Address by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala during the KwaZulu-Natal Children Parliament, Edumbe Local Municipality, 31 May 2022
Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Members;
Community of Edumbe;
Our Most Important Participants and Guests: The beautiful Children of KwaZulu-Natal;
Friends and Compatriots;
Introduction and context
It is an absolute joy to participate at the 2022 KwaZulu-Natal Children’s Parliament among the community of Edumbe.
As most parents will attest, we continue to gather the strength to wake up every day in an effort to build our country because we are inspired and motivated by the dreams and aspirations of the innocent children of our land.
Thanks to our democratic breakthrough, we have laws and a Constitution that values and protects the rights of all the children of this country.
This Children’s Parliament is one of the ways through which our democratic government seeks to ensure that the children of KwaZulu-Natal are at the centre of the programmes of their government.
We hold this Children’s Parliament during Child’s Protection Week. Our country uses National Child Protection Week to create greater awareness about the rights of children as inscribed in the Constitution of the Republic and various pieces of legislation.
We join all stakeholders and our government to make a clarion call to society to end the cycle of abuse, exploitation, and neglect of children.
As we meet, we recall the words of one of the greatest champions of the rights of children, our beloved international icon, the late President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
It was Madiba who said: “there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
Despite our collective efforts to open the doors of learning and culture for children, to provide meals for the children of the poor at our schools, to expand healthcare and to cushion them against poverty through the provision of social grants, we know that many of our children are still exposed to a number of threats.
These threats include abuse, hunger, malnutrition, and violence.
As we meet, research shows that COVID-19 only exacerbated hunger and malnutrition for many of our children.
With many parents losing their jobs because of the global pandemic, many more children have been left exposed to the violence of hunger.
It was even tragic to learn about the rise in sexual abuse of children and women during a time that should have united our society to face a common enemy – the invisible coronavirus.
Many of the men who behave as predators are sadly often relatives or people known to children. We will continue to call on families and communities to report such abusers to law enforcement and not protect them. They belong in jail, not near our children.
The black girl child faces more challenges. She has become the face of sexual abuse and exploitation by older men. It is alarming that year after year, we keep learning about thousands of children and teenagers falling pregnant. Children as young as 10 years old. It is said that as we speak, more than 34 000 teenagers are pregnant.
We condemn these predatory men who in many instances exploit the hunger and poverty of these young children. Our laws are clear that sleeping with children younger than 16 is statutory rape – there can never be consent sleeping with children as young as 10 years old. Shame on them!
We encourage families and communities to report these immoral men who are stealing the future of our children and exposing them to deadly diseases and risking their lives because such children are not ready to give birth and to raise babies.
This Children’s Parliament must be seized with this challenge and make recommendations of how we can stop this. We are indeed aware that it is not a new topic, but one that remains crucial given the rising levels of poverty in the context of high unemployment and increasing cost of living.
Tata Madiba would be sad to see that our moral fibre as a society has been shattered like this. He would say we need to do more to reclaim our moral high ground, and we can do so by protecting our children and supporting them to reach their dreams. Our brokenness as a society is also confirmed when we see fathers and even mothers go to the extent of harming and killing their own children.
The protection of children is not only a function of the criminal justice system. To succeed, we need to mobilise the whole of society. It means families and communities must be vigilant and play their part. It also means that we spend more time changing the behaviour of boys and teach them to treat girls as their equals, not subordinates.
We also wish to encourage our girls to participate in government-led initiatives like YOLO (You Live Only Once) and ChommY and many more. We applaud the donor community as well as various NGOs that work with government to develop young girls who are confident, resilient, have a positive self-esteem, and make informed decisions about their bodies and future. We must continue too with our programmes on safe sex and share information on prevention and contraceptives.
We wish to assure you young people of KwaZulu-Natal that this government is working hard to restore the dignity of all the people of this country. We are doing this by paying attention to the economy so that we can create an economy that creates employment, reduces inequality, and ends poverty.
We ask you to stay in the classroom, avoid peer pressure and bad company. Please focus on getting education and skills. As they say, education is a passport to your future, so please, be patient and listen to your teachers and mentors. We have absolute faith in you that with education and skills, you will become the leaders that will help build our country and create employment for many of the people of our country who are struggling at present.
