DEPARTMENT AND PARTNERS EMPOWER BRANDVLEI WITH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT

By Sipho Ncube

• Service Delivery Blitz brings essential social and economic support directly to the Brandvlei community.
• Recent household profiling has identified critical challenges such as unemployment, restricted opportunities for youth, and heightened social vulnerabilities.
• Youth-focused organisation Bambisandla-Sam offers accredited skills programmes to improve employability and promote sustainable livelihoods.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development, together with partners in the Western Corridor, brought support to the community of Brandvlei near Randfontein during a much-needed Service Delivery Blitz held on Monday, 01 December 2025.
Boitumelo Lebelo, Community Development Practitioner for Sustainable Livelihoods, explained that the blitz forms part of the War on Poverty programme, which delivers essential government and community services directly to residents. These services include Social Assistance, Health, Education and various economic empowerment opportunities.
“This initiative aims to break down barriers that community members face daily, including lack of information, unemployment, limited economic opportunities for youth, and pressing social issues such as gender-based violence, crime, and substance abuse,” said Lebelo. These challenges were highlighted through recent household profiling conducted in the area.
Project Coordinator Ncebakazi Giyama from Bambisandla-Sam, a youth-focused Non-Profit Organisation in the West Rand, said their NPO provides accredited technical skills programmes and learnerships designed to uplift communities and improve young people’s competitiveness in the job market.
“Our programmes are aligned to qualifications and accredited to ensure quality and relevance,” Giyama noted.
Bambisandla-Sam offers a selection of three-month courses designed to enhance participants’ career prospects. Programs include Assistant Chef, Fast Food Cook, Hospitality Reception, Garment Construction, Ward Hostess, Advanced Baking, Laundry Assistant, and Bar Attendant. Additionally, all participants complete a mandatory two-week Computer End-User course. These initiatives aim to broaden opportunities and support the development of sustainable livelihoods.