The president of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, stated in a speech delivered on 28
March 2019 in Tembisa, that service delivery will be the top priority of the African National Congress
(ANC) if re-elected. One can therefore deduce that the government is aware that the citizens are
increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of service delivered by public institutions, as can also be
seen by the widespread service protests that regularly flare up. This study was conducted to determine
the service quality perceptions of a certain group of customers of a public department in the City of
Tshwane. The researcher selected international students as participants in this study. International
students were selected as they often complained to the researcher with regards to the quality of
service they received from the public department office. Add the problem statement and clearly
specify the purpose, aim or objectives of the study. A quantitative research design was followed. A
survey was conducted with 156 participants. The results revealed that the two service quality
dimensions that had the highest number of respondent agreeing were “the department has information
brochures and correspondence that are easy to read” (tangibility) with 59.6%, and “the department
has convenient operating hours” (empathy) with 59.6%. The following service quality aspects scored
below 50%, up-to-date (modern) equipment, visual appeal of office furniture, cleanliness of
equipment, level of professionalism by employees, and should be improved upon. The departments’
employees can improve customer satisfaction by customer service by being engaged and committed
when dealing with the public.The findings on the perceptions service quality will inform the public
department managers on which areas of service quality need improvement and which areas’ current
standards of service must be maintained.