DR BOGOPANE-ZULU VISITS TRINITY MINISTRIES CHURCH

By Sello Tang

• Deputy Minister Dr Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu launched her outreach programme in Amajuba District Municipality, starting at Trinity Ministries in Nyanyandu village, Daanhauser Local Municipality, KwaZulu Natal Province.

• As part of the District Development Model (DDM), the outreach aims to strengthen ties with faith-based organisations, fostering collaboration to combat poverty and social challenges in Amajuba since 2020.
• During her visit, the Deputy Minister underscored the importance of partnerships, particularly in raising awareness and promoting compliance of Faith-based non-profit organisations with the NPO Act, while highlighting the need for churches to maintain sanctity and tackle societal issues like money laundering and human trafficking.

The Deputy Minister of Social Development, Dr Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, kickstarted her outreach programme in Amajuba District Municipality today, 03 March 2024, by visiting the Trinity Ministries in Nyanyandu village, Daanhauser Local Municipality in KwaZulu Natal Province.

Deputy Minister Dr Bogopane-Zulu, as the District Development Model (DDM) champion of the Amajuba District, visited the church as part of her week-long community outreach programmes in Amajuba District Municipality areas.

During each Outreach Programme in the Amajuba Municipality precinct since 2020, Deputy Minister Dr Bogopane-Zulu has visited numerous churches to enhance the relationship between the Department of Social Development and these faith-based organisations in their effort to combat poverty and social ills.

The visit to the Trinity Church was also informed by the Department’s policy to create awareness and promote compliance of Faith-based non-organisation organisations (NPOs) to the NPO Act. 

“Part of our visit here is to forge and strengthen the relationship between the Department of Social Development and the faith-based organisations in our quest to partner in the delivery of impactful services to the communities in Amajuba,” said Dr Bogopane-Zulu. The Deputy Minister emphasised that the relationship must advance significantly to effectively combat the widespread issues of money laundering and human trafficking facilitated through churches. She underscored that it is the responsibility of church leadership to ensure that their congregations remain sanctified and free from any illicit activities such as money laundering. This money normally ends up feeding into terrorism around the world. The faith-based organisations were also called upon to assist in rooting the social ills in communities where they are situated, such as alcohol and drug abuse, and the scourge of the pandemic of Gender-Based Violence.

Dr Bogopane-Zulu handed over 50 food vouchers, dignity packs and blankets to 50 beneficiaries, 24 walking sticks and 50 ‘memezas’. Dignitaries who accompanied the Deputy Minister include the Member of Parliament Mr Sibisi, the Daanhaueser Local Municipality Acting Mayor, Mr Bongani Radebe, the Deputy Mayor Ms Busisiwe Langa and other local councillors.

This afternoon, the Deputy Minister will host a stakeholder management meeting at Black Rock Casino in Newcastle with Amajuba stakeholders. The aim is to strengthen the relationship between the department and stakeholders and to discuss strategies for sustaining the programmes and projects initiated since the inception of the DDM in 2020.

The week-long schedule of the Amajuba Community Outreach Programme is as follows:

04 March, at 09h30: Handover of computers to the schools to assist rural schools with computers so they can be able to do better on ICT in Mdandeni township at Muzikayise Primary and Sekusile Secondary Schools, after which later there will be Community Dialogue and SASSA ICROP at Bergsig LSEN School, Emadlangeni LM, with rural communities to raise awareness on DSD programmes and how they could benefit them.

05 March from 09h00: Handover of Computers to Cebelihle Primary School to support learning and teaching at Ward 12, Jakal and later after lunch there will be a Community Meeting at Newcastle LM to engage with communities on DSD programmes and the work that has been done in the District.

06 March: Call for Buy Back Centres’ Waste Pickers at Mpilenhle Buy Back Centre, Madadeni to formalise the Sectors of Waste pickers and Sorters and to link Social Grant beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods, and in the afternoon around 14:00, the Deputy Minster will handing over an NDA Cheque to Ixhama Lamakhosikazi Cooperative at Osizweni for them to buy sewing machines as part women economic empowerment.

07 March: Visit to the Ndlamlenze Cooperatives at Ndlamlenze Village, Emadlangeni LM to follow up to the Deputy Minister year 2022 commitment made on the Commemoration of International Day of Rural Women.

08 March: Handover of Cooperative certificate and training certificates on FAS for SAPS members to elevate Training on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, issues on liquor outlet licensing in rural communities and how this can assist in reducing FAS and later Training on Dyslexia and Autism at Black Rock Hotel, Newcastle.

09 March: Dialogues with Pastor’s Wives – Stakeholder Dialogue, to engage with rural women leaders as a key influential sector on DSD programmes and how these could benefit them, at Newcastle Inn and later on an inspection visit to Langelihle Piggery in Dannhauser LM.

10 March: Community Meeting in Madadeni to engage with communities on DSD programmes and the work that has been done in the District to benefit them.

11 March: training of Indunas at Black Rock Hotel on legislation around widowhood to train and empower Indunas on widowhood and the law, inheritances and how they can support widows and children to access their benefits.