Operation Isondlo
16 February 2006
Programme Director,
Mayors and Councillors,
MECs,
Leaders of faith based organisations,
Leaders of industry and business,
Members of the provincial legislature,
The leadership of political parties, NGOs, CBOs and other institutions gathered
here today,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I wish to use this opportunity to welcome you all and extend warm words of
appreciation to all of you for your presence.
During the imbizo, door to door visits and our outreach programmes we
listened to our people raising concerns about the way government services are
provided. They sighted the slow delivery of basic services, amongst which the
provision of social grants to needy communities also featured prominently.
These concerns troubled us greatly and we asked ourselves:
* What is being done by parents to honour their parental obligation
* Do our public servants are contributing to this problem by neglecting their
parental duties
* Or are they defaulting on their maintenance payments.
As government we have to continually ask ourselves whether the men and women
who are employed in our departments those who are entrusted with the role of
advancing the interests of our people through our Batho Pele principles, are
they taking responsibility of their own children and do they practice Batho
Pele principles in their own homes.
If not, then we have a serious problem of people who may not serve our
people as they cannot serve their own children.
Ladies and gentlemen, this launch is therefore important to us as the
provincial government as it demonstrates our commitment towards our people and
takes us all on a journey of growth and development.
Through the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development the
Operation Isondlo initiative is mainly focusing on strengthening the
maintenance system in the country. It is aimed at identifying the strengths and
weaknesses within the maintenance system and further develops ways of improving
service delivery in this regard.
Ladies and gentlemen, this launch provides us all with a rare opportunity to
recommit ourselves to those we care about most. Iâm sure youâll all agree with
me that it is not easy to love and care for others when we cannot care for our
own children.
What should emerge out of this launch is a commitment amongst all of us as
mothers and fathers revitalised with a peculiarly African sense that the human
survival of our children depends on parental compassion and consideration.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give this background as an observation or an
introspection which should make us appreciate our children and hopeful make us
ashamed of ourselves for neglecting our own parental obligations in pursuit of
our personal interests and sometimes selfish comfort.
I therefore call on all public servants in all spheres of government to
support this initiative and have a sense of determination, a firm devotion to
their children so that they may be better servants of our people and our
communities.
As the Northern Cape Provincial Government, we continually deliberate on how
we should advance the interests of our people therefore let us also work
together as leaders of our people, community organisations and various other
stakeholders in reviving the spirit of ubuntu and co-operation amongst our
people in the interest of our children.
How can we take care of our nation when we canât take care of our own
children.
Ladies and gentlemen, every child deserves the love and support of both
parents. Let us all unite and condemn the negligence of children by
irresponsible parents who fail to contribute meaningfully to the growth and
support of their children.
We shall not and will not allow irresponsible parents to make a mockery of
our democratic system by depriving our people the ability to enjoy the fruits
of their hard earned freedom.
Programme Director, our people should be able to participate in collective
efforts for social improvement. Communities should be encouraged to promote the
well being of our people. There needs to be an active striving for social
justice and democratic values.
As government we have sharpened our programme of action and set ourselves
concrete targets to which our people will hold us accountable.
I am the first to acknowledge that however good our policies are nothing
will come of them without the active participation of each and every one of
us.
Our democracy will become a living reality and a force for transformation
only when parents become involved their childrenâs lives and when communities
participate in their own development.
As our new nation matures the challenges we face are shifting, let us roll
up our sleeves and build on what has been achieved for the sake of future
generations.
As government we believe that indeed the Department of Justice and
Constitutional Development through âOperation Isondloâ has found the right
tonic to stem the tide of non-payments. We hope you will respond to the call we
are making here this morning.
In particular, we envisage a country where all our children have access to
secure and decent living conditions.
Because of this vision and the understanding we have about the structure of
our society and the scourge afflicted by poverty, we have committed ourselves
to fully assist with state resources to assist the poorest of the poor.
We are hopeful that through Operation Isondlo and consistent payments of
maintenance we will reduce the number of people who solely depend on our child
support grant for survival since as government alone we are unable to achieve
this task.
I believe that to achieve sustainable development we must overcome the
extreme persistent inequalities in income levels.
Perhaps the answer to these concerns lies in these questions:
* What is it that we can do for ourselves and for our children?
* How can parents assist government in implementing its policies and programmes
to remove people from poverty?
Ladies and gentlemen, we acknowledge that lack of employment is translated
into lack of income resulting in hunger and malnutrition, limited access to
education and basic services, increased mortality, social discrimination and
exclusion.
Therefore all of us this morning should respond positively to the social
challenges facing our youth and women.
I call on all of you to be developmental activists and champions of people
centred initiatives. Poverty and homelessness should be pinned as the enemy and
parental responsibility should be our key weapon.
We are servants of our people and the public will hold us accountable.
Therefore we must never loose sight of our people, our women and our children,
and their dreams.
Together let us do what we have to do for the sake of our children and our
country. We have no doubt that our system of social assistance has wide-ranging
beneficial impacts that transverse and interlink the economic and social
sectors of our society. This does not detract the fact that a society in which
large sections depend on social welfare cannot sustain its development.
We believe that if more and more public servants pay their maintenance then
we will meaningfully be able to address the levels of poverty and contribute
towards social cohesion.
Let us do what is right for our children.
It is by acts and not ideas that people live as charity begins at home.
I would like to conclude my remarks by noting that, through you support more
children are likely to attend school and we will also reduce the prevalence of
hunger amongst young children in many poor households and improve the lives of
our people. As one writer once said âwe make living by what we get and we make
a life by what we give.â
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
16 February 2006
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za)
