22. 2.4 Batho Pele Principles. 2.4.1 Consultation. Have you ever heard of the
Department's consultation processes? E.g. briefing sessions, campaigns, iimbizo
...
2.4 Batho Pele Principles 2.4.1 Consultation Have you ever heard of the Department’s consultation processes? E.g. briefing sessions, campaigns, iimbizo etc.
2.4.1.1 Awareness of departmental consultation processes Table 9: Respondents’ awareness of departmental consultation processes Provincial offices
Hear of consultation processes Yes
%
No
%
%
146
3
456
9
602
55
1
395
8
450
Gauteng North
138
3
462
9
600
Gauteng South
73
1
527
10
600
KwaZulu-Natal
55
1
561
11
616
Limpopo
58
1
406
8
464
Mpumalanga
114
2
382
8
496
North West
115
2
346
7
461
Northern Cape
89
2
261
5
350
Western Cape
60
1
390
8
450
903
18
4 186
82
5 089
Eastern Cape Free State
Total
l As indicated in Table 9, it seems that most respondents have never heard (82%) of the Department’s
consultation processes l There is only a small proportion of respondents from the Eastern Cape (3%) and Gauteng North (3%) who indicated to have heard of such consultation processes.
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2.4.1.2 Participation in departmental consultation processes Have you ever been part of the Department’s consultation processes? E.g. briefing sessions, campaigns, iimbizo etc. Table 10: Respondents’ participation in departmental consultation processes Provincial offices
Participated in consultation processes Yes
%
No
%
%
Eastern Cape
19
0
583
11
602
Free State
15
0
435
9
450
Gauteng North
33
1
567
11
600
Gauteng South
22
0
578
11
600
KwaZulu-Natal
9
0
607
12
616
Limpopo
18
0
446
9
464
Mpumalanga
30
1
466
9
496
North West
43
1
418
8
461
Northern Cape
26
1
324
6
350
Western Cape
14
0
436
9
450
229
4
4 860
96
5 089
Total
l According to Table 10, 96% of the respondents indicated not to have participated in the Department’s
consultation processes l There was a very small percentage of respondents who have participated in the departmental
consultation processes.
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2.4.2 Service standards 2.4.2.1 Waiting period before assistance 16%
How long did you wait before getting help? Figure 13: Waiting period before assistance in provinces
350
Less than 10 minutes 10 - 20 minutes More than 20 minutes
300
250
No. of respondents
200
150
100
50
0 Eastern Cape
Free State
Gauteng North
176
Gauteng South
323
290
266
187
80
116
161
92
80
308
173
KwaZuluNatal
221
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
North West
Northern Cape
Western Cape
214
193
174
316
251
159
99
128
118
81
160
236
49
117
129
76
116
l Figure 13 indicates the time taken before respondents could be assisted by the officials of the
Department l It would seem that an effort was made in most of the provinces to assist respondents within a reasonable time of arriving at the offices l It is notable that respondents in Gauteng North and KwaZulu-Natal reported to have waited for more than 20 minutes before being assisted
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Table 11: Waiting period before assistance and type of service requested Services requested
Less than 10 minutes
10-20 minutes
More than 20 minutes
Total
Apply for ORDINARY benefits
603 44%
321 24%
434 32%
1 358 100%
Apply for MATERNITY benefits
85 49%
42 24%
47 27%
174 100%
Apply for ILLNESS benefits
24 44%
14 25%
17 31%
55 100%
Apply for DEATH benefits
35 46%
17 22%
24 32%
76 100%
1 100%
0 0%
0 0%
1 100%
Lodge UIF complaint
41 37%
27 25%
42 38%
110 100%
Sign for UIF
448 47%
281 30%
217 23%
946 100%
Register for UIF (employers)
36 66%
14 25%
5 9%
55 100%
Register Compensation for Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) (employers)
18 64%
5 18%
5 18%
28 100%
Complaint about employer
164 43%
92 24%
126 33%
382 100%
Report injury on duty
19 58%
6 18%
8 24%
33 100%
Work-seeker registration
181 60%
66 22%
53 18%
300 100%
Labour advice
200 51%
119 31%
72 18%
391 100%
Collect forms
166 51%
76 23%
84 26%
326 100%
Submit forms
202 42%
129 26%
153 32%
484 100%
Register as a service provider
21 58%
8 22%
7 20%
36 100%
Work permit
4 57%
3 43%
0 0%
7 100%
Trade test
12 80%
2 13%
1 7%
15 100%
General information
50 61%
17 21%
15 18%
82 100%
Make follow-up
245 51%
112 23%
125 26%
482 100%
Enquiry
65 53%
26 21%
31 26%
122 100%
Other
63 52%
27 22%
32 26%
122 100%
Apply for ADOPTION benefits
l Table 11 shows the time taken by respondents to be assisted and the services that they requested from
the Department on the day of the interview l It is ideal that clients should be assisted within a few minutes of arrival at the offices and efforts to attain
this as far as taking a trade test, registration for unemployment insurance and compensation for occupational injuries and diseases (COIDA) and as a work-seeker are commendable
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l It is a cause for concern for respondents to wait longer than 20 minutes to collect and submit forms.
