Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe will lead a service delivery outreach in Ngudwini, KwaZulu-Natal, as part of government efforts to improve living conditions for vulnerable communities.
The outreach, taking place on Friday, 24 April 2026, will be conducted through an Integrated Community Registration and Outreach Programme (ICROP) and guided by the District Development Model (DDM), which promotes coordinated planning and integrated service delivery across all spheres of government.
Tolashe will lead the social development portfolio, comprising the Department of Social Development (DSD), South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), and the National Development Agency (NDA), to deliver a comprehensive package of services directly to the community.
Services will include on-site assistance with applications for social grants, as well as access to a range of government support programmes aimed at improving livelihoods.
Community dialogues conducted ahead of the Minister’s visit revealed persistent challenges in Ngudwini, including Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), child abuse, malnutrition, poverty, unemployment, and high levels of substance abuse.
The Minister is expected to engage with NDA-funded women-led cooperatives working in areas such as victim empowerment, manufacturing, bakery, food security and mentorship. These initiatives aim to create employment opportunities and strengthen community resilience.
Additional concerns raised included parents and caregivers who lack essential documents such as identity documents (IDs), resulting in children not having birth certificates and unable to access social grants.
The dialogues further revealed the exploitation of social grant beneficiaries by loan sharks who confiscate identity documents and SASSA payment cards as collateral. In addition, the community reported high levels of non-adherence to HIV treatment, raising concerns about public health outcomes.
“Members of the community are encouraged to attend and should bring the necessary documents for assistance, including Identity Documents, Birth Certificates etc,” the department said.
Outreach to inspire future water sector professionals
Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina is leading a two-day community outreach initiative in the Eastern Cape, aimed at supporting underprivileged learners and promoting ignite interest in career opportunities in the country’s water and sanitation sector.
The programme, conducted jointly with key water sector entities, is taking place on Thursday, 23 April 2026 and Friday, 24 April 2026 at Aliwal North Orientation School and Bensonvale Methodist Church in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality.
As part of the initiative, Majodina will donate school uniforms and essential learning materials to deserving learners, while also leading a Water and Sanitation Career Exhibition designed to expose young people to opportunities within the sector.
The initiative forms part of the department’s broader strategy to build a strong channel of skilled professionals in response to growing capacity challenges in water and sanitation.
The programme will also celebrate academic excellence among top-performing learners from 17 schools across underserved communities in the district.
High-achieving learners will be acknowledged and rewarded, reinforcing the importance of education as a pathway to opportunity and socio-economic advancement.
“With South Africa facing a critical shortage of skills in water and sanitation, the career exhibition, supported by sector partners, will expose learners to diverse fields including engineering, science, policy development and infrastructure management,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
