application of the principles about them. Batho Pele principles are guides to action within the South African legislative framework. The people are central to both the original and fundamental principles as well as the principles with immediate presence.

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Bio  Nditsheni Emmanuel Tshikwatamba, Ph.D., Director of Research and Innovation at the National School of Government (NSG) in the South African Public Service; he has been involved in the implementation of capacity development programmes in post conflict African States, namely, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Burundi, Southern Sudan, Rwanda, as well as the Monarchy of Lesotho and Swaziland among others; served as the President of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM); he is a seasonal researcher and has published widely in international and national journals and has presented papers for academic discourse in various national and international platforms; research fields: African studies, politics, culture, value systems, transformation, human resource development, training and development, leadership and management.