Durban – Former KwaZulu-Natal government head of Communications, Lennox Mabaso, hopes that his academic achievements will encourage other civil servants, and even the younger generation to pursue their goals, regardless of the challenges.
Mabaso graduated with a Master’s degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, and dedicated his qualification to his family for the support they provided throughout his studies.
To many people, especially in the media, Mabaso is regarded as one of the exponents of government communications, having entered the field as an intern at the Government Communications and Information System under the tutelage of Mdu Lembede.
Mabaso served under different MECs from Dumisani Makhaye to Mike Mabuyakhulu and Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
Reflecting on the journey to his latest achievement on Tuesday, he recalled the difficulty he encountered while pursuing his studies, especially during the lockdown back in 2020.
“Because I was part of the government communications team that had to manage information dissemination at a very crucial time in the country’s history, there was very little time for anything else, let alone studying. That meant that a lot had to take the back seat and that included my family, and throughout that period they supported me,” said Mabaso.
Having worked in government all his life, he developed a fascination with how the service delivery machinery operates.
“One of the things that I came to understand about local government was that the challenges found in the sphere are human errors as opposed to systems failure. Policies are clear and simply need implementation, and that is when the human factor comes in,” said Mabaso.
Doing his thesis, titled “Assessing the effectiveness of revenue collection practices through the Municipal Rates Act: A case study of Msunduzi Municipality, Mabaso said he realised the importance of firm and strong leadership in the implementation of government policies.
He noted how many people were avoiding paying for municipal services, pleading poverty, when at a closer look this was not the case.
“What I have come to appreciate is that we still do not have a screening system that enables government to detect every form of remuneration that an individual earns, and this to a great degree affects government’s ability to collect what is due to it, the money which goes back to providing services to the people in the end,” he said.
The seasoned spin doctor said he hopes others will be encouraged by his exploits.
“I went with my family to the graduation ceremony, my daughter had been lukewarm towards studying and seeking academic qualifications, but when she heard my name being called and saw me going on stage, there was some kind of effect with that moment. My hope is that just like her, others will also have a change in attitude and pursue their dreams,” he said.
Mabaso, who served the provincial government for over 20 years, recently moved to national level where he is part of the communications team at the Department of Public Works under Minister Sihle Zikalala.