ATC190213: Report of the Portfolio committee on Social Development on the Oversight Visit to the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD), community nutrition and Development Centre (CNDC) and DSD Funded Projects, dated 13 February 2019

Social Development

Report of the Portfolio committee on Social Development on the Oversight Visit to the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD), community nutrition and Development Centre (CNDC) and DSD Funded Projects, dated 13 February 2019
 

1. Introduction 

 

The Portfolio Committee on Social Development conducted an oversight visit from 13 – 14 September 2018 at Western Cape Provincial Department of Social Development and the National Development Agency (NDA) projects. For the duration of the oversight visit, the Committee was accompanied by Members of the Standing Committee on Community Development, Western Cape Provincial Parliament.

 

The Committee received a presentation from the provincial Department of Social Development on the state of the departments’ service delivery programmes with special focus on women and children on farms, food security, Early Childhood Development, substance abuse, employment creation and other related programmes in the De Doorns area.

 

Ms RN Capa, Chairperson of the Committee, explained the purpose of the visit and the mandate of the Committee in exercising its oversight function. She noted that the oversight visit provided an opportunity for the Executive to engage on meaningful conversations with the Committee on achievements and non-achievements of certain service delivery programmes.  After these engagements, the Committee would compile a report with recommendations to be implemented by the Executive. 

 

1.1 Objectives of the oversight 

 

The objectives of the oversight visit were as follows:

• To conduct oversight visits to ascertain successes, challenges and impact of the on programmes for women and children on farms, Early Childhood Development, substance abuse and employment programmes on the lives of people. 
• To consider the provincial department’s progress in implementing key food security programmes, such as the National Policy on Food and Nutrition Security and the Households Food and Nutrition Security Strategy.   
• To consider the department’s progress in creating job opportunities since De Doorns is known of high rate of unemployment. What measures are in place to deal with issues of seasonal workers, poverty alleviation and community development programmes. Particular focus was put on women, youth, people with disabilities and older persons.
• To consider the budget and expenditure patterns of the department in implementing the programmes outlined above. 

 

 

2.  Delegation

 

Members of Parliament

Ms Capa, R N                                ANC (Chairperson)

Ms Tsoleli, S P              ANC

Dr Madlopha, C Q                     ANC

Ms Masango, B                         DA Khanyile, A                                      DA

Ms Sonti, P                               EFF

 

Members of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP)

Ms Botha, L J               DA (Chairperson)

Mr Mitchell, D G                        DA

Ms Makeleni, P             ANC (WCPP)

 

Parliamentary staff

 

Ms Ntsabo, L                                Committee Secretary

Ms Gudula-Koyana, S                  Researcher

Ms Mnyovu, N                               Committee Assistant

Mr Lukani, M                                Media Officer

Ms Jamce, N                            Committee Coordinator

 

3. Briefing by the Department of Social Department on service delivery in De Doorns

 

3.1                  Overview of Cape Winelands Overberg Region

 

Mr Eland, Regional Director, presented an overview of Cape Winelands Overberg region.  He informed the Committee that the region consists of nine (9) Municipalities; namely Drakenstein, Stellenbosch, Breede Valley, Witzenberg, Breede River, Swellendam, Cape Agulhas, Overstrand and Theewaterskloof responsible for service delivery. There are service delivery teams in eight (8) of these municipalities, which consist of supervisors and social workers.  The department also renders after hours services and protocol, which focus on Child Protection and probation. 

 

The area had experienced a population growth in the recent years due to an increase in seasonal work.  The area had also experienced an increase in gangsterism and abuse of substances. 

 

In relation to foster care management, it was reported that the region has a high total number of children in Foster Care.  

 

For social crime intervention, it was reported that three (3) social workers are allocated to provide services in this area.

 

It was reported that the area has a Liaison Committee consisting of Directors from the Departments of Health, Education, Social Development and Cape Winelands District Municipality.

 

In terms of safety and security, it was reported that there was a growing challenge around the safety of staff members who work night duties.  Most of the night duty staff were women. It was also reported that in terms of recruitment, the department was in competition with metropolitan areas. In most cases staff preferred employment in the metropolitan areas.

 

       3.2             Service delivery in DeDoorns

 

Ms Louw, Manager, informed the Committee that according to 2011 census, De Doorns had a total population of 10 583. The 2016 household profile reflected that the population of De Doorns increased drastically to a total of 18 285. Ward 2 had a total population of 9 097 and ward 4 had 9 188 people.  De Doorns is mainly a farming community with a high movement of seasonal workers.

