Care for children as they are SA's future

Monday, February 5, 2018
Communications Deputy Minister Tandi Mahambehlala.

Communications Deputy Minister Tandi Mahambehlala says giving to children and caring for them is very important for the future of South Africa.

The Deputy Minister said this when she visited the Ravensmead Crèche in Parow in Cape Town to handover fleece blankets and goodie bags on Monday.

As the country also prepares to celebrate the centenary of the late former President Nelson Mandela, the Deputy Minister said the late statesman loved children and that the donation was also befitting to how he would have wanted his legacy to be taken forward.

“My visit here today is mainly because I have chosen this crèche to donate the birthday present which I got in January during my birthday.

“The community … said this is a better place for me to come and donate because they are struggling in so many ways and given the fact that this year is the year of Mandela, I saw it befitting to come and donate to the children because they are the future of South Africa.

“Now in that way, we are living the legacy of Mandela in a manner in which he would have been happy to see it. So that is why I am here today,” she said.

Located in an area that is burdened by drug abuse and chronic diseases, as well as gang-related violence on a regular basis, the 41-year-old crèche currently has 81 children on its books.

The crèche’s principal Sarah Strauss said the Deputy Minister’s visit was also a blessing as they would ask her to help them with challenges such as lack of water and sanitation and electricity due to historic debts, among other challenges.

The Deputy Minister said she would take the challenges and elevate them to the responsible departments.

“The challenges that were raised here, mainly water and sanitation and so on, I am going to take those challenges to relevant departments and make it a point that they are assisted because you can’t have children in an environment where there is no water.”

The Deputy Minister said, meanwhile, that she usually donates gifts given to her on her birthday every year.

“Normally what I do on my birthday, I give back to my community. So when I got those fleece blankets, I had to sit and make it a point that we try and check relevant areas. It can’t be one area where I am from and so on because we are diverse and Cape Town is very big and we are different communities.

“Now as a national Deputy Minister, I must reach out to all those communities irrespective of colour, irrespective of creed because people want to be assisted and they want government to be there. So in a way, for me, my birthday is an outreach programme for me and for the community to benefit and I have got a responsibility as well as a citizen of this country to play my part in bettering the lives of our people.” – SAnews.gov.za