published by Daily Sun of 14 January 2009
15 January 2009
The inaccuracies in the article by Rifumo Maluleke and Gogontle Jood titled
"Poor and Forgotten" as published on page 8, Daily Sun of Wednesday, 14 January
2009, cannot be left unchallenged as they are a distortion of the SABC2's
Morning Live broadcast of Monday, 12 January 2009, and therefore a
misrepresentation of both the plight of the abandoned farm workers and
interventions by provincial and sectoral departments to alleviate the situation
in Willow Park.
The North West Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing
therefore wishes to request your paper to publish our response in your next
publication in its entirety in order to correct the following factually
inaccurate assertions:
* A year has passed since the initial expose by Morning Live of the poor living
conditions in Willow Park.
* Nothing had been done in the past year to assist the people despite the
promises.
* Only four new low cost houses have been built in the past 12 months.
* The building programme only started in December when officials' heard that
Morning Live would be coming back.
* Only two toilets are provided for the community.
* Only two taps are provided for the 60 households.
* Most of the kids are without birth certificates and are unable to register at
schools in other areas.
* Parents cannot get grants or jobs because they do not have identity documents
(IDs).
* The department could not explain why it took them so long to start the
housing project.
In a desperate attempt to ride on the cloud of SABC 2's Morning Live
broadcast though disingenuous reporting and sheer sensationalism, the
journalists from Daily Sun deliberately distorted and/or omitted the following
facts:
* The initial broadcast of the expose of the poor living conditions of the
Willow Park by Morning Live and the Commission on Gender Equality was on 18
June 2008 .Therefore only six months has lapsed since the broadcast and not a
year as the article suggests. Your paper should have independently verified
this information with the producer for Morning Live in order not to mislead the
public.
* Indeed, water was not available on the farm on 18 June 2008, but has since
been delivered to the community through collaborative efforts of the Department
of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (DACE) and Ngaka Modiri Molema
District Municipality. DACE was responsible for drilling, equipping and
electrification of the borehole while Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality
installed a one kilometre pipeline and installed the four stand pipes.
The project commenced on 11 August 2008 and was completed by end October
2008. DACE has also implemented a food security project for all 35 households.
The Department of Social Development has erected a temporary structure to serve
as an early childhood development centre (a crèche) for 40 children on the
farm.
So much for forgotten community and unkept promises
* MEC Yawa visited Willow Park on 14 August 2008 and made a commitment
towards the construction of emergency housing for the destitute community. He
approved over R2,6 million for the project on 11 November 2008. A geo-technical
investigation was speedily conducted to check the type and condition of the
soil to inform the type of foundations to be constructed.
A turnkey developer was appointed on 1 December 2008 and thereafter local
sub-contractors and labour employed by the contractor for the commencement of
the project. Sixty foundations were dug for the commencement of the housing
development to also cater for children qualifying for housing .Two houses were
completed and two built until wall plate level prior to closure for the
builders holiday break on 12 December 2008.
* Six communal toilets that were not in place on 18 June 2008 have since
been erected on the farm by Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality.
* Four taps have been installed to provide the 35 households with clean
drinking water. The taps are within 20 meters walking distance which is above
the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) standard of 100 meters.
* Social workers have on a continuous basis assisted members of the
community to assess the service point at Wilbedacht to apply for birth
certificates, identity documents and social grants. As per commitment made
during the Morning Live broadcast of Monday, 12 January 2009, the Department of
Home Affairs and South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) visited Willow
Park on an outreach programme for further registrations and applications.
* Thirty-eight beneficiaries were awarded social relief of distress grants
by SASSA. Each family received R960 for three months while awaiting approval of
grants or employment. The Department of Social Development is currently
providing food parcels to 36 households as social relief. This is going to
continue until a drop in centre to provide three meals a day is established.
Seven children are currently receiving foster care grants. Two are receiving
disability grants.
* Through assistance by social workers, all parents have identity documents
hence they could be registered for housing subsidies under the emergency
housing programme. Only one adult female with two dependents had not applied
for an identity document; however, an application for her identity document was
received by Home Affairs during its outreach to the area on Thursday, 15
January 2008.
* Daily Sun chose to use the picture of MEC Yawa together with Vuyo Mbuli
provided by the department but ignored the content of the media release which
outlined the project scope, comments by beneficiaries, reasons for the delay of
the housing project and targeted date for completion as none of these are
included or quoted in the misleading article.
For the benefit of the public let me quote the fifth paragraph of the media
release that was in possession of the two journalists as they wrote the
misleading article which suggest that the department could not explain why it
took them so long to start the housing project. The paragraph reads
"Geo-technical investigations had to be conducted prior the commencement of the
project. This is a requisite before any project can start to check the type and
condition of the soil to inform the type of foundations to be constructed. The
department as part of a caring government had to appoint a turnkey developer to
expedite the completion of the project by the end of March 2009. We are
confident that the target for the completion of all 60 houses by that deadline
is realisable," assured MEC Yawa. Surely both journalists could not have missed
this paragraph were they interested in writing a factually correct and balanced
article alternatively they should have enquired as to what could have been the
reasons for the delay of the project.
It is disingenuous, misleading and grossly unfair for the article to suggest
that building commenced "when officials heard that Morning Live would be coming
back" to the area. We categorically reject this disingenuous statement as
mischievous as the department received an electronic mail inviting the MEC to
participate in the show on 6 January 2009.The progress on the 60 foundations
dug and the four houses was registered before the invitation was received from
SABC2's Morning Live. Surely December precedes January even on Daily Sun's
calendars.
To reiterate MEC Yawa's commitment, the department is confident that the
target for the completion of all 60 houses by that deadline of March 2009, is
realisable and challenge Daily Sun to then attend and report on the handover
ceremony.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 018 387 3814
Fax: 018 384 5426
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing, North
West Provincial Government
15 January 2009
