Quality Service Still Key to Manzini Municipality
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in many sectors of the economy, globally and within the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the Municipal Council of Manzini has not been spared. However, notwithstanding the challenges that have been brought about by the pandemic, quality service delivery remains key to the Municipality. The organization has a Quality Policy which is drawn from the strategic mission and vision. The purpose of the policy is to provide guiding principles for the management of quality within the organization in order to contribute to the overall mission of the organization. The provision of quality service is linked to the ever-changing external and internal setting of the Municipality for relevance and sustainability purposes. The policy provides a statement of intent to stakeholders and sets a framework for developing quality objectives.
Through the Quality Policy, the Municipality strives to maintain a customer-centric service delivery approach; the ultimate goal being to exceed customer and stakeholder expectations. For three consecutive years, the Municipal Council of Manzini has successfully maintained its ISO 9001:2015 quality certification and in the process achieved great strides in terms of service delivery continual improvement. The past financial year has been packed with activity and achievements; which saw the organization winning local and international quality awards. This is an indicator that the organisation has remained true to its vision “A vibrant African city that innovatively provides quality service and economic opportunities to its stakeholders” and mission “To provide quality municipal services that add value to all our customers through good governance and partnering with stakeholders”. This is done to ensure the needs and expectations of our stakeholders are met and exceeded at all times.
…IMPACT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The continual improvements made in the Quality Management System will ensure that Council stakeholders’ needs and expectations are always fulfilled and exceeded. The system is ultimately geared towards delivering the best possible outcome for the customer; and has over the years rewarded the Municipality with happy customers who share positive reviews, word of mouth recommendations, suggestions for improvements as well as compliments. The Quality Management System, which is now matured, will continue making an effort to increase operational efficiency by improving the use of time and resources throughout its service operations lifecycle. The Municipality will soon be undergoing recertification audits for purposes of validating its continual improvement culture and guarantee the best service delivery to customers, stakeholders and interested parties.
…A MUNICIPALITY THAT VALUES CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
Customers and stakeholders are key to the Quality Management System hence the Municipality has prioritised collection of customer feedback and stakeholder engagement pertaining municipal service delivery. The feedback from customers enables the Municipality to understand their service delivery needs so that, through further engagements, appropriate and relevant interventions can be developed. The ultimate goal is customer service delivery satisfaction. The Municipal Council of Manzini has a number of customer feedback and engagement platforms at the disposal of customers and stakeholders. The organization would like to express appreciation to the customers that are already using these platforms for service requests, fault reporting, sharing of service improvement suggestions, service delivery compliments, complaints as well as reporting staff conduct (both good and bad). The Municipality is looking at introducing additional platforms for purposes of a wider coverage. The existing platforms are listed below;
- 24/7 Call Centre (800 2004/2505 7000)
- Facebook – (named “Manzini News”)
- Website (mzcitycouncil.sz)
- Email (pro@mzcitycouncil.sz)
- Mail (P.O.Box 418, Manzini, M200)
…DID YOU KNOW? PHYSICAL ACTIVITY VITAL DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
The Municipal Council of Manzini would like to encourage citizens to continue practicing preventative measures against the Covid-19 virus. These include washing hands frequently using running water and soap, using alcohol-based hand sanitizers in the absence of water and soap, wearing face masks at all times (even when speaking), observing social distance of a minimum one metre and avoiding crowded places. According to the World Health Organisation, physical activity is also critical in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Physical activity includes all forms of active recreation, sports participation, cycling and walking as well as activities that you do at work and around the home and garden.
It does not only have to be exercise or sport but can also be play, dance, gardening and even house cleaning. The WHO adds that during the Covid-19 pandemic it is even more important for people of all ages and abilities to be as active as possible. “Regular physical activity benefits both the body and mind. It can reduce high blood pressure, help manage weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and various cancers. It also improves bone and muscle strength and increases balance, flexibility and fitness”, states the WHO. The World Health Organization recommends the following physical activity frequency;
- Infants under the age of 1 year – be physically active several times a day.
- Children under 5 years of age – spend at least 180 minutes a day in physical activities, with 3-4 year-olds being moderately or vigorously active for an hour a day.
- Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years – all children and adolescents should do at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity, including activities that strengthen muscle and bone, at least three days per week.
Adults aged over 18 years – should do a total of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week, including muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week.