MEC Qabathe pays Oversight visits to Department of Social Development Renovation Projects

South Africa: Yesterday, the MEC for Social Development, Ms Motlagomang “Mamiki” Qabathe, visited the Tshireletsong Child and Youth Care Centre and the Provincial Food and Clothing Bank in Mangaung District to an oversight on the Free State Department of Social Development renovation projects.

The MEC first visited the Tshireletsong Child and Youth Care Centre project, which is based in Bochabela – a Centre aimed at taking care of orphaned and vulnerable children and youth. This is a facility that will provide shelter for abused and neglected children that are placed by Social Workers through the Courts.

Then MEC visited the Provincial Food and Clothing Bank in Charlotte Maxeke – a centre that is meant to provide immediate support in terms of food and clothing to community members during a disaster and other times of need.

MEC Mamiki Qabathe emphasised that Tshireletsong is under renovation in order to meet norms and standards in terms of the Children’s Act, while the Provincial Food and Clothing Bank will assist our communities in times of disaster and need.

According to the MEC, the Department of Social Development is leading these projects to ensure that they are completed and operational within their time frames in order to provide services to our people and the community in general.

“We need to be responsive to the identified societal problem as when we are building these centres, we also need to benchmark from other countries and stakeholders’ best practices and ways of doing things.” said the MEC.

MEC Qabathe also stressed that “It is within our mission as the Department to make sure that we build capacity in the Department of Social Development to alleviate poverty, unemployment, inequalities and fight all other Social Ills such as Gender Based Violence and Femicide.