 

3.2.1 Social Welfare services

 

The Department renders Child Protection Services in De Doorns area.  De Doorns comprises of two active welfare organizations responsible of rendering services in the area. These are Norsa, which deals with community Development and FASfacts.  The latter deals with substance abuse.

 

It was reported that the staff compliment of the child protection services comprised of one (1) social worker and vacant post for a social worker and one (1) Social Auxiliary Worker. These are responsible for early intervention.  Foster Care Services comprised of two (2) Social Workers and one (1) Social Auxiliary position, which was vacant at the time of the oversight visit. Community Development services had one (1) Assistant Community Worker. 

 

The Department presented a short and long-term average caseload it dealt with over the current financial year.  The presentation contains the details of the caseload and is available upon request.

 

3.2.2 Foster Care Services

 

At the time of the oversight visit, De Doorns had 337 Foster Care case files. There were 439 foster care children in those files. There were thirty-five (35) Foster Care files for children of 18 years and older.  A total number of 404 children under the age of eighteen (18) years were reported to have received Foster Care services. Children were placed on Foster Care due to them being orphaned, abandoned, neglected or physical and sexually abused.

 

3.2.3 Programme implementation for 2017/18

 

Child protection month 2017/2018

 

The Department reported that it had made interventions during the 2017 child protection month.  The interventions included programmes such as march against child abuse, awareness programmes at schools, clinics, SASSA service points and at ECD centres.  The Department also had a “potjiekos” day that included families.  The main purpose of the ‘potjiekos’ day was to strengthen relationships between parents and children.  A total of 120 parents and 120 children were reached out through these interventions.

 

The Department’s theme for 2018 Child Protection Month was “1st 1000 days of a child’s life zero stunting”. The Department conducted awareness programmes to parents and teenage parents and to ECD centres. It distributed door to door pamphlets and organised parent conference as part of interventions aimed for the child protection week.  A total number of 95 parents and 49 children participated in these interventions.

 

The Department provided therapeutic group work as part of its parental guidance.  Forty-six (46) biological parents and foster parents participated in this programme. 

The Department reached 153 foster parents through its foster parent engagements.  A training on safety parent recruitment was also provided to 20 active parents.  

 

Disability month awareness November 2017

 

It was reported that the Department had a target to provide service delivery to Prosper Fair Special Care Centre. Sixteen (16) parents and twenty-four (24) children participated in this programme.  Capacity building training was provided to parents and recreational activities to children.  The Hex Valley ECD Forum distributed toiletry packs to the Centre.  A holiday programme was organised at FJ Conradie Primary from 11-15 December 2017. Nineteen (19) children were reached through this programme.

 

Development programme in 5 De Vlei Farms

 

The Department had a target to reach out to families facing challenges in five (5) De Vlei Farms. Families were referred by farm management to undergo the development programme.  A programme on parental guidance comprising of ten (10) sessions was provided to thirteen (13) fathers who were trained on fatherhood programme.  A total number of ten (10) mothers were trained on motherhood programme.  

 

 

 

3.2.4 Future planning

 

The department reported that it had put in place future plans to look at case work interventions.  These interventions will include group work for substance abuse, parental guidance, financial guidance, spiritual development, unemployed youth and job readiness programmes.

 

3.2.5 Job readiness programmes

 

The Department had conducted an exit strategy for Grade 12 learners on 16 May and 22 June 2018.  The Department of Labour roadshows called Employment Service of South Africa (ESSA) captured fifty-five (55) Grade 12 learners on its database to match candidates for learnerships and employment opportunities.  Through this programme a total number of nineteen (19) unemployed youth were reached.  Their names were included on the database of the Department of Labour for possible job opportunities and learnerships.

 

Other departmental interventions included services to elderly and fifty (50) elderly people were reached.  Other services included services to disabled people, schools, parental guidance session and psychological sessions.  Other intervention included assistance to destitute farm workers who are working on a Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) farm.

 

4. Committee deliberations

 

• The Committee commended the Department for presenting the future plans to address some of the challenges facing De Doorns.

 

• The Committee wanted to know whether the Department had put in place mechanisms to deal with downtime of seasonal workers.  This would assist seasonal workers to have alternatives during downtime season.  Furthermore, it was interested to know whether there was a database for seasonal workers.  It asked if the Department had mechanisms put in place to deal with barriers hampering cultural dynamics.

