It is a sad reality that we live in a world where children are sometimes unwanted, abused, neglected or ignored.
It is in times like these that special people with big hearts step in to take care of, love and help these children. In Kagiso, these people are from Child Welfare South Africa Kagiso.
They are however facing problems that not only influence their ability to serve their community – they have also had a huge impact on their personal lives.
Since April last year, neither the organisation nor its employees have received any money from the government. This means the employees last received a salary in April 2018.
There is no money to continue with regular upliftment programmes, home visits, school visits, campaigns or even electricity for their offices.
The handful of employees who have not left yet are desperate, and say they don’t want to leave – they want to help and serve their community, but they cannot support their families any more.
Since last year they have been reaching out to the Department of Social Development and requesting assistance, but have never received any real answers.
Child Welfare SA Kagiso assists more than 1 000 abused, abandoned and neglected children with services such as foster care, behavioural problems, placement and mediation.
They also run parenting skills and crisis intervention programmes in the community.
The community stands to lose one of its biggest support networks if the situation cannot be resolved.
In 2012, the US Agency for International Development, the Murray Trust and the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, all of which had supported the organisation with funds, withdrew their support because of mismanagement of funds.
The organisation is in need of R1,2 million annually to continue serving their community.
Above and beyond the money troubles, their offices have also been broken into and office equipment stolen. The vehicle they used to do their work has been stripped and is now only a shell.
Photos: Natasha Pretorius.
They have put up posters in their dark offices telling criminals who venture into the premises that they are being stupid, because there is nothing left to steal.
Even with all these hurdles, they are expected to deliver monthly reports on their progress, and even advised on how to up their figures and ways to execute their programmes.
Employees also fear for their safety – they had a client come in and ask them to help him, but when they explained they could not help him because they did not have the resources, he told them that he would kill his family and then come back to kill them as he was desperate and did not know what to do.
On Monday, 18 February, the DA Gauteng Team One Spokesperson on Social Care and Cohesion; Gauteng’s Forgotten Communities, Bridget Masango, along with other members of the Democratic Alliance, visited the organisation and its employees to try and pinpoint where the problems began.
Masango promised to write to the Minister of Social Development, Susan Shabangu, to intervene in the salary crisis.
“There are children involved here and the people responsible need to do what should be done to help this organisation. By not helping, we are basically saying that they are on their own,” said Masango in the meeting.
In a statement sent to the media by the DA, they state that they are taking the non-payment of staff seriously, and are determined to take this matter as far as it needs to go to ensure the crisis is resolved as it is affecting the lives of the children of South Africa.
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