NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY JOINS SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BOKONE BOPHIRIMA MEC IN TAKING DEVELOPMENT TO COMMUNITIES

• The Department of Social Development, led by MEC Ms Basetsana Sussana Dantjie, is intensifying efforts to combat poverty through its “Taking DSD to Communities” programme.
• This initiative, in collaboration with the National Development Agency (NDA) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), focuses on mobilising resources and community engagement to provide essential social services to vulnerable groups across the province.
• A key example of the programme’s impact is the NDA’s recent funding support to MaRocks Laundry Services, a youth-led cooperative, enabling it to expand operations and create employment opportunities in a region with limited job prospects.

The MEC for Social Development, Ms Basetsana Sussana Dantjie, is launching the department’s flagship programme, Taking DSD to Communities, as a capstone to Social Development Month. This campaign, in partnership with the National Development Agency (NDA) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), aims to raise awareness about the ongoing fight against poverty and mobilise collective action to alleviate poverty in all its forms.

Provincial programmes ensure the provision of developmental social services to vulnerable groups through a range of services, including support for women, older persons, youth, and persons living with disabilities. MaRocks Laundry Services, a youth-owned cooperative, will receive a grant cheque from the MEC for Social Development. The NDA grant will help this group of young graduates expand their cooperative amidst limited job opportunities in their area.

With NDA funding of R222,316.03, MaRocks Laundry Services can now acquire essential items, including an additional container to expand operational space, four commercial washing machines, a 2,500-litre Jojo tank, a 7.5kva generator, two industrial steam irons, a weighing scale, a steam press machine, a folding table, a square table, and office equipment such as a laptop, printer, and front desk furniture.

“We are now a fully-fledged, competent, and competitive laundromat since acquiring the machinery and equipment from the NDA funding. Even during load-shedding, we can offer our services, as we have a generator, and the water supply through the tanks keeps us going. Our production capacity has doubled, and we’re now making a profit while maintaining income for our four members. Two additional people have been trained to assist with large orders, and we now offer local delivery, creating another job opportunity,” says Tsholofelo Moeng, one of the managing members.

“The NDA is a national poverty alleviation agency of government that seeks to support, financially and non-financially, youth and vulnerable groups with community enterprises that show potential to create jobs, contribute to skills development, and foster sustainable livelihoods. We saw it fit to support this group of young people to expand their operations—they are centrally located within a business site provided by the Municipality in Tshing and offer a unique service, as no other laundromat serves the local area. They’ve shown strong business acumen, demonstrating growth and expansion potential. The NDA funding has helped address challenges that previously hindered their growth, including limited production capacity, inconsistent power and water supplies, and other operational interruptions. This kind of impact reflects the aims of our new turnaround strategy,” says Mr Potlako Ntlatleng, NDA Provincial Manager in North-West.

Members of the media are invited to attend the cheque handover ceremony with MEC Dantjie at MaRocks Laundry Services, located at VTSD Containers, Diseko Street, Tshing Location – Ventersdorp, on Thursday, 15 November 2024, from 10h00 to 11h00. Following this initiative, the MEC will proceed to the Boikutso Community Care Centre in Boikutso Village to launch the Taking DSD to Communities programme.

ISSUED BY NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY AND BOKONE BOPHIRIMA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT