The Mayor of Sedibeng district municipality
MEC for Social Development, Ms Qedani Mahlangu
Secretary-General of National Association of People living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA), Mr Nkululeko Nxesi
Distinguished guests
The community of De Deur
Programme director
Thank you very much for allowing us an opportunity to spend this day with you. The interactions we had with people of this area as we embarked on site visits have once again alerted us of the long journey ahead. But we are convinced that this remains a noble journey that will in the end deliver the people of De Deur, from the squalor conditions of poverty under which they live.
Today, our own observations and the voices of our people have alerted us to an undisputable plight that the community of De Deur endure.We find in this community a sad situation where people live in a hall that was previously a stall for horses, which has no water or sanitation. These unhygienic environments under which these people continue to live pose a serious health danger to their lives.
On this day, our point of departure is that everyone has the right to life and dignity. For this reason, none amongst all South Africans deserve to live under conditions that undermine these rights – condition which expose them to different health and social ills. As government, we will not sit back and fold our arms when the people we serve are subjected to such uninhabitable conditions.
In this instance, our observation is that the problems facing this community require a government-wide response.This means that various Departments such as Social Development, Health, Home Affairs as well as Rural Development and Land Reform have to move with speed to respond to the plight of this community. But we will also depend of the partnership of non-governmental organisations such as NAPWA, to succeed.
Just like all other communities, people in this area have the right to access health care services. They are entitled to various forms of social security grants that millions other South Africans have access to. The people of De Deur must have the necessary documentation, be it birth certificates or identity documents that will ensure that they access different government services.
We have government officials from different Departments among us. Those who are not here will receive a report on the state of affairs in this area, which will help them activate a comprehensive response to the challenges faced here. Our message is clear. Government officials must respond with speed to the needs of the people, for us to witness the positive impact of service delivery.
Therefore, we will not allow space for mediocrity in our response to the challenges of this area. But beyond what interventions we will make, we want to make a clarion call to the community of De Deur.We call on the people to act responsibly and build a united community that respects the rights of each member. In this regard, we urge everybody to desist from incidents of women and child abuse.
We know that due to income poverty, most women and children silently suffer various forms of abuse in their households. It is the responsibility of every member of the community the relatives, neighbours or friendsto report and expose this social ill whenever and wherever it manifests itself. Equally, it is important that we encourage children to attend school for them to become better people in the future.
They must be taught at a young age that the conditions of poverty they live under will change in the future if they pursue education. We must instill in them a sense of self-confidence that assures them of the truth that family background is not a determining factor on the future success of a child.
The children must be nurtured to refrain from negative activities such as alcohol and drug abuse. Indeed, we understand that they do not exist in isolation of the society where such activities are prevalent. In this context, we will heighten our campaigns against alcohol and drug abuse countrywide targeting especially school going children and young people in general. Those destructive elements who sell drugs to our children must be reported to the police.
Programme director, those who are ill and the aged deserve care and support, which together with NGOs, we must offer. We applaud NAPWA and other organisations that are already offering various forms of support to people living with HIV and AIDS. We are also aware that in some instances, there are good neighbours who in many ways offer care and support to families affected by this pandemic.
Indeed, this disease remains a major challenge facing our society and the rest of humanity. Government, through the Department of Social Development, is readily available to assist especially children who became orphans as a result of HIV and AIDS. As a community, we have to support those children emotionally and ensure that they feel part of us even in the absence of their biological parents.
We must teach children in our homes never to discriminate against orphans or any other destitute child. Although such children have access to social security grants, they still need a sense of belonging for them to become productive in other aspects of their lives, especially education. We therefore have to work together to break the cycle of vulnerability among these children.
Programme director, we saw living conditions prevalent in this area. All of us from the national and provincial governments as well as the municipality will together respond to these conditions. The journey has already started, and it is our commitment that it will end with the people of De Deur living a better life, under habitable living conditions.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
9 February 2010
