October has been declared Social Development Month. Annually during October the Department of Social Development highlight key government programs that are aimed at fighting poverty and building a caring society for all, together with all Partners: Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations and Community-Based Organizations.
>>Social Development Month Media Breakfast Briefing
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Throughout the month, the Department of Social Development, together with its agencies, the National Development Agency (NDA) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), will host events to spread awareness of, and accelerate the various services that Government offers to vulnerable groups. This year, the Department will continue to celebrate Social Development Month under the theme "Working together to Build Caring and Sustainable Communities."
Annually Social Development Month marks activities such as the International Day of Older Persons which is celebrated on 1 October, World Rural Women’s Day on 15 October, World Food Day on 16 October and International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October.
Since October is also the birth month of the former President of the ANC, Oliver Tambo, and his legacy will be preserved, in line with the ANC Centenary Celebrations. The month of October 2012 will pay homage to President Oliver Tambo. Tambo served the movement for a record breaking period since 1967 – 1991. He will be saluted for his unprecedented dedicated leadership under the theme “International Solidarity”. Having been entrusted by the ANC with the complex challenge to open up its external mission, he set off into the world and mobilised it to support our people’s struggle. Celebrations will take place in all provinces, with a focus in Gauteng.
He is fondly remembered for the moving and inspiring speech he rendered at Georgetown University on January 27, 1987. And I quote: "We seek to create a united Democratic and non-racial society. We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity. Using the power you derive from the discovery of the truth about racism in South Africa, you will help us to remake our part of the world into a corner of the globe on which all -- of which all of humanity can be proud. "One of the ideas that have inspired many of us in my generation of black South Africans is that race should cease to be a category that governs relations between and among peoples. Scientific enquiry and social experience have combined to bury the primitive notions that skin pigmentation was a factor which affects the intellectual capacity of individuals and an element that determines people`s natural place in society. One hopes that never again will science prostitute itself to serve the ignoble purposes of those who have, in the past, argued in favour of false theses about the natural superiority of white over black people, of so-called Aryans over non-Aryans, of one race over another.
Some of the key objectives we seek to attain during this month would include amongst others:
Promoting social development.
Celebrating key achievements on government programmes.
Highlighting the plight of citizens.
Create community awareness on Social Development and government in general, while highlighting the roles and responsibilities of communities.
Accelerate service delivery.
Address key socio-economic challenges.
The focus of the Social Development Month is to accelerate service delivery to address key socio-economic challenges and contribute to the attainment of government priorities. In particular, the activities of the 2012 Social Development Month will focus on:
Building on the successes of the previous years, and as part of taking government to the people, the Department will focus on key programs that will bring about sustainable improvement in the well being of individuals, families and communities. Among other things the key activities for Social Development Month will include:
International Day for Older Persons
Celebration of 10 years - Sinothando Children’s Home, in Kimberley.
Balelapa Graduation Ceremony
World Rural Women’s Day
World Food Day (done in collaboration with Department of Agriculture)
International Day for Poverty Eradication (link up with NDA)
Impact of our Everyday Heroes Initiative
Launching of the Bendell Youth Service Centre
Over and above this we have also included as part of the pack, a comprehensive program of activities which will be taking place across the province. And through this whole month’s programs, we would like to emphasis the fact that:
Government is committed to building a better life for all.
Government is determined to remove children from poverty.
Government is committed to enhancing the socio-economic rights of children.
Forge Partnership critical to the Government’s delivery of services
Our expectation at the end of this would be to have:
Increased awareness of citizens of government programs.
Assessing the impact of government interventions and programs.
Fostering integrated planning and working together.
Involvement and active participation of all tiers of government.
Enhancing community capacity to respond to their own problems, through community awareness, ownership and the responsibility to address their own challenges).
In conclusion allow me to quote from one of the Icons of our Liberation Struggle:
“We are gathered here to answer one question: how does humanity co-operate to build a better life for all. If this question sounds trite in its simplicity and too familiar in its rhyme, it is because this challenge has been with us for millennia. More often, however, the need to pursue the good of all has been subsumed under the narrow interest of the self or the corporate unit. The endless cycle then becomes: better circumstances for a few, precarious ones for many, and indeed, worse for the majority”. Speech by Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa, at the UN World Summit for Social Development 12 March 1995.
I THANK YOU