DEPARTMENT STRENGTHENS TIES WITH SCHOOL UNIFORM MANUFACTURING

By Lawrence Mashabela

• The Gauteng Department of Social Development’s Sustainable Livelihood Unit hosted a comprehensive review session with contractors and sub-contractors involved in the school uniform manufacturing project, focusing on improvements for the 2024/2025 cycle.
• The session aimed to address past challenges and foster greater cooperation among women-led sewing cooperatives, ensuring that the project better serves underprivileged learners.
• Department officials assured stakeholders that new measures would be implemented to resolve previous issues, with an emphasis on adherence to norms and standards and improving payment processes.

In an ongoing effort to strengthen relationships with stakeholders, the Gauteng Department of Social Development’s Sustainable Livelihood Unit conducted a comprehensive review session with both main contractors and sub-contractors involved in the school uniform manufacturing project. The meeting took place last Friday at the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller building in Marshalltown and was designed to address challenges encountered in previous years while discussing improvements for the upcoming 2024/2025 school uniform project aimed at supporting deserving learners.

Hundreds of women-led school uniform sewing cooperatives attended the session, eager to share their concerns and suggestions. Deputy Director for Special Projects, Sello Mabaso, highlighted the significance of this engagement.

“Our primary objective with this session was to give all NPOs involved in the school uniform project a platform to express their views on what needs to be done going forward and to identify areas for improvement,” he stated.

Mabaso acknowledged the difficulties faced in the previous year and assured attendees that such issues would not recur. He stressed that the upcoming production cycle would strictly adhere to established norms and standards, encouraging greater cooperation among the cooperatives to better meet the needs of underprivileged children. “Sometimes some of you do not qualify because you are not assisting each other,” Mabaso noted, urging a spirit of collaboration.

Jennifer Matlala, a 66-year-old member of the Bokang Jehovah Cooperative from Tshwane, welcomed the department’s proactive approach. “We are happy that the department has taken steps to engage us before they advertise. We hope this time they will do things right, as last year was problematic. We believe our input will add value to the process,” she said, expressing optimism for improvements in payment processes and subcontracting reviews.

The session marked an important step in ensuring a more efficient and collaborative approach to the school uniform project, ultimately aiming to better support the children who rely on these essential services.