The Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration’s public relations officer Sakeus Kadhikwa says being a civil servant is all about being customer-centric and servicing the public with dedication and integrity.
Kadhikwa defines public relations as a management position which deals with corporate governance in a proactively, efficient, and effective manner as well as maintaining and influencing the reputation of the corporate identity, image as well as the personality of the organisation.
He is currently responsible for maintaining the internal communication strategies, liaising with journalists and other media organs, and using social media platforms to create public engagement and discussion about the ministry’s programmes and events.
“Additionally, I deal with content management and evaluation of the ministerial social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the website). Most importantly, stakeholder engagement is key to my daily duties,” he said.
Jack of all trades
Professionally, Kadhikwa wears many hats. Besides his public relations roles, Kadhikwa is currently serving as a member of the ministerial public relations committee and the ministerial ICT system integration implementation task force. This, while serving on the ministerial business improvement team, a secretariat of the trade fair committee in the ministry, among other roles.
His involvement in the civil service does not end within the ministry but extends to the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB), where he is a member of the marketing advisory committee as well as the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) where he serves on its academic programme advisory committee.
With such a variety of roles, how does he make it through the day? one may ask. Kadhikwa attributes his success to his innate skill set. He defines himself as a natural team player who is committed to adding value to a workplace through effective communication and listening skills.
Said Kadhikwa, “Being a public servant for 14 years has taught me a great deal about dealing with the public which has sharpened my ability to go all-out in delivering customer-centric projects.”
“What is amazing about my job is the fact that I work closely with the executive director and having other mentors in the ministry has given me more insight about being a civil servant,” he added.
Humble beginnings
Kadhikwa was born in the Oshikoto region, which is one of the four north central regions in Namibia – popularly known as the four Os. He joined the public service in 2007 as a handyman at the Namibia Library Service (NLS) in the then ministry of education. This was a giant leap from his previous work as a general employee at various retail stores – gigs that he tackled upon completion of his Grade 12 in 2001.
In 2014, Kadhikwa got promoted to assistant librarian at the National Library of Namibia in the ministry of education. His promotion came while he was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Technology at the Polytechnic of Namibia (now NUST) in 2012. He then joined the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security in 2014 as the Public Relations Officer (PRO).
He now holds a bachelor’s degree Honours in Journalism and Media Technology, and a Master of Journalism and Media Technology (2021) from the university – achievements that he maintained are what his dreams were made of and the primary motivations behind him joining the civil service.
“I joined the government simply because my motive was to further my studies. Coming from a family with limited academic backbone for support, made me aim for greater opportunities in life. I wanted to work and study at the same time, which would have been impossible had I remained in the retail sector,” he said.
Breaking stereotypes
Kadhikwa is a self-professed critical thinker whose innate ability to think on his feet and deliver reasonable arguments has professedly served his employers well.
“My media expertise allows me to explore the root cause of problems, while the critical analysis skills provide me with a better understanding of complex phenomena which then guides me in the implementation of solutions,” he said.
With regards to the prevalent misconception that public institutions are unproductive and inefficient, Kadhikwa begs to differ.
Said Kadhikwa; “This notion has been evolving now for quite some time, but some public servants are striving to reverse this public opinion. You will find a public servant who is putting in the effort to steer the government into a productive and effective institution, and there are those doing the opposite. At the end of the day, we the public servants can break this stereotype if we prove ourselves to the
public.”
Kadhikwa pointed out that every organisation’s philosophy is described and evaluated by the nature and principles that govern its existence.