The Minister of Social Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, kick-started her three-day oversight visit in the Western Cape to monitor the progress and impact of National Development Agency (NDA) grants to support gender-based violence and Femicide (GBVF) interventions, income generation and the agency’s volunteer programme (VP).
As part of the pre-SoNA oversight visits, Minister Zulu today visited the Mhani Gingi Centre for Women and Children based at the Saartjie Baartman Centre in Manenberg which focuses on food security interventions among people with disabilities and abused women.
Their vegetable gardens were a source of food during lockdown, as communities received food through the soup kitchens that they support. Through funding from NDA, 69 people will benefit, 27 direct and 42 indirect beneficiaries.
The 20 direct beneficiaries are recruited within the Saartjie Baartman Centre and each is provided with a space saver gardening starter kit with skills training and mentoring towards an income generating enterprise after a 6-month engagement. The programme employs seven permanent staff.
Minister Zulu handed over a cheque to the value of R337 676,81 to Mhani Gingi to purchase soil additives (fertiliser and compost), seeds, irrigation infrastructure, three growing tunnels, fencing and 20 vegetable-garden-start up kits.
“The NDA’s mandate is to partner with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in development interventions. I am happy to be back at Mhani Gingi and to see the expansion that has happened. Our vision as government is to see programmes we fund become sustainable and are accountable for the money we have entrusted to them.
The NDA has assisted with this expansion and the employment of abused women. However, there is room for other stakeholders like the Department of Agriculture to assist the new technology innovation being used at Mhani Gingi,” said Minister Zulu.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted community-based food relief operations and NDA introduced its volunteer programme to assist with household food distribution, assist persons in applying for the COVID-19 Special Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R350,00 and to assist with queue management at SASSA offices during the lockdown.
Twenty-two CSOs which partnered with the NDA were asked to recruit and employ 228 volunteers from communities across the province to implement a comprehensive programme that also included awareness and preventive screening interventions to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The NDA volunteer programme was effectively utilised recently to manage the long queues at SASSA offices across the country.
Noting the alarming increase in domestic and GBVF incidents during the lockdown, the NDA funded CSOs that provide direct prevention and support services to victims of violence. To date, 23 gender-based violence CSOs have been funded to the tune of R2 950,00.00.
The GBVF programmes are able to identify, refer and offer rehabilitation support to GBVF victims - directly from households, police stations and clinics which brings services closer to those that need protective services. Further to this they conduct community education and advocacy in all local languages to raise awareness of support services available.
The Minister’s pre-SoNA oversight visit will continue tomorrow (11 February, 2020) in Cape Town scheduled as follows:
Time: 8am – 9am
Venue: SASSA Local Office, Bellville
Time: 10am – 12pm
Venue: Borcherds Quarry Road, Nyanga
Media can RSVP for the above-mentioned by contacting Ms Sharlene Naiker on 082 673 5849 / SharleneN@dsd.gov.za or Ms Nomfundo Xulu-Lentsoane on 066 480 6845/ NomfundoLe@dsd.gov.za
Media enquiries for may be forwarded to:
Lumka Oliphant
Department of Social Development
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: lumkao@dsd.gov.za
For interviews with the CEO of the NDA CEO please contact:
Lesego Ranchu
Cell: 073 547 2800
E-mail Lesegor@nda.org.za
