14 October 2007
"The women of Umzinto, who have been victim to what appears to be a serial
killer, deserve justice. The lives of these women cannot be simply taken away
without the criminal/s, responsible for these callous murders, being
apprehended. As government, we will ensure that whoever this will soon be found
themselves facing the full might of the law. Others must learn that crime does
not pay. We must collectively condemn the violence and abuse inflicted on our
children and women in this province and the rest of the country," said
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sibusiso Ndebele.
Premier Ndebele said this during his keynote address delivered at the
provincial Children's Day celebration yesterday, 13 October 2007 at KwaHlabisa
in the Umkhanyakude District of KwaZulu-Natal. Thousands of children from
various areas of the Umkhanyakude District attended the celebration.
"Children's rights are one crucial aspect for which we fought. Our
Constitution gives children rights, which they should use to prepare themselves
for the challenges of the future. The right to education, proper healthcare and
protection, are some guarantees children have on their side. Children have a
right go to school and government must help to achieve that.
"It is in this light that we condemn the increasing rate of truancy in our
schools. We are not going to grow a nation that does not respect education and
places no value on it. When children need to be at school, they must be at
school, not in malls, bottle stores and shebeens. This habit must be nipped in
the bud. We have committed to rounding them up. We require the school governing
bodies and the community to play a leading role in this regard.
"Our Constitution ensures that for our children, the doors of learning are
opened. In my own term as Premier I have tried to place emphasis on the rights
of children. The Office on the Rights of the Child within the Office of the
Premier is responsible for the co-ordination and monitoring of the respect,
promotion and protection of children's rights. One of its coordinating
instruments is a Provincial Programme of Action for Children Committee (PPA),
which is a structure representative of all government departments, local
government and civil society.
"In an age where emphasis is placed on material things and individualism, it
is important that we create an environment where the values of sharing, on
simplicity and collective spirit become the predominant value system. For me
that is part of the Provincial Question! Building a non-racial, non-sexist
society and playing out unity in diversity.
"Our urgent task is to deal with poverty and underdevelopment whose victims
remain the children and women. We are doing everything in our power to
co-ordinate efforts to deal with the phenomenon of street children, child
headed households and the physical abuse suffered by children. Our social
safety net keeps growing; the constitutional guarantees are in place.
"We are truly building a KwaZulu-Natal which cares for its young and old,
children and women and cares for all its citizens. A caring KwaZulu-Natal
cannot be built successfully by the government of this province alone. Only a
partnership between all sectors of our society across race, gender and class
can build a better KwaZulu-Natal," Premier Ndebele said.
The Office on the Rights of the Child (ORC) within the Office of the Premier
in KwaZulu-Natal is responsible for the co-ordination and monitoring of the
respect, promotion and protection of children's rights. One of its
co-ordinating instruments is the KwaZulu-Natal Advisory Council for Children's
Rights which is a structure representative of all government departments, local
government and civil society.
The theme for the event was: "Caring communities protect their children,
women and elderly".
Other objectives of the event were to:
* promote the concept of "Morals and Values linked to Girl Guides and Scouts
Movements" as well as children's rights in the province of KwaZulu-Natal
* allow children to present challenges and gaps within the Social Safety System
for children to government and recommend solutions
* promote an ethos of child protection in KwaZulu-Natal
Thousands of people also attended the "Taking Government to the
People"
Programme at KwaHlabisa today, 14 October 2007. This follows similar successful
events that were hosted at Sweetwaters near Pietermaritzburg on 18 and 19
August 2007 and at iXobho in the Sisonke District on 25 and 26 August 2007.
An array of government services, including on-site applications for grants
and pensions, were provided to the people of KwaHlabisa and surrounding areas.
The mobile services of various government departments including the South
African Social Security Agency (SASSA) as well as the departments of Social
Welfare and Population Development, Health and Home Affairs were on site. Free
medical check-ups, massages and food parcels were also provided to the
elderly.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
14 October 2007
