MINDSET CHANGE LAUNCH: ADDRESS BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MRS. MPELEGANG M. C. ABRAM

A very Good evening to you all…….!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today, the 8th of December 2023 marks one of the most important days in the annals of the Attorney General’s Chambers. But first and foremost, allow me to express delight and thank our guests, who have so graciously accepted and honored our invitation to be with us this evening.

To all the AGC and DPP staff present here today, it is a great pleasure to be amongst you today, as we join the rest of the citizenry in taking a deliberate action to officially mark the commencement of institutional inflection aimed at changing our thoughts, our behavior and our feelings (Dikakanyo, Maitsholo le Maikutlo) “# A re Chencheng!!!!!”.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here today not to merely launch the start of Mindset Change as the fifth pillar of the Reset Agenda, though a bit late following Zutshwa, but also to commit to henceforth take deliberate actions to improve the provision of services for the betterment of our country. As you may now know, the aspiration of the current Government is to move from a middle-income country to a High/Upper, middle-income country. Quite honestly, this demands concerted efforts from each and every one of us for a collective good.

The Mindset Change national launch which was conducted on 20th July 2023 at Zutshwa village, could not have come at an opportune time, a time when our country needs change, a time when productivity is at its lowest, a time when unemployment is high, and you can name many others of the challenges we have as a country. “A re Chencheng”, as is now commonly known, really speaks to our capability to evolve, in the way we think, in the way we behave and in how we feel. This change does not only relate to change in the workplace but also to change in our personal lives.

Colleagues, it is true in my view, that Mindset Change is not difficult because it is a process in which each and every one of us is in control. It is also true that one cannot change anything that they do not know, “A re Chencheng” calls for us to deal with what we know!!!. We know how we think, how we behave and how we feel. So, it is really a call for every one of us to introspect, get into their feelings, their thoughts and their behaviours and decide what adjustments they need to make, to then make those adjustments and embrace their changed self.

Bringing it home to AGC, I have met some of you and listened carefully to your submissions on various reasons why performance levels have dropped. I also have had an opportunity to go through the Performance Reports from various Divisions and I am sure that I speak for all of us when I conclude that, our performance is at its lowest. Therefore, dear Colleagues, I believe that this call
for change is an opportunity for us to change our attitude towards work, to work smarter and more efficiently to improve service delivery. Its an opportunity for us to significantly improve the turnaround time in concluding cases and drafting contracts and legislation, to improve the quality of the services we render as a whole, and more importantly, to improve on how we render such services. By embracing change in a manner that works for all of us, achieving smarter work practices, streamlined processes, enhanced efficiency and more reliable legal services will be a “a walk in the park” as they always say.
Colleagues, as we are herein and after, and we must, as His Excellency President Masisi would say, “inflect”, that is, conduct a candid self-introspection on where we are not doing well, what we must do differently and commit to that. As part of the Reset Agenda reflected in our Level 1 Annual Performance Plans, a lot of indicators have to be achieved above 95%, (a very high-performance level indeed), hence employee's annual performance output must correlate. And ke le itse ke le tshepa, you can easily get back there, by the way, we have been there before!! But Colleagues, 95% performance does not only come from embracing change in the workplace.

It is my sincere believe that this high-performance level is possible, and only possible if the change we are talking about is a wholesome change. A wholesome in my book is a change where one believes in it, learns it and practices, preaches it and lives it!!. It is a change where everyone in their corner starts with themselves, they forgive themselves for the not so good thoughts, behaviors and feelings that have had, some of us have had those thought, behaviors and feelings for some time and even a very long times. It is a change where batho ba itlhophela at all times go akanya tse di mosola e bile di le molemo (positive thinking), ba ipuisa ka lerato, ba ipha lerato, they confirm themselves all the time gore I am whole, ke lekane, ga ke tlhaele gope!!. All these and more, will bring self respect, self love, peacefulness, happiness and many good behaviors, feelings and thoughts, which translate into respect for others,
love for each and happiness all round!!!!!. In this place, where I believe all of us want to go, no one is a victim because no one entertains those thoughts, no one behaves like a victim and everyone feels, thinks and behaves like a winner, as we will be pulling together (not pulling each other down!!!) with our different gifts and strengths to achieve the same goal. No one will be left behind!!!, as no one knows everything and therefore cannot be running ahead of the rest of us. At that place, there is total acknowledgement that we have different gifts and each and every one of us leverages on the other’s gift.

Conveniently, this is more than just a coincidence, as we shall be taking our vacation leave and retreating to our respective places for much deserved vacations, there has never been a greater occasion and opportunity to come back, revived, rejuvenated and with different spirits in the next year. So, as I wish you well to enjoy the festive season and safety, moreso, for those driving to their domicile of birth or holiday destinations, I urge you to think hard about us and our country, the only country we have; how best to assist each other and improve on all aspects of our lives.

The ICD (sorry!!!!!), the AGC has over the years taught me that amid acute resource constraints, we must salvage the little we could to use this moment to also celebrate Christmas. Little as it is, I believe everyone will have a fair share. I must admit that it has been years since we last parted in this fashion, convening in one place to bid each other well. I am very pleased for this momentous occasion and it is my wish that it becomes an unwritten rule, that every end of year we come and continue to celebrate each other and bid each other well.

I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and may God bless you with a great New year full of new opportunities!!!!!!!
May I take this opportunity to thank you all for your attention and also invite you all to tonight’s festivities. Let us party like there is no other party, like this is the only party we will ever have!!!!!!

Enjoy yourselves