Bapela officially launched the new-look government-produced Public Sector Manager (PSM) magazine in Sandton, Johannesburg, where he also called for the producers of the monthly magazine to ensure that articles encouraged young people to see the public sector as a "career of choice".
The PSM first came to life in January 2011, as a trial edition, with actual production taking off in April 2011, as a platform to communicate to senior public sector managers.
It aims to help public sector managers and their departments and agencies to improve the quality of the services they provide by reporting on management innovations and best practices within the public sector.
The launch last night was attended by various industry big-wigs, who were kept entertained by the music of Theo Gosinkwe of Malaika fame, one of the country's popular music bands.
"With this initiative, there is no doubt that you will continue to share our stories and experiences as public servants. We as politicians come and go but public servants will remain using these initiatives to communicate critical service delivery messages," said Bapela.
Vusi Mona, the magazine's head of editorial and production, who also serves as deputy CEO of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), said the team had, since the idea surfaced two years ago, been working hard to produce a magazine that can compete with the best in the country.
"Because of the hard work that our team has put and continues to dedicate to this product we foresee great things and in future, we see a product that will stand out there as among the best in the business," Mona said.
The magazine formed part of GCIS's communication strategy and addresses the information needs of one of government's target audiences.
The content mix is built around interviews with ministers, deputy ministers, directors-general and senior officials, while the publication also includes various leisure, personal growth and lifestyle elements to provide content variety and strike a balance between professional pressures and personal fulfilment.
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