MEC DANTJIE STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH “RE THUSE RE GO THUSE” OUTREACH IN GA-MONCHONYANE

By DSD News

• MEC Basetsana Sussana Dantjie engages Ga-Monchonyane residents to address service delivery challenges and improve access to social services.
• Integrated outreach brings key stakeholders, including Home Affairs, SASSA and the National Development Agency, closer to the community.
• Establishment of community change agents strengthens grassroots participation and accountability in service delivery.

The North West MEC for Social Development, Ms Basetsana Sussana Dantjie, has intensified efforts to improve service delivery through her flagship outreach programme, “Re thuse re go thuse,” during a community engagement held in Ga-Monchonyane.

The programme serves as a platform to bring government services closer to communities while enabling residents to directly engage with the Department and its partners on service delivery challenges affecting their daily lives. It also facilitates feedback on government interventions aimed at improving livelihoods and accelerating access to essential services.

Addressing a fully attended community hall, MEC Dantjie emphasised that the initiative is designed to ensure that social development services are accessible and responsive to community needs.

“This programme is meant to reach out to communities, engage them and bring social services to their doorstep,” she said.
To strengthen integrated service delivery, the Department mobilised key stakeholders, including the Department of Home Affairs, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), and the National Development Agency (NDA), to address service gaps and provide on-site support to residents.

As part of efforts to enhance responsiveness and accountability, the Department has established ten community change agents tasked with documenting local concerns and providing recommendations to the MEC. Issues that fall outside the Department’s mandate will be escalated to relevant government departments for further intervention.

Community members used the platform to raise pressing concerns, including the sale of alcohol and harmful substances to minors, the need for parenting support, and challenges related to child registration. Residents also highlighted the importance of skills development initiatives, such as sewing and agriculture, and the establishment of non-profit organisations, as well as the need for recreational facilities to help address poverty and social challenges.

Responding to these concerns, MEC Dantjie identified gender-based violence, substance abuse, and teenage pregnancy as critical social issues requiring urgent and collective action. She called on parents and communities to play an active role in guiding and supporting young people to prevent social ills.

Through the “Re thuse re go thuse” programme, MEC Dantjie continues to engage communities across the province, advancing the Department’s mandate to protect vulnerable groups, alleviate poverty, and promote social cohesion through integrated and sustainable social development services.

The engagement was attended by traditional leadership, including the local Kgosi, the Mayor of Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality, and local councillors, reflecting a unified approach to addressing community challenges.