Africa sets gold standard for frontline service
Africa sets gold
standard for
frontline service
Lionel Africa won gold in the 2018 Service Excellence Awards for best frontline public service employee in the Western Cape.
He is one of ten consultants at the Client Services Walk-in Centre of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). They generally deal with internal and external HR enquiries and complaints – mostly queries about salaries, pensions and other service benefits.
Africa was nominated for always being willing to go beyond the call of duty to improve service delivery. Due to his efficiency and competency he has received a number of compliments from clients expressing their gratitude via email, service cards and word of mouth. Clients often request to be assisted by him on the recommendation of their colleagues.
When a terminally ill educator was too sick to come to the Walk-in Centre to finalise her pension application, he visited her at home and guided her through the application process. Africa then took her to the police station because she could no longer write and the forms needed to be completed in their presence. He followed-up on the application to ensure that she received her pension before she passed away.
Nomkhita Makosana, Deputy Director: Client Services, said this was only one instance of Africa’s caring attitude. “Every day he puts himself in the shoes of the people he serves.”
“We are proud to have him in our team. He is a selfless employee and is a wonderful example of how we can and should serve our communities and clients to the best of our abilities.”