Attention: Mr. M H Hohlaloga

Chairperson of National Council of Parliament

iThemba Community Development Trust is a progressive, non-governmental, community-based organisation (previously Msinga Community Development Trust) that works alongside the Phila Trust and KwaZulu-Natal Primary School Nutrition Programme.

The iTCDT was established in 2001 with the vision of seeing a fundamental and measurable improvement in the quality of life for those living in rural communities. Its’ aim is to achieve this through investment, imparting of skills, building of relationships, physical construction and providing a source of counsel for those in desperation. Through fundraising and partnership programmes, it aims to facilitate empowerment and development in the lives of those living and learning in Northern KZN. The mission statement of the Trust reads as follows:

For the past ten years we are involved in Community Development work;

• The Primary School Nutrition Programme, funded by the National Government (Conditional Grant) is our main source funding the work we are doing.

• Other funds are from local businesses and private sector and also from the UK and USA.

• Building of toilets at schools and education in health and hygiene.

• Renovation and building of classroom

• Vegetable gardens at schools and in the community

• Supply of water pumps, pipes and water tanks

• Mercy ministries e.g. emergency food parcels, clothing, books, etc

• Educational tours for the learners in schools

• Donations for school functions, sport events, cultural activities

• Employment by using local community in the building projects

• Empowerment of previous disadvantaged individuals by creating business opportunities and mentoring the process

• HIV/AIDS awareness, training, counseling, and support programmes

• More vegetable gardens and ongoing support at existing gardens

• Supply of water to schools

• Pilot projects to improve skills and to enable people to become self sustainable

• Support families where teenagers and young people are the head of the household

• Support families who qualifies for welfare grants and other pensions

• Empowerment of women who are the sole bread winner

• Awareness of women and children rights

• Facilitating of small enterprises

• Database of families in need

• The Government is not in touch with what is happening on ground root

• Government Officials who are responsible to implement the projects are incompetent

• People are not aware of all the different Government grants and welfare support and who qualifies. There is huge corruption because there are those who abuses the illiteracy and ignorance of the people. Money is charged and poor people cannot pay to apply for Government support.

• HIV/AIDS Awareness Programmes is not effective in the rural communities

• There is not enough Community Health workers to serve in the community

• Programmes to alleviate poverty for e.g Emergency Food parcels do not reach the poor. It ends in the houses of Government Officials and their friends

• People are starving because of malnutrition

• Unemployment is a common factor and illiteracy and a lack of skills make the situation worse

• More important are the lack of motivation and a feeling of inferiority. People do not believe that they can help themselves because they have never learnt how

• The Governments lack of co-operation with NGO’s especially certain Departments like Welfare, Health, Agriculture and Education.

• The lack of communication in Government. Often people in the same office doesn’t know what is going on

• There is no follow up when corruption is reported, therefore no action is taken. It seems as if Government’s commitment to address these issues is empty words. In many instances it is Government Officials who are involved in the corruption.

• Allow Non Governmental Organisations who already work in the Communities to work with the Government and make funds available to these Organisations. (These Organisations has to be registered a NPO/NGO/CBO, comply to all Government requirements concerning taxes and must submit Audit financials yearly)

• These Organisations has to form network groups that can deal with mutual concerns and issues

• There has to be a compiled list and a data base formed of all the different Organisations and Churches who are involved in Community Development

• All Tenders that involves Community Development should have a clause that a certain percentage of the profit has to be ploughed back into the Community.

• Tender documents are too complicated and a limited number of prospective Tenders are able to comply with all the specifications. This is against the Chain Management Supply that was meant to make Tenders more users friendly for the SMME’s

We are actively involved for the past ten years in Msinga, Tugela Ferry, Keatesdrift, Weenen, Greytown en Kranskop (uMzinyathi, oThukela, ilembe, uMgungundlovu Districts – KwaZulu-Natal).

A well-known fact is that poverty is extremely high especially in certain areas. Our biggest frustration is that we know, that we can make a difference because of our experience, skills, availability, knowledge of the community and its members, but we do not have the funding. There is enough money made available in the Governments budget, for the work other Organisations and we are doing, yet year after year its either not used or used, but abused.

The Government Officials who are employed to do this work is incompetent and not interested, therefore service delivery is either not happening, or contracts are given to friends or family members.

Why not giving the NGO’s, NPO’s and CBO’s a fair chance to prove themselves and at the same time Government will receive the credit for successful service delivery?

Situations in certain rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal are deteriorating and unemployment is getting worse. This is obviously affecting people socially, emotionally and spiritually.

It is our passion to be part of a solution and to plough back into the lives of people who haven’t had much of a chance in life to help themselves.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to raise our concerns and hopefully by doing this it will bring solutions in the lives of people who are devastated because of the cycle of poverty.

We are looking forward to a positive response and trust that we can be part of this process.

Byvoorbaat Dank,

Laetitia Vermaak

(Trustee)

Other Trustees: Mnr P Mkhize, Mev E Mtshali, Mnr G Smith (Finserv-Financial Advisor)