GEORGE NEWS - Walter Hendricks has been in local government for over 20 years and is highly qualified.
He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of the Western Cape, where he also completed his first degree, B-Admin, in 1996.
He holds further qualifications from UCT, Wits Business School (minimum competency), and Harvard Kennedy School of Education for Driving Governance and Performance in the Western Cape.
From 2010 to 2012, he served as director of Community Services at the Oudtshoorn Municipality.
In 2016, after working as a temporary employee since 2012, he was appointed at George Municipality as director of Community Services.
In your term as director, what has been some of the biggest challenges you faced? What helped you get through that rough period?
To instil a culture of altruism in the directorate, especially towards our clients (the community). Basically, it means that our own interest should be way lower in our efforts to ensure that good quality services are rendered and that the Batho Pele principles are executed.
To educate managers in the directorate to have the ability to manage the emotions of their staff.
To organise the departmental budget in such a way that good quality services are sustained.
What helped me to get through was to remain humble and keep on praying and to seek guidance from our Heavenly Father.
Mention a few highlights that made the year worthwhile
One of the few highlights that stands out is that we got it right to successfully implement the executive mayor's War on Waste Programme in our 27 wards. Already we can see the effect.
The complaints from the community have decreased and when we do receive complaints, we address them immediately without favour and prejudice.
We have various social programmes and, with the help of our able staff, rolled out an "Adopt a Granny" project with huge success.
There are various other social programmes to the benefit of our community that are sustained in nutrition centres and we give assistance to various crèches.
Name a few things you are looking forward to in the new year.
To fully participate in the 2018/19 Greenest Municipality Competition. To increase our efforts to keep our area clean and green.
To roll out more social programmes to uplift and assist our communities. To better our service in general.
What puts a spring jump in your step at work?
To have gotten up in the morning and realise that all of us that are alive have been delivered to service our community even more.
What challenges do you foresee for 2018?
Unemployment in general will make communities even more dependent on municipalities. We should use our scarce resources to effectively and efficiently render affordable quality services.
What are your new year's plans with your family/friends?
To enjoy my leave and spend good quality time with family and friends in Cape Town.
When you get home after a long day … what puts a smile to your face?
When I get home from work I say thank you and smile because the grace of God has taken me through another work day.
Do you have a pet? If yes, what is it and what are their names? If no, why not?
I don't have a pet in George but do have one at home in Cape Town, that I see every weekend. My dog's name is Mayo because he is the colour of mayonnaise.
If you could table a motion in Council, what would it be?
If I could table a motion in Council it would be to request Council to focus on our core services only.
Any New Year's resolutions?
My New Year's resolution would be to stop drinking such a lot of Coke Zero and to exercise every day.
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