SPEECH BY MEC NANDI MAYATHULA-KHOZA
MEDIA CHRISTMAS DINNER
EMOYENI CONFERENCE CENTRE
13 DECEMBER 2012
Programme Director Adv John Nesidoni
HOD Simangele Sekgobela
HOD Shoki Tshabalala
Senior Managers from both GDARD and Social Development
Distinguished members of the media
Ladies and Gentlemen
Dumelang, Molweni, Sanibonani, Good Evening,
I am truly delighted to be with you this evening for our maiden MEC/Media Christmas dinner. A dinner envisioned to afford us as the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (GDARD) and Social Development, an opportunity to thank you,members of the media, for your continued support and positive coverage throughout 2012. I believe this meeting tonight is in,of itself, a testament to our maturity as a people and nation, that as Government and media, we are able to assemble in a room for the sole purpose of saying thank you. Because, when all has been said and done, the ties that bind us as South Africans far outweigh the differences that may try and break us.
So tonight we indeed gather to say thank you, to you our partners outside Government, for your continued dedication and contribution towards the upflitment and education of our people through information dissemination, as Government alone, we would not reach the millions that collectively we are able too, proving, that working together, we can indeed achieve more. Through our collaborative efforts as media partners and Government, we have addressed some fundamental social ills and empowered our people and for that we are grateful. The relationship we have forged enables us to communicate some of our key programmes and priorities, including challenges.
With Christmas fast approaching and the year drawing to an end, we all use this time to rest, reflect and spend quality time with our loved ones. And as we reflect on 2012, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the successes and challenges faced by both Departments during this period.
Some highlights include the sterling work done by our Veterinary Services in tackling the outbreak of Rabies which occurred in Fourways. Due to their excellent work, this outbreak was contained and our Department went on to proactivelyembark on a vaccination drive, offering all pets free vaccinations. As we all know, Rabies is a deadly disease which has claimed many lives, especially if not contained and treated in pets, so we must commend the work of the Gauteng Government State Vets, for ensuring no Rabies deaths occurred in our province during 2012.
During this year, our Department and Province had the privilege of hosting the Deputy President’s War on Poverty Campaign, in the West Rand. During the visit, our Department had the honour of taking the Deputy President to a remarkable project, called Tila’s Hydroponics and Vegetable Farm, one of our numerous Agricultural success stories in the province.
Another highlight was the much anticipated launch of the Agricultural College, which took place in March. As you would all know the African National Congress (ANC) has rightfully identified Agriculture as a key economic driver, both in job creation, poverty alleviation and food security. So the launch of this College in our Province is paramount in ensuring that the doors of learning are open and that our people are equipped with the knowledge to ensure they also enter this sector.
Unfortunately for a variety of reasons, our two (2) Departments underspent on the allocated budget, a serious concern indeed, which I have addressed and believe will be corrected going into 2013.
From Social Development, 2012 saw the Department implement an integrated substance abuse strategy so as to improve effectiveness of service delivery and reduce the incidence of substance abuse. The strategy involved school holiday programmes, Ke Moja drug prevention programme, school safety programme, peer educators programme and prison tour educational programme. The approach employed included home visits, school visits and counseling to enhance resilience and promote individual strengths.
However it was also a trying year, with an alarming number of women and children being abused. I am sure members of the media recall the heart wrenching story of the young disabled girl from Braamfisherville who was gang raped and her ordeal recorded on cell phone. That case and many similar cases, unfortunately demonstrate how abuse has reared its ugly head in our society and plagued our nation.
As MEC for Social Development, I would like to seize this opportunity to remind us of Ubuntu and plead that we jointly rekindle that spirit which our country and people are renowned for. Last week, our nation united in observing the 16 Days of Activism Against the Abuse of Women and Children. During those days we collectively unite in our fight against the abuse of women and children, but unfortunately even with such efforts of Government, abuse still persists.
I therefore ask you to unite with Government and use your various media platforms to address this scourge by educating our people that abuse of the elderly, disabled, young and women is a crime that we, as society, will not tolerate.
Another highlight from the Social Development Department is Social cooperatives which are organs of civil society that are intended to bring in the element of social cohesion and local economic development synergy amongst organised communities. Our strategy is premised on ensuring that communities can dialogue, save together, trade amongst them and create communal support systems through the means of a social cooperative. The strategy has a social bias than profiteering and recognises the sustainable livelihoods approach as a key ingredient for mobilisation, enhancement of savings schemes and social upliftment.
Through providing contracts to social cooperatives in previously disadvantaged communities, work opportunities were created for those participating in these cooperatives. In this regard a total of 1574 cooperatives were contracted by the department by the end of September 2012, a significant milestone indeed.
In closing, we are all aware that our country is faced with the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and growing inequality. Despite Government’s efforts, many people still go to bed hungry, many children are without clothing and many are without shelter. So, as we celebrate Christmas in a few days, let us remember the real meaning of Christmas, a time of giving and sharing of goodwill among men.
Could we then put aside our differences and spread a little love and happiness by giving of ourselves, our time and our money to those in need. What would a little doll for that orphan cost? A warm plate of food for that neighbour you know has no food? A loaf of bread to that homeless man? A visit to an elderly person in your street, who sits day after day alone? So with those few words, I would like to provoke us into action going forward and urge you as members of the media to do like-wise. Let us remind our people of the miracle that is South Africa and encourage us to make 2013 a better year for everyone.
Let me end by sharing another highlight, the plight of girl children in schools who cannot afford to buy sanitary towels has been recognized and the Department intervened by distributing dignity packs containing Vaseline, body lotion, tooth paste, roll-on and a pack of sanitary towels to these children. Training has also been offered on how to dispose the sanitary pads in an effort to maintain health standards and contribute to effective drainage management systems.
This project helped to keep many girls in school and to provide an income for one of the cooperatives producing them. Some of the benefits for provision of dignity packs are that:
•The dignity and the rights of the girl child to school is restored
•The rate of school attendance improved
•The health and reproductive rights of the girl children upheld
And for all these articles and stories reported by yourselves, thank you.
As I close, on behalf of my two (2) Departments, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2013. May the warmth of the festive season be with you and your family throughout the coming year.
Thank you
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