Media release

Government committed to integrated service delivery approach

06 November 2001

6 November 2001

MPCCs are making a difference in the lives of the majority of South Africans

Vaal Triangle - Multi-purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) have been identified by government as key in the successful implementation of the government's integrated approach towards service delivery and development, bringing much needed services closer to communities that need them desperately.

An MPCC is a one-stop centre where local, provincial and national government departments, as well as other service providers, offer services in a co-ordinated fashion. People living around the centre and surrounding areas are the ones who identify and request the services essential to their development.

MPCCs constitute one amongst a range of responses by government to the particular historical, social and economic factors which characterised freedom of access to information and services as well as citizen participation in the past political order. Aided also by technological innovations, MPCCs will play a role in narrowing the social and economic gap between South Africans

MPCCs are seen as places from which campaigns and projects aimed at community development and empowerment can be launched. They are intended as beehives of activity where communities could access a variety of government services. The services include welfare, health, passport and ID applications, agricultural extensions, youth and skills development projects, government information services as well as modern information and communication technologies such as computing, Internet and faxing, among others.

MPCCs are non-political community institutions run in strict adherence with Batho Pele principles, where people are paramount and service delivery must improve lives.

Residents expressed the feeling that MPCCs came at a time when there was an outcry about service delivery. They came as a blessing when they were most needed, highlighting that the opening of this particular centre alters the perception that the government has no interest in social development.

The Department of Social Development is one of the busiest offices within the centre, as it assists senior citizens with the processing of their pension and child support grants, among other things. In the past, people were forced to travel long distances to towns to access essential services.

Through MPCCs, the South African government is showing its commitment to a better life for all. Political and business buy-in has contributed to the success of the programme to date. Partnerships have been formed with Sentech, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and Multi-Choice, who have shown their commitment in supporting the national agenda.

In all, 20 MPCCs have been built around the country, with 14 of those having been launched to date.

Enquiries
Sputnik Ratau
Cell: 083 253 5264

Nothemba Dlali
Cell: 072 206 1698

Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)

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