MINISTER LEADS OVERSIGHT OF COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES IN KHAYELITSHA AND NYANGA

• ⁠Minister Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe is leading a team from the Department of Social Development on an outreach programme, visiting communities across the Western Cape.
• The team is assessing the impact of programmes implemented to provide skills and create job opportunities within the communities.
• ⁠In an effort to eradicate poverty, the National Development Agency provides financial support to projects that offer skills development programmes aimed at creating job opportunities.

Programmes focusing on skills development and job creation are in the spotlight this week, as the Minister of Social Development, along with teams from the Department of Social Development, the National Development Agency and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), visit a number of communities in the Western Cape.

The outreach programme, led by Minister Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe, began on 7 January 2025 and will end on 14 January.

The National Development Agency is implementing a turnaround strategy to eradicate poverty, providing funds to civil society organisations that implement development programmes providing skills development, and job creation and employment opportunities to individuals, families and communities.

On 8 January 2025, the ministerial team visited Abalimi Bezekhaya, a community development project in Khayelitsha, to assess the service delivery impact on skills and the jobs created, as well as to interact with beneficiaries.

Abalimi Bezekhaya promotes small-scale urban farming, sharing sustainable farming methods with local households.

Minister Tolashe expressed her satisfaction with the progress made at the centre. “Abalimi Bezekhaya’s model is a credible one that ensures sustained livelihoods. They do not give handouts but have been empowering the community of Khayelitsha to grow their own food in their homesteads.”

In addition, the organisation recently created a market to allow the households to sell the produce to create an additional income.

“The department supports this initiative,” the minister said, adding the department “will continue to work closely with them and rope in other stakeholders to address issues raised including that of land, water shortages and leases.”

The minister and her team will continue with the outreach programme, visiting the Etafeni Day Care Centre on Friday, 10 January 2025.

The centre provides integrated services of the Department of Social Development’s portfolio, including services from SASSA, the National Development Agency, other departmental services, and from professional social workers.