We mean it when we say we care about you, we love you, we believe in you. Remember, this is your country and it is you who will inherit it and lead it. Use this time to study and be the best that you can be in your chosen field or career.
The 2021 Children’s Parliament Report
Honourable Members, please allow me to present the 2021 report for adoption. The report is available for everyone and we will use this time to only give highlights. MPLs and Members of the Executive Council will also have an opportunity to elaborate and respond to specific questions as they may arise.
You will recall that the 2021 Children’s Parliament was held on 01 June 2021 at the Pietermaritzburg City Hall.
There was a clear recognition that the children of KwaZulu-Natal, like many in our country, face neglect, abuse, and exploitation.
The 2021 Resolutions were derived from the robust engagements and dialogues.
It was resolved that that the Department of Education should monitor and assess the work done by the schools’ safety district committees and ensure that schools become a safe environment conducive for teaching and learning.
Another resolution was that the Department of Education should ensure that more special schools are built in Districts to ensure that disabled children get equal access to education.
Given the challenges of learning brought by COVID-19 and those of children in remote rural villages, it was further resolved that KZN schools must be equipped with necessary technological devices which will enable learners from disadvantaged schools to keep up with the rest of the society.
We can report progress to this 2022 Children Parliament as follows:
- Districts have ensured that schools establish School Safety Committees in order to devise strategies to prevent violent incidents.
- All schools are linked with Police Stations to facilitate prompt reaction to incidents of violence.
- Local Councillors and Traditional Authorities are mobilized to address violent incidents in their local schools.
- Districts have been requested to hold awareness campaigns against violent incidents, guided by the Provincial School Safety Strategy.
- For the financial year 2020/21, 10 new special schools were built. This includes 8 that were upgraded and 2 that were newly built i.e., Pholela and Daniel Mzamo in Harry Gwala District. There are several schools planned for implementation such as Musa, Zamimpilo and Bawelile LSEN School.
- The KZN Department of Education is championing the implementation of ICT in Education programme to provide information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure and resources in identified schools.
- The Department is setting up a high-definition broadcast studio at the Provincial Teacher Development Institute (PTDI) to record and broadcast lessons on-line or via the You Tube channel.
- Broadcast lessons for Grade 12 learners in high enrolment subjects.
- Have set up an on-line learning facilitation programme based on the Microsoft Office 365 platform.
- Revamping and updating of the KZN Funda portal to provide learners with zero-rated learning content anytime, anywhere.
- Registering all learners and teachers on the free Siyavula on-line educational platform.
- Provide access for Grade 11 & 12 learners to the HeyMath! and HeyScience! learning management system to improve learner attainment in Mathematics Science.
- Provide data bundles to indigent Grade 11 & 12 learners for them to access on-line learning resources.
- An online KZN-Funda Portal is being revamped for use by Grade 10-12 learners and Educators.
- Through additional new funding allocation, the Department is targeting an additional 54 schools and detailed quantities of resources to be deployed in total area highlighted below:
Honourable Members, the last sitting of the Children’s Parliament also resolved that the Department of Arts and Culture must raise awareness against Ukuthwala and making umuthi from human body parts. It is tragic that as we meet, recently in the province of Mpumalanga we learned about the kidnapping, murder, and mutilation of six year old Bontle Mashiyane.
It is unimaginable the level of cruelty that people are willing to inflict on others. There is definitely a need for the Province of KwaZulu-Natal to pay more attention to the cases of human trafficking. We call on the Department of Education to also play its part in raising awareness about this despicable crime which often involves girl children. We will continue to work closer with our religious and traditional leaders as well as African healers to eliminate it.
From last year’s sitting, we wish to report thus:
- The Department of Arts and Culture hosted community conversations (1 per cluster) covering all District municipalities in an effort to create awareness and mobilize communities to strengthen the fight against the many social ills- not limited but including ukuthwala.
- In Greater Kokstad covering Harry Gwala, uGu and uMgungundlovu in June 2021 targeting youth and benefitting 500 people.
- In Inkosi Langalibalele Municipality covering uThukela, uMzinyathi and Amajuba in August 2021. The dialogue was attended by 50 people from the three Districts.
- Pongola Municipality covering Zululand, uMkhanyakude and King Cetshwayo in November 2021 and was attended by 246 people from the three Districts.
