Government’s priority of bridging the gap between the provision of government services and the effective utilisation of service delivery by the poor and disadvantaged was key at the provincial Community Development Workers (CDW) summit held in East London on 19 October, 2009.
The summit consulted stakeholders on the draft policy to enhance the effectiveness of the Community Development Workers programme. The policy is aimed at:
* re-designing the programme to promote a high standard of professionalism for community development workers and those involved in the programme
* promoting the efficient, effective and economic use of resources allocated to the programme
* creating a development orientated community development workers cadre to unblock obstacles to effective service delivery.
Delivering his welcome address, Eastern Cape MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs Mr Sicelo Gqobana indicated that government should seek to build its own capacity to communicate with the masses and to ensure dissemination of its own views and perspectives to the people as part and parcel of its strategy for mobilisation of communities behind government programmes and activities.
In his key note address, Deputy Minister for Department of Public Service and Administration Mr Roy Padayachee said that the “corner-stone of the Community Development Workers programme is the eradication of poverty and to bring to our people a better life.”
Mr Padayachee referred to the revitalisation of the Community Development Workers programme as critical in bridging the gap between communities and government in terms of access to services. The inputs from the summit and that of key stakeholders which revolved around the retention of the programme, funding model, human resources development and management will be consolidated into a final community development workers policy document which will further entrench the programme and ensure that the objectives as outlined in the founding documents are met.
The consolidated policy document will be presented at a national summit to be convened in December 2009.
For enquiries contact:
P Bata
Tel: 040 609 5980/1
Fax: 040 609 5982
Cell: 079 886 1355
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
2 November 2009
Source: Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://eclgta.ecprov.gov.za/)
