Officially opening the doors of the new Atlantis social development office is a very proud moment for all of us.
Atlantis is a priority area for the Western Cape government and this development is in line with a number of important strategic objectives.
While a large number of the strategic objectives of our provincial government have been covered with this development, the most important in relation to the work we do as a department are SOs 1, 7, 8 and 9, which are, respectively:
- Increasing opportunities for growth and jobs
- Increasing social cohesion
- Reducing and alleviating poverty
- Integrating service delivery for maximum impact.
The work we are doing to improve our services to the poor and vulnerable of Atlantis is made all the more important by the fact that an estimated 65 percent of the economically active inhabitants of Atlantis are unemployed.
Furthermore, this town has a massive gangsterism problem.
Stats show that 35 percent of Atlantis youth are addicted to tik.
The latest police statistics also reveal an increase in domestic violence cases.
The treatment of children in our city and province is perhaps best illustrated by the many stories where mothers have resorted to dumping their own babies.
Toddlers are even being abused, raped and killed, sometimes by their own parents.
What I find most worrying about the debates and discussions around the recent incident where a woman dumped her baby in a manhole is that there has been hardly a single mention of the child's father.
Does this child have a father? Why is it that as a society we do not even consider this fundamental question? I hope it is not because we expect nothing from fathers.
We urgently need to do something about the societal attitude of men towards fatherhood. We must begin to empower men to take responsibility.
Each time a woman abandons her child we must ask the question: have they already been abandoned themselves by the father of that child?
However, we must also start to own up to the fact that when someone harms their child, we are all responsible.
Nazlie, next time I come to this Atlantis office I want to hand over an award to the best father in Atlantis, a man who is really a man, who loves rather than beats, protects rather than harms and provides for his family, rather than takes away from them.
This office must help give dignity back not only to the women and children of Atlantis, but also to the men, whose pride can be restored.
So I want to use this opportunity to say to all of the staff at this office to continue to prioritise the plight of our children.
A lot of hard work has gone into creating this new office space and I would like to thank all of you for your hard work.
Quinton, your energy and enthusiasm is an example to all.
We also no longer need to harp on the problems of the old office so this is a fresh opportunity to implement solutions.
To the people of Atlantis I want to say, if you need any help please come to the office, you know where it is, so use it.
Thank you.
Enquiries:
Steven Otter
Cell: 084 233 3811
