March 7, 2003

A TENTFUL of pregnant mothers, women with babies on their backs, fathers, the young and the old, greeted Gauteng MEC for Social Services and Population Development Angie Motshekga in Diepkloof, Soweto on Friday.

"We care," Motshekga declared, echoing her department's slogan as she officially opened the Siyanda Sesifikile centre, bringing social services closer to the people of Soweto.

The social services centre will serve Soweto residents

The centre will provide a basket of services on social grants applications, grant payouts as well as offer services on child adoptions, counselling, court services, family and individual care, foster care, poverty relief programmes and development programmes.

Motshekga's entourage began the day in Orlando East, where they opened another decentralised service office and later proceeded to the main function in Diepkloof, where a tent waited for her.

Flanked by MPs Joyce Kgwoli and Dorothy Ramodibe, the MEC was quick to the point: "We did not come here to deliver speeches or hold a long meeting. We are here to avail these offices for services to you and let you know that you no longer have to come all the way to central Johannesburg's Rissik Street offices for help, but utilise these offices to register and collect your social grants and have easy access to social workers".

Motshekga outlined various grants that were available to the people including care dependency, child and disability grants. She then regaled the audience with common stories that people brought to her offices on a regular basis, all inspired by lack of awareness about the kind of social services her department offers.

"The father of this child went to buy milk and was never seen again, can the government help me locate him?" related Motshekga, a tale she said was not uncommon among those who came for help.

After the short speech, it was time for questions. "You are here focusing on mothers, grandmothers and care givers, what about us fathers? We are also unemployed, what is the government doing for us?" asked a concerned father of five.

More than 60% of households are held together by mothers, retorted Motshekga. "There are more father-less homes than there are mother-less ones, hence our bias towards women. But we do not discriminate against men at all. Those fathers who qualify for grants also receive grants from the department."

The official launch of the social services centre in Diepkloof

An older member of the audience was concerned that his contemporaries were still required to pay for medical care at some clinics, a practice, he said, that ran contrary to the provincial government's pronouncement that senior citizens are entitled to free medical care. "When do these proclamations reach the clinic officials?" he demanded to know, amid affirming applause from the audience.

Motshekga apologised on behalf of "officials who must explain to the community when the proclamations take effect. But by and large," she said, "all changes, including the increase in grants, that were announced in the Legislature last month will take place in April."

She then stood up and symbolically cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the new centre. A few metres from Soweto's main Old Potchefstroom Road, the offices will serve communities from the Pimville, Noorgesig, Power Park, Chiawelo, Dlamini, Molapo and Phiri sections of the township.

Alternately in Zulu and Sotho, Motshekga proclaimed the place as belonging to everyone. "Eyethu, ke a rona ka o fela," she said.