Programme Director,
Acting Head of Department,
Executive Management,
Our Community Development Workers,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good day,
Programme Director, last year on 29 August, my predecessor, now the MEC for Health, Honorable Ishmael Kgetjepe, convened a meeting of Community Development Workers (CDW) at this very venue. The meeting was convened out of an understanding of the important role that you play in our poorest communities in this province. We know very well that you are our most important public servants who connect government as a whole with many communities around our vast province.
Your daily far-reaching interventions have contributed immensely to making South Africa a much better place to live in than it was before 1994 and that the lives of millions of our people have indeed improved. That is why your meeting was a top priority and it is a priority today because you are our important foot soldiers as government leads the fight against poverty, underdevelopment, inequality and unemployment.
Most fortunately, I was present in that meeting and you were given an opportunity to make comments and also raise pertinent challenges that are hindering your day to day execution of your respective duties in your various work stations. You gave the then MEC an assurance that you are well conversant with your duties but in the same vein raised challenges experienced by all of you as you perform duties.
The challenges raised included low salary levels, applications for Motor Scheme B not getting positive responses, applications for bursaries not approved while the department is aware of the skills gaps, cell phone contracts that were expiring and too little airtime allocated and the office space from which you must operate. These were the key challenges you raised at that meeting and I am certain you want progress on these matters before anything else.
On low salary levels which you described as demoralising, our OT section has conducted job evaluation on all the posts in the Community Development Workers Programme (CDWP) and the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has since advised them to wait for a directive on the CDW post as they are determined by the National Department.
We also took your matter on your request to participate in Motor Scheme B and due to financial constraints; this could not be achieved according to the Transport Committee. The approved applications are for Local Coordinators due to the workload not withstanding your workload by any means. We are however busy exploring possibilities of allocating each municipality with a government vehicle to remedy the situation. Your work is very important and the issue of transport must be prioritised seriously.
On cell phones and airtime, I am told that you are now receiving R500 airtime to communicate on better phones. The last time you were receiving an airtime of R200 and there has been an increase of 100 percent plus in this regard. We hope you will be able to reach out better and perform your assignments effectively and efficiently.
The discovery has been that you do not get approval for your applications for bursaries because you choose fields of studies that will not benefit the department. We want everybody to be empowered educationally and return to the department to plough back those scarce skills that are most needed.
The office space is another challenge that emerged sharply and we have made several attempts with municipalities, who in turn said they are facing the same challenge even for their staff members. We are however not resting on this matter and it remains work in progress so that you must at the end of the day find yourselves operating in an environment befitting the kind of work that you do.
Rest assured that we take your work seriously and we will not rest until we get everything that hinders your day to day operations sorted. It is a known fact that the work that you do brings relief for many families that are in dire straits around the province. We have to work in a way that leaves an impact and renews that lost hope. I say so because many of our communities believe in government and also believe that it is the government’s sole duty to provide them with shelter and other important basic needs. That is the bar and it is a high one and we can achieve that if there is a change of gear in how we do things.
The ANC-led government knew very well what it was doing when it took a decision to introduce CDW. We knew that although there has been good progress with regard to the delivery of these services, we discovered that many of our people, mostly in rural communities, were not accessing the services they are entitled to.
That is why, in his Presidential inauguration speech in 2009, President Zuma made a commitment assuring the country and the international community when he said: "For as long as there are South Africans who die from preventable disease, for as long as there are workers who struggle to feed their families and who battle to find work, for as long as there are communities without clean water, decent shelter or proper sanitation, we would not rest or falter". He further, in his 2010 State of the Nation address, reminded public servants of our expected vision that year and emphasised that the defining feature of the administration as that of knowing where our people live, understanding their needs and responding faster.
We believe and have no doubt whatsoever that gathered here today are people who are making a sterling contribution in assisting government realize the vision President Zuma spoke about in 2010. We expect you to both tell the community how government works and tell government what people need in communities.
We expect you, our CDWs, to have empathy with the communities you serve. Regard the problems facing communities as your own and assist these communities in the most conscientious, diligent and thorough manner. That way we can achieve the progressive realisation of adequate housing, health care, social development, education and so forth by identifying the neediest and those in dire straits.
Owing to your close relationship with the communities, you can become the eyes and ears in the fight against corruption at the grassroots level. If anything untoward is happening, you must report to the right authorities so that action can be taken promptly. You can help in the fight against corruption in housing delivery and help develop a sense of responsibility in communities for housing delivery. Many of the houses that were given to beneficiaries in need are no longer occupied by the intended people. These problems and others are happening and they can be cracked down upon with your far-reaching interventions.
We believe that seated here are the most committed people and we must, as a department, ensure your proper training as well as effective supervision. We must make an honest assessment of whether each one of us as community development workers has received proper and necessary training to discharge your responsibility with regard to community development We appeal to you as we enter the third decade of our democracy to recommit yourselves to the work at hand, bearing in mind that Limpopo relies on you firmly. It cannot be business as usual.
Continue to liaise, coordinate, mobilise, inform and assist communities with access to services provided by government. You are our eyes and ears and you should be able to pick problems before they explode and advise government on the best possible solutions. Let us build a strong culture of service and dedication to the people we serve. We also take forward the work of improving the quality of life for all.
Together let us move our communities and South Africa forward.
I thank you.
