This year's winners are from Canada, South Korea, Sweden, Zambia, South Africa, Thailand, Slovenia, Egypt, Oman, India and Poland.

Speaking at the award ceremony, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this year's winners and finalists show that public services can be delivered more efficiently, effectively and equitably all over the world.

Back home, the department of public service and administration is not resting on its laurels. It selected the Gauteng province as the "hub" for the Africa Public Service Day (APSD) in the city of Tshwane.

Other provinces joined via a satellite link-up on a DSTV channel with a large screen set-up and viewed by public servants and the public they serve. The events in Tshwane continue for the rest of this week.

Meanwhile staff here at Sedibeng made full use of the day to drive forward calls for service delivery.

Led by the Batho-Pele co-ordinator Naomi Jones as well as a manager in the human resources department, Jan Wessels, a team of Sedibeng staff from both the Lesedi and the Sedibeng District Municipality observed the internationally recognised day.

On the eve of the actual day – June 23 – the team went on surprise visit to some of the departments directly responsible for service delivery.

Listening to a prior briefing in preparation for the surprise visits to the "front-line" departments, it became obvious that a conservative way in defining the duties of a public servant is fast losing ground.

The role of a public servant is to serve any member of the public irrespective of the department or cluster she works for,' echoes one of the staff members.

'There was a commitment on service delivery to the communities, and I believe we can improve our ability to do so,' says Naomi at a briefing prior the trip to service delivery stations.

The team selected mainly those departments that have a direct bearing to the public, particularly the emergency services.

'Indeed, a job is not just about a job-description. If the work-place is dirty I would not say the place is dirty and therefore being not a cleaner I will do nothing,' adds Wessels.

Asked whether the drive for greater service delivery shall only be reduced to annual ceremonious events, they point to efforts at working with community media to drive forward the campaign.

Accordingly, the community media is seen as one possible vehicle through which an ongoing engagement with communities regarding service delivery could be maintained.

The presents of the community media representatives on the final day of this effort dispelled the feelings around the sustainability or otherwise of the effort.   

The roots of the annually commemorated day can be traced back to the a declaration of the first Pan African Conference of Ministers of Civil/Public Service, held in Tangiers, Morocco in 1994. The ministers agreed at this conference to celebrate 23 June each year as the African Public Service Day (APSD) to recognise the value and virtue of services to the community.

The events in Morocco were further given impetus by the United Nations General Assembly, on 20 December 2002 which designated 23 June of each year as United Nations Public Service Day (resolution 57/277).

The international organisation encouraged member-states to organise special events on June 23 to highlight the contribution of public service in the development process.