 

The Department reported that De Doorns is evolving over time.  During seasonal time an influx of people seeking employment come to the area and leave at the end of the season.  The movement of seasonal workers had resulted in inaccuracies in the department’s database. The Committee advised the Department to include in the database demographic information according to the race, gender and also reflect on issues of cultural interventions and integrated settlement. 

 

• The Committee wanted to know whether the Department had developed intervention programmes to address teenage pregnancy and school dropout as these issues were prevalent in De Doorns.

 

• The Committee also wanted to know whether the Department had developed a strategy to assist grant applicants who are unable to access grants due to lack nonof documentation.  It also wanted to know what role the Department of Home Affairs played in addressing those challenges.  

 

In response, the Department informed the Committee that it had established   working relationship with the Department of Home Affairs. 

 

5. Site visits

 

5.1              Visit to Mooigezicht Estate Creche

 

The Mooigezight Estate consists of eight (8) partial care facilities designated in the five (5) farms of the Estate.  The Meiringshoop ECD facility is within the farm and it has two classes.  One class consists of twelve (12) children aged 3-4 years. The other class has 15 children aged 4-5 years.  

 

Two (2) ECD practitioners (1 with level 5 and the other was still on training for level 1 ECD learning programme) provide services to these classes.  The learning programme is called Leer en Leef ECD.  The Department of Social Development allocated a subsidy of R22 000 per month with a subsidy of R15 per child per day.  An amount of R50 was charged from parents towards the fees. 

 

The farmer provides transport for children and parents. The vehicle transports them from farm residents to the ECD facility.  The Centre provides two meals a day and children are required to bring their own snacks. The Centre follows a balanced nutritional diet as prescribed by the Department of Social Development. Sometimes children eat their lunch with their parents at 12pm.  The facility opens on weekdays from 8-4 pm.

 

The facility follows a baby-learning programme and practitioners are trained in different courses.  The learning programme is conducted in Afrikaans even though children are from different cultures.  It was mentioned that in Albert Genooit Farm, the learning programme is conducted in isiXhosa. 

 

The Meiringshoop ECD did not have a qualified practitioner trained to deal with children with disabilities.  The practitioners were only able to conduct assessments to determine disability in children. They would thereafter refer the children to Worcester hospital if signs of disability were found.  Some of the practitioners had no level five (5) qualification.  

 

The Centre has a high turnover of practitioners.  Practitioners leave it after they have qualified to seek employment in other well-established Centres with more monetary benefits. 

 

 

 

5.2          Deliberations

 

The Committee expressed a serious concern over the departments’ decision to outsource its mandate to register partial care services to a service provider.  The Committee was of the view that this is a core mandate of the Department. It should have not been outsourced.

 

The Committee expressed concerns over a non-registration and non-compliance to norms and standards in some of the ECD facilities.  It requested the Department to provide it with a list of non-registered ECD Centres for scrutiny.

 

The Committee was satisfied by the standard of the ECD as it had all the necessary requirements. The ECD facility had educational toys, blankets, well equipped kitchen, toilets with seats designed for children and a clean playground.  The Committee raised a hygienic issue concerning the toothbrushes that were displayed without any form of identification.  

 

The Committee also questioned the governance of the Centre as it was reported that the Chairperson of the Board was also a practitioner from that Centre.  It strongly expressed its views that this would compromise the functioning of the Board and suggested a community person as an appropriate person to take the responsibility of a chairperson.

 

The Committee recommended the Department to consider having an ECD that uses English as medium of exchange.

 

5.3 National Policy on Food Nutrition Strategy (Community Nutrition and Development Centre (CNDC) concept)

 

As part of background to the CNDC concept, it was reported that in September 2013, the Cabinet approved the National Policy on Food Nutrition Strategy.  The mandate of DSD amongst others is to ensure access to adequate and nutritious food to poor and vulnerable people and households.  The deliverables are the establishment of network of Food Distribution Centres, procure from emerging food producers, cooperatives and stakeholder consultation and mobilisation within the public, private and NGO sectors.

 

De Doorns area forms part of the Breede Valley Local Municipality and the key wards identified for the De Doorns area included Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 4 and Ward 5. These wards cover the farming community, town and business centres and areas with seasonal workers.

 

There are a number of challenges faced by the community of De Doorns that created the need for the provision of social services.  Challenges faced by these communities included unemployment, abuse and neglect of the aged, substance abuse, crime and emergence of gangs, school dropout rate, shortage of housing and limited access to other government services such as Department of Home Affairs.

