The award-winning regional manager of the Department of Labour in Thohoyandou, Mr Lacton Ramulongo, has urged his staff to revisit their cultural roots as a way of enhancing service delivery to the community.

Ramulongo, who became the department's overall winner in a recent competition, by initiating a concept named Project Shanduka, was speaking during a Heritage Day function at the department's offices in Thohoyandou on Friday.

Project Shanduka, which aims to turn the department around nationally, will run for three years.

The event has become part of the department’s calendar and is celebrated each year. On the day, staff were dressed in traditional attire and the day was characterised by traditional dances, while the team prepared traditional food.

Speaking during the event, Ramulongo told staff that they could achieve more as a department if they worked together with love for their clients. He said many organisations and departments were failing because of attitude, where people worked with no love and dedication to the people they served.

"We need a dedicated work force that is driven by love and the will to assist the people. As community workers, we assist people from different backgrounds. Most of them are the disadvantaged who come from faraway places. If we do not assist them in time, they might miss their transport, while we could have done our part and helped them in time. With love, we can always be spot on and help our people," he said.