DEPUTY MINISTER TO LEAD FAMILY DAY COMMEMORATION ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY SERVICE OUTREACH IN PARYS

By DSD News

• Social Development Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks will celebrate the International Day of Families in Parys, Free State, on 29 May 2026.
• The day is used to promote the importance of family solidarity, under this year’s theme of “Families, Inequalities, and Child Well-being”.
• The celebrations take place alongside an Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme, which will allow residents easy access to government services such as grant applications or help with identity documents.

Families remain one of the most important pillars of society, playing a central role in nurturing and caring for individuals across all stages of life, including children, youth, men, women, persons with disabilities, and older persons.

In recognition of this role, the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Ganief Hendricks, will, on Friday, 29 June 2026, commemorate the International Day of Families in Parys, in the Free State, under the theme: “Families, Inequalities, and Child Well-being”.

The day is used to promote the importance of family solidarity, with family members encouraged to work together to support one another through challenges, trials, and tribulations. It also serves as a platform to recognise and embrace all families, irrespective of race, gender, or sexual orientation.

On the same day, the Department of Social Development’s South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will lead an Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme at the Master Nakedi Indoor Sports Centre in Parys, in the Fezile Dabi District.

The initiative is designed to extend essential social services directly to communities.

Residents will have the chance to speak with SASSA officials and representatives from other government departments about service delivery concerns.

The outreach brings critical services closer to the people, including assistance with grant applications and support for identity document applications.

The Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme forms part of broader efforts to strengthen and support families as the first line of defence against social challenges such as teenage pregnancy, school dropout, substance abuse, and the ongoing scourge of gender-based violence and femicide.

Deputy Minister Hendricks will use the occasion to interact directly with residents of Parys and surrounding areas, engaging on service delivery matters as well as other services offered by the Department of Social Development and its entities, including SASSA and the National Development Agency.