 

5.3.1 IIitha Labantu (Provincial Food Distribution Centre)

 

The Provincial Food Distribution Centre (PFDC) operating as Ilitha Labantu is a strategic intervention that fulfils the government’s objectives of ensuring access to food by the poor and the vulnerable.  

 

The main objective of this implementing agent is to realize the following:

• Bulk procurement of food;
• Provision of nutritious food to beneficiaries;
• Proper support system to CNDCs (20 of them);
• Quality assurance, safe and non-expected food;
• Job creation and
• Exit to job opportunities by beneficiaries.

 

The capital assets of the implementing agent consist of a two (2) trucks, two (2) vans and a lifespan of the vehicles (extended warranty/mileage and (tonnage).  There is also a forklift, cold room or freezer and racking or shelving.  All the twenty (20) CNDCs are capacitated with cooking utensils, chairs and tables.

 

The Department allocated an amount of R28 000 per month for the implementing agency to provide services to the CNDC.

 

5.3.2 Overview of the Asibambisane Community Nutrition and Development Centre (CNDC)

 

Asibambisane is a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) registered under the NPO Act.  It was initially recruited to implement the annual Winter Feeding Project (WFP), which focused on homeless people in cities during winter months.  In De Doorns, the project focused on both homeless people and seasonal farm workers.  The organisation started operating in July 2015 as a CNDC.  A total number of 200 beneficiaries were receiving food from this CNDC until the 15th August 2018 when it was temporary closed due to some challenges relating to its functioning.  

 

A new NPO by the name of Isingqi Sekamva took over from Asibambisane and started operating on the 12 September 2018.  It was registered under the NPO Act and continued to serve on daily basis more than 200 beneficiaries.  The Board that oversees the NPO activities including the CNDC consists of three (3) members namely; MN Lubisi (Chairperson), N Spele (Secretary), and NB Kakudi (Treasury).  The CNDC employed four (4) new people as cooks and by the time of the oversight visit training was not yet provided.  

 

5.3.3 Challenges

• Insufficient coverage of the poor and deprived wards by the current CNDC;
• Lack of municipal support;
• Lack of developmental programmes to exit beneficiaries from centre based feeding programme;
• Capacity of emerging food producers and cooperatives to supply CNDCs on consistent basis; and
• Lack of capacity at CNDC level (Governance).

 

5.3.4 Deliberations

 

• The Committee commended the Department for establishing the CNDC in De Doorns as most of the population was unemployed and live under poverty stricken conditions.  

 

• It advised the beneficiaries to start gardening projects that would assist them to sell their produce to the cooperatives so that they can be self-sufficient. 

 

• It encouraged officials from the CNDC to ensure that they follow a recommended well balanced diet menu. 

 

 5.4       Visit to Club 60 Service Centre for Older Persons

 

There is one service centre (Club 60) for men and women older than 60 years old in the De Doorns area. It is comprised of twenty-five (25) members. They meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

 

The main purpose of the centre is to do the following: 

• Provide support to older persons;
• Encourage activities such as sewing; and
• Provide members with at least one meal per day.

 

Challenges faced by the Centre

 

Upon arrival at the Centre, the Committee found out that there was no venue to provide the services for the elderly.  The only venue available for the elderly was the veranda of the hall.  The meals were served on a long table with chairs outside the hall.  This was the only venue allocated for the elderly irrespective whether it was raining or hot.   The Centre does not have sewing machines, sewing material, or any activities for the elderly people.

 

Another challenge was transportation of elderly people residing in surroundings farms to the Centre.  In the last three years, the elderly people were at times exposed to bad weather conditions outside the centre without any improvement.  This frustrated the elderly people. 

 

It was reported that the hall is owned by the Municipality.  On the day of the oversight visit the Department of Health was using it for its activity.  

 

The Department of Social Development reported that a plan had been put in place to secure an alternative venue for the elderly.

 

Deliberations

 

• The Committee expressed grave concern over the delays by the Department and the municipality to source a suitable venue for the elderly.  The Department was advised to urgently resolve these challenges as this had been ongoing for the past three years. 

 

5.5                  Visit to Brave Heart Home (Child and Youth Care Centre)

 

The Brave Heart Home was fully registered in 2013.  The main objective of the home was to establish a Child and Youth Care Centre to serve as a temporary shelter for children who do not have another place to live or whose parents cannot care for them anymore.  

 

For 2017/2018 financial year, the Department of Social Development made an allocation/subsidy of R732 909 towards the Centre. 

 

The home provides temporary safe care to 15 children at a time.  Admission is mainly from Cape Winelands area.  It accommodates children from 0 to 13 years old.  At the time of visit the Centre had eight (8) children between the ages of 0-4 years.