- eThekwini dialogue was held in December 2021, and this benefitted about 500 people.
- In August 2021 the Department hosted a dialogue in Inkosi Langalibalele Municipality with traditional leaders and community members discussing various issues including ukuthwala. Approximately 50 participants were involved in the dialogue.
- The Department as part of its annual plans will host a follow up dialogue in August 2022 now focusing on ukuthwala targeting 50 community members and traditional leaders. The dialogue will be expanded to involve researchers with the intention to develop literature and content on this matter.
- On 13 June 2022, the Department will support two albinism awareness campaigns targeting 150 people each, in eThekwini and uMkhanyakude to fight deadly myths and stigma.
Honourable Memebers, it was noted last year that many of our children were getting infected by COVID-19. We can report that:
- The Department of Health commenced with the vaccination of children from 12 years old and older on 20th October 2021 and research is being done for children below 12 years to see whether they can be included into the vaccination program.
- The Department is continuing with vaccine, they have dedicated a week of the 15th May up to 22nd May 2022 to actually intensify the vaccination programme in an integrated approach.
- A comprehensive Communication Strategy is used to encourage children, and adults alike, to be vaccinated
Honourable Members, last year the Department of Social Development was mandated to engage on the ongoing programs focusing on raising awareness against all social ills with a special focus to rural and township schools.
We wish to report back to this session of the 2022 Children’s Parliament that:
- A total of 14767 families reached through Parenting Programmes.
- A total of 79794 beneficiaries were reached through Prevention and Early Intervention Programmes.
- A total of 10 112 children were reached through awareness programmes on Teenage Pregnancy.
- A total of 140 533 service users reached through Substance Abuse Prevention Programmes.
- A total of 27638 beneficiaries reached through Social Behavior Programmes.
- A total of 78184 beneficiaries reached through Social Crime Prevention Programmes.
The Children’s Parliament also resolved that the Department of Social Development should ensure that psycho-social services and White Door Centres are made available in all local municipalities across the province.
- The Department in partnership with its stakeholders reached 83885 beneficiaries through psychosocial services during the 4th quarter of 2021/22 financial year.
- The Province is working in partnership with a total of 31 White Doors for provision of services to victims of violence and a total of 164 victims received services during the 4th quarter of 2021/22 financial year:
- A total of 704 victims of Gender Based Violence and Femicide who accessed Sheltering Services during the 4th quarter of 2021/22 financial year.
Honourable Members, last year’s Parliament noted that perpetrators of child abuse are sometimes not convicted for their crimes due to lack of evidence. In order to improve conviction rates, the Report that we are presenting responds as follow to this challenge:
- There is a newly established unit within the Department of Community Safety and Liaison called the Court Watching Brief and Docket Monitoring unit;
- The Department is monitoring case dockets that are struck-off the court roll due to police inefficiencies or systemic failures on the side of the police;
- Police systemic failures monitored by the Department include, failure by the Investigating Officer to bring the Docket at court, Incomplete Investigations, Outstanding Lab Reports, Accused not brought to court and failure by the investigating officer to subpoena witnesses or not following the instructions of the Public Prosecutor.
- This important initiative of the department is aimed at transforming the police service into a professional and community-centered police.
- Equally the work will assist victims of crime by ensuring that they receive the justice they deserve and regain trust in the police and the entire CJS.
- On-going capacitation of the members dealing with child abuse cases continues to be emphasized.
Conclusion
Honourable Members, in tabling this 2022 Children’s Parliament Report, let us work together to create safer homes, schools, communities and neighborhoods for the children of our province.
As their representatives, we must unite and work together in transforming our economy so that it can serve all the people of our province and contribute to the reduction of violence directed at children.
Once again, we wish to encourage our children to respect their elders and make use of all the opportunities that their parents and our government are offering for their personal development.
We pray that they will also have the courage to report those who are taking advantage of them even if they are close family members. As a society, we have a moral responsibility to defend them from their abusers.
We must refuse that innocent children must grow up living in fear.
As we said earlier, we have absolute faith in all of you that you will be our future leaders who will make South Africa a truly winning and prosperous nation.
Together Growing KwaZulu-Natal!
I thank you.
