The youth of Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, were the biggest beneficiaries of the visit by Minister for Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, which took place at the Riem Vasmaak Sports field on 5 August 2013.
The visit formed part of the department’s series of Izimbizo (public participation programmes) that are being hosted in various places around the country to identify local socio-economic challenges and draw up programmes of action to improve the quality of life of citizens.
Minister Dlamini announced during the Imbizo that her department had put together a group of fifty youth from the local community to be used as change agents and drive youth development initiatives, assisted by the department.
“This group will be assisted to register a non-profit organisation and to raise funds for the various developmental programmes they will identify. We will also provide them with the necessary training to undertake developmental work,” explained Dlamini.
The Minister also announced that a youth development specialist from the department, Ms Smangele Khanyile, will be deployed on a full-time basis to Oudtshoorn to work with youth on issues of development.
Prior to the Imbizo, a series of community dialogues were held to give the community a chance to raise issues of concern to them. Four key issues were identified as requiring urgent attention by the department; namely, the abuse of the child support grant and child abuse, alcohol and substance abuse, high levels of crime, and youth unemployment.
Minister Dlamini promised that a team from the department will be deployed to the area as early as next week together with the locals to develop community development plans for urgent implementation.
In a show of commitment to youth development the Minister also offered university study bursaries to three local youths to study social work. This also seeks to address the shortage of social workers, which have been declared a scarce skill, in communities.
The Minister is required through the Performance Agreement she signed with the President of the Republic to undertake public participation programmes throughout the country.
The Minister and her department undertook sixty nine public participation programmes in the 2012/13 fiscal year.
The Imbizo promotes participative governance and will allow the community of Tlokwe to have a say in decision-making processes affecting their future, as well as make them aware of the services available from the department and its agencies, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and National Development Agency (NDA).
Enquiries:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