 

The home consists of a staff compliment of one (1) Manager, one (1) Social Worker, five (5) Child and Youth Care Centres Workers, one (1) housekeeper and one (1) stand by employee.  The Social Worker Agency (DSD and Child Welfare Organisations) refers children to the temporary safe home.  

 

Upon admission of a child, social workers conduct investigation which determines whether the child needed to be referred to a Centre for a longer period or reintegrate the child with parents or refer the child to a foster care parent.  The Child Support Grant of a child admitted in the Centre gets automatically suspended for the period of the child’s stay in the Centre. 

 

It was reported that the Centre was experiencing financial constraints due to the reduction on subsidy for the social worker. The subsidy was reduced by 50% in 2018/2019 financial year. 

 

The board of directors of the Centre included of people from the community (manager, staff and community).  The Centre also had a Tiny Tighnie Crèche which was fully capacitated with all the basic needs (toys, playground etc).

 

5.6             Visit to the House of Hope

 

The vision of House of Hope is “to take into residence women and children so that they can be helped to process traumatic experiences and turn these into meaningful opportunities which will facilitate their development”.  The facility keeps the women in crisis for a period of up to three (3) months.  The House of Hope was established in June 2003. 

 

The Committee visited a new home that started to operate on 15 August 2018.  The objectives of the home are about changing lives of the women in crisis and provide a temporary home of safety.

 

The main activities include the following:                                     

• Short term accommodation and meals;
• Counselling to the community and those in residence;
• Life-coaching through care and support; and
• Life skills training.

           

The house only deals with gender based violence and domestic violence against women and children. It is not capacitated to deal with issues of human trafficking.  However, it receives victims of human trafficking and it refers them to an accredited centre as it was not yet accredited.  

 

The Department of Social Development funded the operations of the house. The house can accommodate up to fifteen (15) people, which include five (5) children and ten (10) women.  It has programmes for beneficiaries and perpetrators. It conducts group workshops amongst victims of crisis.  Sometimes the victims would be reintegrated with their families depending on the report by the Social Worker upon paying visit to the perpetrator to determine safety.   

 

It was reported that Thuthuzela Centres referred victims to the House by making enquires first before placement. Police officers in some cases would bring the victim to the house.  Social workers working with victims also make referrals and at times victims would walk in directly to the facility.  It was reported that an increase in the number of referrals occurs during late hours (night) especially on weekends.  Social Workers from the Department pay visits to the house to monitor compliance to the norms and standards.  The house is safely secured with panic buttons and other security equipment.

 

Two ladies from the home gave two testimonies of their life in crisis. 

 

Testimony 1:

 

A young lady informed the members on how she ended up in the House of Hope.  She came to the centre after she was physically abused by her boyfriend.  The violence started as a verbal fight but escalated to physical abuse as time went on.  He introduced her to drugs and she left home, dropped out of school and cohabitated with him.  Her parents abandoned her. 

 

One day he assaulted her, put her in a black bag and dumped her in the river thinking she was dead.  She sustained severe body injuries.  She was later found by a stranger walking by. He took her to a nearest police station.  She was then referred to a Thuthuzela Centre which referred her to the House of Hope.  At the time of the oversight visit she was studying through Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET).  

 

Testimony 2

 

A lady in her early forties (40) gave a testimony on how she came to the Home.  She was married for seven years and have two children.  They started using drugs as a couple. He then started abusing her.  At the time her husband was not working. She supported him and bought him drugs. This was her way of showing him that she loved him.  Despite all her efforts the husband continued to physically abuse her even in front of community members.  He would also assault her at her workplace in front of her superiors and colleagues.  She lost her job.  That was when they started abusing drugs heavily.  At one stage she cut herself with a knife as a sign to show him how much she loves him.

 

She wanted to commit suicide and at one stage she tried to jump into a moving truck in the freeway but the driver stopped and took her to the Police Station.  She was then referred to the centre by Thuthuzela Centre. 

 

5.7              Visit to Toevlug Rehabilitation Centre

 

The Centre was established in 1978. Toevlug Rehabilitation Centre is registered to accommodate fifty (50) voluntary inpatients and twenty (20) youth between ages of thirteen (13) and eighteen (18).  Toevlug is well known for the inpatient program it renders.  It renders integrated service on all four levels of intervention, namely: awareness and prevention, early intervention, inpatient treatment, and reintegration/ aftercare.