Labour centres should use more creative ways to enable quick delivery of services.
2.4.3 Access 2.4.3.1 Mode of transport used to visit the offices What means of transport did you use to reach the offices of Department? Table 12: Mode of transport used to visit the offices
Provincial offices
Taxi
Car
On foot
Bicycle/ motorcycle
Bus
Bus and Taxi
Train
Other
Total
Eastern Cape
385
61
120
4
21
2
8
1
602
Free State
244
64
120
7
13
2
0
0
450
Gauteng North
356
69
136
2
15
0
20
2
600
Gauteng South
342
74
95
4
13
2
67
3
600
KwaZulu-Natal
452
62
30
1
42
2
27
0
616
Limpopo
261
44
55
1
101
1
1
0
464
Mpumalanga
255
67
119
3
49
3
0
0
496
North West
284
69
63
10
31
1
1
2
461
Northern Cape
102
79
145
13
10
0
1
0
350
Western Cape
214
70
116
1
7
2
34
6
450
2 895
659
999
46
302
15
159
14
5 089
57%
13%
20%
1%
6%
0%
3%
0%
100%
Total Percentage
l Table 12 shows that the taxi was the most used transport mode in all provinces with the exception of
the Northern Cape, where respondents walked to the offices of the Department, which is the next mode of accessing the offices l The use of taxis can be attributed to the fact that taxis are always available and their operation is not time bound like other public transport means l The other mode of transport used was the car which respondents used either as drivers or as passengers l A notable number of respondents made use of the bus in Limpopo, while the train was used to some extent in the highly urbanised provinces.
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2.4.3.2 Respondents’ use of communication channels offered by the Department Have you ever contacted the Department’s offices telephonically? Table 13: Respondents’ use of telephone to contact the Department Provincial offices
Telephone use Yes
%
No
%
Total
Eastern Cape
69
1
533
11
602
Free State
39
1
411
8
450
Gauteng North
84
2
516
10
600
Gauteng South
91
2
509
10
600
KwaZulu-Natal
55
1
561
11
616
Limpopo
51
1
413
8
464
Mpumalanga
63
1
433
9
496
North West
34
0
427
8
461
Northern Cape
27
1
323
6
350
Western Cape
52
1
398
8
450
565
11
4 524
89
5 089
Total
l According to Table 13 an overwhelming majority of respondents do not use communication
mechanisms set up by the Department such as the telephone to access services offered by the Department l Among the reasons provided by the respondents for the failure to use the telephone were that it was easier to visit the offices than to call as reported by 67% of the respondents, while 16% reported not to be aware of the telephone numbers of departmental offices. Other reasons given were that respondents had to present themselves to the offices personally to sign documents and others were not aware that they could call l Of the 565 respondents who managed to make telephone calls, many of them indicated to have received prompt response and assisted accordingly, while a few reported to have received negative treatment such as calls taking too long before answering, sent from pillar to post and calls disconnected while waiting to be served.
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Have you ever visited the Department’s website? Table 14: Respondents’ use of Department’s website Provincial offices
Telephone use Yes
%
No
%
Total
Eastern Cape
13
0
589
12
602
Free State
16
0
434
9
450
Gauteng North
45
1
555
11
600
Gauteng South
37
1
563
11
600
KwaZulu-Natal
8
0
608
12
616
Limpopo
14
0
450
9
464
Mpumalanga
11
0
485
9
496
North West
10
0
451
9
461
Northern Cape
7
0
343
7
350
Western Cape
14
0
436
9
450
175
2
4 914
98
5 089
Total
l According to Table 14 an overwhelming majority of respondents have not visited the departmental
website (98%) to get more information about what the Department has to offer l Some of the reasons provided by respondents’ failure to visit the departmental website were inability to
operate a computer (59%), 12% did not know the website address and 22% reported not to have access to the computer l Those respondents who indicated to have visited the departmental website reported it to be informative, while others indicated the information to be outdated and the slow response rate from the website.
