Office of the premier employees fly EC flag high
Pair receive recognition for development of e-recruitment system at award ceremony in Johannesburg
Two employees from the office of the premier flew the Eastern Cape flag high at the Centre for Public Services Innovation (CPSI) awards in Johannesburg on Friday.
The pair received trailblazer certificates and trophies in recognition of their in-house development of an e-recruitment system that the Eastern Cape has rolled out to all 13 provincial departments.
Zandile Potelwa and Zimasa Mqamelo made things easier for both external and internal applicants wanting to apply for jobs with the province.
The CPSI awards are intended to recognise innovators in all spheres of government and public entities.
They recognise successful and effective service delivery improvement projects and initiatives reflecting innovative approaches, methodologies and tools.
Potelwa and Mqamelo, from the provincial ICT unit, have worked on the system together for the past three years.
They said they were excited to see it come to life.
Potelwa said their aim was to improve efficiency in the province’s recruitment process.
“There are many benefits to the system.
“Recruitment used to be a tedious exercise for officials but the system has made it easier.
“When thousands of people apply for posts, our system improves the turnaround process. Applicants can apply via their cellphones, which is beneficial to both employer and the public.”
She said they had won the award because they developed the system in-house without any assistance from service providers.
“Now other provinces have shown interest.”
Potelwa said they were excited by the recognition.
“To be recognised nationally has made me feel so fulfilled — I cannot express it in words.
“It is gratifying to know I am leaving a legacy, and when I retire I can point to it and say this is the role I played when I was working for the province.
“It was never for us but for our people.”
Mqamelo said she, too, was excited.
The pair had never imagined their innovation would make such a huge impact.
“When we entered for the awards, we were not sure we would be nominated and we are humbled that we were.
“We always had systems operating internally, but this is the first time we’ve had an external system that can be used by the public.
“It is very encouraging to produce more solutions for the problems the Eastern Cape encounters.”