 

In 2014, the Centre opened a drug-screening laboratory. In 2015 the Centre started an outpatient programme which offer treatment to both adults and adolescents.  

The facility has accommodation for parents to stay over when visiting their children.  Victims are also allowed to visit their families whilst staying in the Centre.  

 

The Department has subsidized the Centre with 180 beds and 70 youth beds.  The Centre receives an amount of R21 000 per month.  

 

Testimonies from the inpatients

 

Testimony 1

 

A gentleman from Fish Hoek gave a testimony that he was referred to the Centre by his work place, City of Cape Town traffic department.  His problem was addiction to alcohol.  In the Centre, he learnt strategies to deal with his challenge including coping strategies.

 

Testimony 2

 

Another gentleman from Malmesbury reported that he abused Heroin.  He told the members that he had been clean for 43 days at the time of the visit.  He commended the work of the social workers in dealing with their cases.  Programmes provided in the institution included, techniques to control emotions, conflict management, planning, time management, and toolbox to put their thoughts.  He commended the staff and information gained from the support groups. 

 

The Committee was informed that as part of the aftercare programme, a social worker is allocated to them to make contacts with them every three (3) months for a period of two (2) years. He highlighted the importance of strong family structure to provide support during the reintegration process.

 

Testimony 3

 

A gentleman from Uniondale, who worked for Uniondale Municipality informed the Committee that he opted to use drugs due to circumstances he was faced with at home.  He started selling drugs at the age of thirteen (13) years.  He reported that at Toevlug they have grown as a family and they participate in sports activities everyday which also include Cricket.

 

5.8          Deliberations

 

• The Committee was impressed by the Centre.  
• It emphasized that prevention measures are needed to curb the increasing numbers of victims of substance abuse.  
• The Committee strongly felt that there was a need to strengthen family structures and capacitate them to be able to assist victims during reintegration process.

 

 

6. Recommendations

 

The Committee made the following recommendations: 

 

The Minister Social Development must ensure that:

 

Mooigezicht Estate Creche

 

• The provincial Department develops a policy to ensure integration of children in ECD to take cognisance of their cultural diversity and languages from the early stage of their learning development.  

 

• The national Department ensures that social cohesion is inculcated from ECD level.  It should be made part of the ECD policy.

 

• The provincial Department organises transport to ensure that children in farms gain access to other schools outside the farms.

 

• The provincial Department capacitates ECD practitioners to have a skill to deal with children with disabilities.

 

• The provincial Department monitors the composition of boards of ECD Centres to ensure good governance and compliance to policies.  

 

• The provincial Department monitors the Centre to ensure that educational posters and reading materials are written in three dominant official languages in the Western Cape namely, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.  Furthermore, children must get exposure to learn these languages in their early development stage. 

 

• The provincial Department facilitates a process to establish relationships between the Centre and the feeder schools on issues pertaining to language so as to prepare children to enter the mainstream schools.

 

Club 60 Service Centre for the elderly

 

• The provincial Department in conjunction with the relevant municipality facilitates a process to engage with respective role players to come up with a plan to address the challenge facing the centre for the elderly.

 

• The provincial department strengthens its monitoring and evaluation over the implementation of the Centre’s programmes as well as the overall running of the centres to ensure that these centres comply with the norms and standards.  

 

 

House of Hope 

 

• The provincial Department assists the centre to accommodate women for a longer period.  It should also assist the centre to implement an integration programme to integrate women with their families and community. 

 

• The provincial Department amends its Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP) to enforce facilities such as the House of Hope to register.  This will enable them to be accredited and upgraded to be able to deal with victims of human trafficking. This would also protect the rights of victims.

 

• The provincial Department strengthens the implementation of the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act.  More focus should be put on treatment and aftercare services.

 

• The provincial Department embarks on a process to expand the facility to accommodate more people.  In addition, security measures should be tightened to ensure safety of victims.

 

• The provincial Department establishes working relations with the provincial Department of Human Settlements to develop a transversal housing plan.  The purpose of the plan would be to build houses for the victims of abuse to stay in at after completion of the three-month period.  It may consider to charge the victims a minimum rental fee.

 

• The provincial Department provides aftercare programme to victims of abuse to enable them to cope well with communities when integrated back to the community.

 

Toevlug Rehabilitation Centre

 

• The provincial Department conducts awareness campaigns to educate communities about assistance and benefits that one can get from the rehabilitation centres. 

 

• The national Department considers proposing amendments to the Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Abuse Act to regulate fees charged at rehabilitation centres.