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2.4.3.3 Accessibility of departmental offices Are the Department’s offices and facilities accessible to people with disabilities? Table 15: Respondents’ perceptions on the accessibility of departmental offices for people with disabilities
Provincial offices
Yes
No
Don’t know
Total
Eastern Cape
362
135
105
602
Free State
426
11
13
450
Gauteng North
389
81
130
600
Gauteng South
436
129
35
600
KwaZulu-Natal
433
102
81
616
Limpopo
309
81
74
464
Mpumalanga
366
82
48
496
North West
297
81
83
461
Northern Cape
243
84
23
350
Western Cape
284
115
51
450
3 545
901
643
5 089
70%
18%
12%
100%
Total Percentage
l Table 15 shows that 70% of the respondents felt that departmental offices were accessible to people
with disabilities, while 18% felt that they were not and 12% were not sure if this was the case or not l Most of those who felt that the offices did not accommodate people with disabilities suffered from
chronic conditions, followed by those with a physical disability, respondents with vision impairment and those with unspecified disabilities l To make the offices user-friendly for people with disabilities, various suggestions were provided such as, the erection of ramps, widening of entrance doors and passages, having dedicated counters for people with disabilities and the frail or attending to them promptly.
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Figure 14: Disability type and perception of accessibility of offices to people with disabilities
80 Yes Don’t know
70
No
60
2y
0 Chronic conditions
Hearing
Mental and neurological
Physical disability
Other
Sight
Unspecified
76
11
7
2
51
27
6
21
3
0
0
10
8
2
33
1
1
1
20
5
6
l Of the respondents with some form of a disability, 62% felt that the departmental offices were
accessible to people with disabilities, many of them with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, followed by those with physical disabilities and vision impairment l The 23% of the respondents who felt that offices were not acceptable were mostly those with chronic conditions, followed by physical disabilities, vision and hearing impairment l The pattern for the 15% of respondents who did not know whether the offices were accessible or not was the same.
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2.4.4 Courtesy 2.4.4.1 Correct referral to assisting official
6 months -
2 years
Figure 15: Correct referral to assisting official 5%
7%
13%
5% 95%
Yes No
l Figure 15 indicates that 95% of the respondents indicated to have been referred to the correct official to
serve them, while only 5% reported otherwise l It is important that clients are served at the first port of entry to the Department or referred to the relevant official without being sent from pillar to post.
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2.4.4.2 Treatment by departmental officials
16%
How would you describe the treatment that you received from the official who assisted you? Figure 16: Respondents’ perceptions on the treatment received from departmental officials
600
500
400
300
200
100
0 Eastern Cape
Polite
525
Free State
441
Gauteng South
KwaZuluNatal
Limpopo
Mpumalanga
North West
Northern Cape
Western Cape
530
516
581
433
477
429
317
399
6
46
84
31
22
13
27
30
48
3
24
0
3
6
6
5
3
3
0
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
Average
64
Rude
11 2
0
Impatient
Gauteng North
l Figure 16 shows that the majority of respondents 4 648 (91%) indicated to have received polite
treatment from departmental officials l This is a trend across provincial offices of the Department l Despite this there was still concern for 1% of the respondents who were either treated rudely or were assisted by impatient officials.
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2.4.5 Information/communication 2.4.5.1 Experiences with communication in the Department Please select the applicable option to describe your experience at the Department. Table 16: Respondents’ experiences of the communication within the Department
Yes
%
No
%
Not applicable or no response
%
Total
Addressed in preferred language
4 906
96
183
4
0
0
5 089
Availability of needed information
4 720
93
260
5
109
2
5 089
Easy understanding of provided documents
4 039
79
207
4
843
17
5 089
Questions answered satisfactory
4 421
87
293
6
375
7
5 089
Communication aspects
l An overwhelming majority of respondents were generally satisfied with the existing communication
aspects within the Department l Among these aspects were being addressed in the respondents’ language of preference (96%),
receiving all the information they required (93%), having their questions answered in a satisfactory manner (87%) and easy understanding of documents provided (79%).
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2.4.5.2 Manner in which respondents became aware of services offered in the Department How did you find out about the services offered in the Department? Please mark ALL those applicable. Table 17: Awareness of services offered by the Department
Provincial offices
Radio
Television Newspapers
Info. Friends/ Work sessions family
Internet Pamphlets
Other
Eastern Cape
238
133
63
13
259
322
9
11
13
Free State
118
21
17
1
90
157
8
9
21
Gauteng North
135
103
67
5
255
230
6
27
53
Gauteng South
154
132
52
8
175
207
13
17
15
KwaZulu-Natal
119
62
27
0
146
266
4
2
28
Limpopo
222
97
74
16
149
149
13
45
23
Mpumalanga
149
67
32
8
181
216
1
8
23
North West
173
71
29
4
122
187
1
12
8
Northern Cape
149
127
88
17
144
136
4
28
25
Western Cape
196
172
44
21
194
167
8
12
10
l According to Table 17, respondents became aware of services rendered by the Department through a
variety of channels. Of these were the places of work, friends and family, radio, television and newspapers l Channels such as the internet and information sessions were less effective in marketing departmental services l Other channels such as trade unions, other government institutions such as hospitals, municipal offices and police stations, were useful in imparting information about services offered in the Department. Departmental staff also played a role in this regard.
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