Port Elizabeth, South Africa - The
Minister of Social Development, Hon Bathabile Dlamini, will meet and interact
with the community of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, on
Wednesday October 27, as part of the Department’s ongoing service delivery
improvement initiative, Project Mikondzo.
Through Project
Mikondzo, the Department of Social Development seeks to address the prevailing
social challenges in the country’s poorest 1300 wards. Project Mikondzo – a
Xitsonga word for footprints – allows the Department to increase its footprint
and reach every corner of South Africa with its services. The main aim is to improve responsiveness to
the needs of the people and break down the structural barriers created by
apartheid that placed government far from people.
The Department has over the past few weeks
conducted Community Dialogues in ten wards of the Nelson Mandela Bay
Municipality to get the community’s perspective on the socio-economic
challenges they face. The dialogues
reveal that youth unemployment, the neglect of people living with disabilities,
alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and the abuse of women, children and
the elderly are among the most critical challenges within the Municipality.
Issues of gender-based violence are expected to
receive special attention during the Imbizo as the event takes place during the
16 Days of Activism Against Women and Children Abuse. The event also takes place just a few days
before the launch by the Department on December 2 of a 24-hour call centre for
reporting gender-based violence.
The Minister will also use this opportunity to
listen to the concerns and challenges of the Nelson Mandela Bay community and,
in consultation with the community, introduce interventions to tackle the
social challenges that prevail in the area.
The Imbizo promotes
participative governance and will allow the community of Nelson Mandela Bay to
have a say in decision-making processes affecting their future, as well as make
them aware of the services available from the Department and its agencies, the
South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and National Development Agency
(NDA).
Members of the media are invited to cover the
Imbizo. The details are as follows:
Venue: Kuyga Sports Field,
Kuyga Township, Port Elizabeth
Date: 27 November 2013
Time: 11h00
No comments:
Post a Comment