Parliament, Saturday, 13 November 2021 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Ms Nonkosi Mvana, highlighted the different issues that are contained in the Children’s Amendment Bill and their importance to the people of Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality yesterday in East London’s Orient Theatre during public hearings on the Bill.
She said the issues include: parental responsibilities, child marriages, unaccompanied migrant child, Early Childhood Development, foster care order, funding of partial care and alternative care centres, adoption services, and the role of municipalities. She called on the participants to express themselves freely. “Express yourselves freely on any matter on the Bill and on issues that are not contained in the Bill. We will do what we can do to consider them when we deliberate on the Bill ” said Ms Mvana.
Participants complained about the lack of assistance from the metropolitan municipality and ward counsellors towards Early Childhood Development Centres. They highlighted a list of needs that the municipality fails to meet. Those needs include water and sanitation, and infrastructure such as shelter. They complained about the high municipality bills for water that ECD centres are expected to pay.
They also told the committee that the Bill is silent regarding the needs of children with disabilities, especially those with albinism. They added that often these children are marginalised and excluded from the social assistance programme (social grants).They also complained about the high abuse of drugs and alcohol by children. To deal with this challenge, they called for programmes to raise awareness among children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Similarly, in Queenstown and uMtata, participants called for the Bill to ensure that unmarried fathers are given the right to apply for identity documents for their children and be able to apply for social grants. The participants called for workshops on legislation on children to ensure that people understand what will be in the law at the end. All the participants in the Buffalo City Municipality supported the Bill.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS NONKOSI MVANA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Mava Lukani
Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 081 503 1840
E-mail: mlukani@parliament.gov.za
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