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MEETING WITH HOD
A delegation from the Gauteng Welfare, Social Service and Development
Forum met with the HOD of the Gauteng Department of Social Development,
Mr Bheki Sibeko, on 19 June 2006. The purpose of the meeting was to
discuss ongoing problems with regard to subsidy payments – including
late payment and delays arising from problems with the Signing of
Service Level Agreements - and a number of other issues relating to the
working relationship between the NPOs and the Department. It was agreed
that a list of problems with subsidy payments which was presented to the
Department, including very large arrears in payments to the JCWS, would
be investigated without delay. The HOD also agreed that more detailed
information concerning the breakdown of funding for NPOs in the
provincial budget would be provided as requested by the Forum. He
announced that at the request of MEC Kgaogelo Lekgoro a series of
workshops would be conducted during July, each of which would focus on a
particular field of service in the province, such as child and family
care, disability, mental health etc. The idea will be to examine the
extent of needs in each field, the degree to which these are being met,
and the balance to be achieved between community-based and institutional
services. Information from each of these workshops will be channelled
directly into the provincial budgetary process. The GWSSDF
representatives present experienced the meeting as very constructive.
NATIONAL LOTTERY
The JCWS is one of a number of organisations which have been bringing
into the public eye the fact that the distribution of funds from the
National Lottery has ground to a halt. This is because of a seven-month
delay in the appointment, by the Minister of Trade and Industry, of the
Distribution Panels which approve and pay the relevant grants. The
previous panels ended their term of office in November 2005, and this
term was extended until March 2006 to allow the Minister extra time to
replace them. It is still not clear why this was not done. In the case
of the JCWS the delay has caused a shortfall of R2m for which we
budgeted on the basis of a promise made last year. Meanwhile all the
media work plus approaches which have been made to different levels of
government seem to be having an effect, and we have been assured that
several of the Distribution Panels, including the “Charities” Panel
which deals with funding for our sector, are now in place and should
soon be operating normally. The JCWS and the networks of which it is
part will continue to highlight the need for the Lotto, and other major
funders such as the National Development Agency, to operate within a
framework which will promote stable funding for the social welfare
sector, in place of the hit-and-miss chase after money which takes up so
much of the time and energy of organisations at present. We will also
continue to call for our work to be treated by all government structures
as a matter of children’s constitutional rights rather than “charity”.
CHILDREN’S BILL
The first Children’s Bill was signed by the State President on 8 June
and is now the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 (thus dated because it was
passed by both Houses of Parliament at the end of last year). The Act
should by now have reached all JCWS departments. The national Department
of Social Development is still running workshops with stakeholders to
try and reach as much consensus as possible around the second Bill,
which has just been tabled in the National Council of Provinces as the
Children’s Amendment Bill. The expectation continues to be that the
final Act (combining the two Bills) will be in operation in 2008, by
which time concerns about costing should have been resolved and the
Regulations should be in place. The JCWS is continuing to participate in
discussions concerning the second Bill, and is also assisting in a
training programme that is being developed at the University of the
Western Cape for practitioners who will be called on to apply the new
legislation.
CHILD LABOUR CONFERENCE
A regional conference on child labour that took place in Ekurhuleni at
the beginning of July represents a landmark in the Southern African
struggle against this form of child abuse. Delegates from South Africa,
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya
shared their experiences and initiatives. The focus was in particular on
the “worst forms of child labour” as itemized in the ILO convention of
that name. Child trafficking in South Africa and neighbouring states was
one of the forms that came under the spotlight. Recent ILO figures show
that, worldwide, there has been a significant decrease in child labour.
Unfortunately, Africa is far behind the rest of the world in this
regard, and the AIDS pandemic is drawing many children into many forms
of labour which are a serious threat to their wellbeing and development.
Nevertheless, the fact that other countries are succeeding should
encourage us to move forward, in the knowledge that success is possible
with sufficient commitment, and if all sectors of society work together.
The communication between governments and NPOs and the regional
workshopping which took place at the conference bode well for
inter-country cooperation against the exploitation of children. Several
departments of the South African government were present including
Labour, Education, Foreign Affairs and Social Development. NPO
representatives are hoping that the messages from the conference will
help beef up the references to child labour in the Children’s Amendment
Bill.
CHILD PROTECTION WEEK AND MONTH
As usual the JCWS participated actively in Child Protection Week and
Month (commencing with the week that incorporates 1 June, International
Children’s Day, and continuing on through the rest of the month). The
Foster Care Department in association with the SAPS engaged 402 learners
from seven schools in Meadowlands, along with parents and teachers, in a
programme of activities relating to children’s rights and
responsibilities, child safety and child protection. A green ribbon, the
child protection emblem, featured in an episode of “Isindingo” at the
instigation of the JCWS. Head office staff gathered on the plaza outside
Nino’s in the CBD, and on a walk to Gandhi Square, wearing bandannas
with green ribbons sewn on them by the Themba Lethu girls. They handed
out green balloons, each of which contained a slip of paper on which was
written one of the rights of the child. CATTS gave presentations on
child rights and safety issues at the Christ Church Shelter, a school in
Kempton Park, and also at Sunshine Centre in Soweto for caregivers of
children with disabilities, who are at particular risk of abuse. CFU
gave talks and presented a puppet show at schools in Soweto and
Doornfontein and at an ECD Centre in Soweto, as well as producing an
article for the Daily Sun about options for desperate mothers other than
the abandonment of their babies. Othandweni’s programme included an
opening ceremony for Child Protection Week for the children in its
crèche, the wearing of green ribbons by all the children for the whole
week, a visit from the Black-Eyed Peas, a discussion on children’s
rights and their corresponding responsibilities, a child rights drama, a
debate, and talks on safety and crime prevention by the SAPS.
Masibambisane reached out to six schools in its area to explain its
services and provide information about children’s rights. They also
roped in SANCA to inform the learners about drug and alcohol abuse and
the services they offer.
All-in-all, the JCWS made a strong contribution to the national and
international effort to promote awareness about the importance of
nurturing and protecting our youngest members.
Until next time,
Jackie Loffell
Advocacy Coordinator
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