Traditional Affairs Sam Kwelita at the launch of the Information Communication
Technology (ICT) Centre and Home Community Based Care Projects, Indwe
8 November 2007
Programme director
The Executive Mayor
Microsoft Management
Traditional leaders
Religious leaders
Business community
Government officials
Ladies and gentlemen
I greet you all
I want to begin by saying the struggle to eradicate poverty in South Africa
has always been and will continue to be a central part of our effort. This
assertion requires a strong commitment from all of us if we are to achieve the
2014 Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) goals of halving poverty. As
government, we have seen the danger that poverty poses to our developmental
gains since the dawn of our democracy. We are not at all naïve when we say no
one can truly and wholeheartedly claim to be free unless we have cast aside
shackles of poverty.
Defining and measuring poverty is essential to any initiative of poverty
reduction. Definitions of poverty have traditionally focused only on material,
and specifically monetaryâmeasures of well-being. But key concepts behind
poverty have evolved considerably in recent years. Today, a more holistic,
multi-dimensional perception of poverty has emerged, drawn from the poor
themselves.
Definitions of poverty have expanded to include the social and psychological
burdens of daily survival on the bottom rungs of society. Our provincial focus
is the provision of intervention programmes to the poorest families with the
main objective of enabling them through the targeted interventions to graduate
out of poverty. Underpinning these interventions is a unique and novel approach
of allowing all outside resources to enter the community with a concept of one
basket of services to minimise duplication and maximise impact.
Today, we are here because we are continuing with our efforts of reducing
poverty in the province. This is as a result of the partnership between the
private sector and the public sector in the fight against poverty. All of these
social partners have significant equal roles to play. Private sector brings
financial resources, project and management skills and quality control. The
civil sector brings local knowledge, commitment to the community, and longevity
of local presence.
The public sector brings strategic co-ordination and a holistic vision of
the project within the context of community and country-wide development goals.
The success of the partnership project relies on the strength of this alliance
and the competencies that are brought to bear on the project. We cannot begin
to relax up until we have totally managed to eradicate poverty from its
roots.
We are also here today to recognise the challenges faced by our older
persons. That is why today we officially launch this Home Community Based Care
as centres. As champions of social development, we have seen a number of older
persons being physically and sexually abused, robbed and killed for their
social grants and neglected by family members. We only see our elderly persons
being cleaned properly when it is time for them to receive their pension grants
and family members act as if they take good care of them.
As government, we have realised that, participation by older persons in the
socio-economic development of this country is of utmost importance. This has
led our National Assembly to pass an Act that seeks to fight for the rights of
older persons. The Act itself focuses on active participation by older persons
with regard to social transformation:
* It shifts the emphasis from institutional care to community based care in
order to ensure that an older person remains in his or her home within the
community for as long as possible.
* It provides the platform for them to participate in community life in any
position appropriate to their interests and capabilities.
* It allows them to actively participate in intergenerational programmes.
* It encourages them to participate in activities that enhance their income
generating capacity.
* It gives them access to opportunities that promote their optimal level of
social, physical, mental and emotional well being.
In essence, the Act seeks to advocate for the rights of older persons to
participate in developmental, political, social, cultural and economical
activities of their country and not be regarded as mere beneficiaries. It also
seeks to give them access to knowledge, education and training.
At the same time, we view their contribution to family and community values
as vital as it cannot be measured in economic terms. With the rebuilding of our
moral fibre led by the Moral Regeneration Movement, we see older persons as key
ambassadors and role models that our young people can learn from. In this
corner of the world we celebrate our elderly as our pride, our heritage,
reservoir of our culture, values and 'think tanks' who have managed to shape
our destiny ,reshape our social ,political and economic landscape and who
continue to serve as care givers as the young people are ravaged by the HIV and
AIDS pandemic.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Housing, Local Government and Traditional Affairs,
Eastern Cape Provincial Government
8 November 2007
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecpg.gov.za)
