Date: 26/01/2004
Source: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government
Title: Botha: Community Development Workers National Stakeholders Workshop
DRAFT SPEECH NOTES FOR THE DEPUTY MINISTER FOR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MS N BOTHA, DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF A NATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS (CDWs), HOLIDAY INN, JOHANNESBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, 26 JANUARY 2004
PROLOGUE
Programme Director
MECs
Honourable Mayors and Councillors here present
Heads of Departments and Municipal Managers
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Preface to the document with an audacious title " Towards A Ten Year Review" cites twin monumental challenges that a decade ago confronted the newly born democratic state namely reconfiguration and transformation of the machinery and architecture of the state and parallel to this was redressing the legacy of apartheid. It is almost ten years since the assumption of power by the present government and it is public information that in less than four months the nation will be in jubilee celebrating the harvest of the requisite environment that has been created by efforts made by a mission driven government which is government for the people by the people. Because the level of progress made to date is unparralled and inexplicable many people tend to refer to such significant, remarkable and irrefutable achievements within a short space of time as a miracle of South Africa. Our obsession about people driven government at least in practice as according to Karl Marks theory without practice is sterile has turned newspapers and books on governance into a growing industry. Brett Bowes who has been cited by the President in ANC Today is one of the people who has seized the moment and instead of writing illusion about South Africa started focusing on reality. To me this amounts to new patriotism which is increasing at an alarming proportion among South Africans.
The wind of change that has blown in an unprecedented manner has been brought about by numerous drivers. One very significant driver is the "people's power in action". This philosophy is antithetical to many states. It is not the first time that people's power has made these miracles. Many of you will concur with me that the same people's power ten years ago has brought apartheid to its knees. It was not goodwill but the resolve people had to topple the previous regime. The present government recognizes the might of the people's power in action thus for the next decade (2004-2014) it places its emphasis on supporting the Community Development Workers as one of the BIG IDEAS and features prominently on its development agenda.
It was against this background of reinventing government President Thabo Mbeki, in his State of the Nation Address (SON) at the Opening of Parliament in February 2003 announced that, "government will create a public service echelon of multi-skilled community development workers". The need for community development workers became clear during the Imbizo, when the President, Cabinet Ministers, MECs and other government officials visited different communities. At the Imbizos government at large met with, and interacted directly with members of the community and explained government's programme of action to create a better life for all. In turn communities asked questions and put forward ideas to overcome problems and to speed up the implementation of service delivery. One of the lessons learnt during the Imbizos, is that it is often difficult for people to contact government offices for assistance. Many are to poor to afford the travel costs, whilst others do not have the necessary information or knowledge on their right to access government and offering services, nor do they have the necessary knowledge of the processes involved. It is in this context that the idea of Community Development Workers arose. Government understands that this new body of trained Community Development Workers will work directly with communities, to ensure ongoing and continuous interaction between government and the broader community. Problems will be addressed and follow-ups will be made, with a special focus on addressing the needs of the poor.
Programme Director, allow me to pause momentarily and put things which have been distorted by government detractors in their proper context.
The concept within the folds of the progressive mass-movement is not a new phenomenon or a political ploy or an electioneering campaign. The philosophy is grounded on our proud tradition of the people's power which has its genesis in the Freedom Charter, organs of people's power, the RDP and paralleled in the constitution. In fact, all government is doing is just to jealously and vigilantly preserve this deeply seated norm by giving further impetus to the concept in the form of institutionalising it. Over and above this CDWs cannot be reduced to information workers, as anti-democratic forces would love the public to believe. Since we are not in a habit of telling lies government is serious about this CDWs, and that point cannot be overstated. To refer to earlier extract from the President's speech, CDWs cadres are not conceived as one dimensional, in fact they are multi-skilled and generalist community development workers. Thus the special qualification of CDWs. The special qualifications of CDW in terms of their NQF qualifications in Development Practice require that they have a more transformative role than information exchange. Communities urgently require that they take a more active role in spearheading development initiatives by using a participatory process in working with an "action group" such as the "ward committee", to undertake specific projects. Foremost among these should be the facilitation of the expanded public works programme in the ward in which they serve in a stepwise and progressive manner. Other departmental projects at ward level should also be co-ordinated by this cadre, who should collaborate with other community based community workers such as community health workers (CDWs). This is very important if we are serious about integrated governance for seamless provision of services. We should regards this as a norm and ethos of our work, as decision has been taken already during the July Cabinet Lekgotla of 2003.
CO-ORDINATING THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS PROGRAMME
It is logical due to the nature of the CDW programme, which is transversal that it is multi sectoral. Notwithstanding this I should stress that it is nationally and provincially supported but locally driven. Thus at the July 2003 Cabinet Lekgotla it was decided that provinces are responsible for implementation and the initial rollout of Community Development Workers will take place in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the North West Provinces. A Community Development Workers Task Team drawn from DPLG, Departments of Labour, Public Service and Administration, SALGA, SAMDI, Eastern Cape Province, North West Province, Gauteng Province and Limpopo Province was established to co-ordinate the implementation of the Community Development Workers programme in the four provinces. During September 2003, a joint decision was made by the Ministries for Provincial and Local Government, and Public Service and Administration that the central point of co-ordination for the inception and incubation of the Community Development Workers Programme would be the Ministry of Public Service and Administration. After which the project will be handed over to the Department of Provincial and Local Government. It was also decided that the facilitation of relationships between the three spheres of government rest with the Department of Provincial and Local Government.
STATUS QUO REPORT
On the pilot provinces:
* Gauteng has already trained 60 learners for learnership
* An additional 60 is currently being trained
* 60 learners per the remaining three pilot provinces will commence with the learnership on 2 February 2004
* By 23 February 2004, an additional 240 learners will be enrolled on the learnership (60 per pilot province)
* By 15 March 2004, an additional 300 learners will enroll into the learnership. (60 per province for Western Cape, KZN, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Free State)
* Total by end March 2004 = 840.
With regard to training:
* The learnership approach was adopted to ensure the transfer of skills and knowledge
* It is more viable if learners are rewarded with credits or a qualification after training, instead of attending a short skills programme with no credits attached
* The new cadre as envisaged by the President, should be in possession of certain competencies such as, inter alia, project management and financial skills. This level of competence cannot be attained by means of a two to three week training programme
* During the learnership process of 12 months, there will be very limited theoretical work and more practical exposure for the Learner Community Development.
On selection and recruitment:
* Local authorities will need to (in consultation with Province depending on the nature of the agreement) recruit and select learners. (It must be clear that the employer is the Provincial Government)
* The learnership is a capacity building exercise for the future cadre of public servants, to ensure that those who are ultimately appointed are well trained and prepared to serve as CDWs
* Once the learnership has been successfully completed, the Learner Community Development Worker may be appointed as a Public Servant. The specific salary level is still under review by the DPSA.
With regard to monitoring and evaluation:
* The Community Development Worker will be expected to submit weekly reports to Municipality and Provincial Government
* Municipality and Provincial Government to submit a monthly report to DPLG
* DPLG and DPSA to submit these reports to the Governance and Administration Cluster and the President's Co-ordinating Council Meeting.
THE POTENTIAL DYNAMIC ROLE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS
Community development workers (CDWs) are defined as community-based resource persons who collaborate with other cadres to help fellow community members progressively meet their needs, achieve goals, realize their aspirations and maintain well-being. They are participatory change agents working within communities from where they are selected, where they live, and to whom they are answerable for their activities. They are supported financially and functionally by a range of government spheres and departments, particularly provinces.
The draft National Framework for the CDW Programme envisages them as empowering facilitators working within a supportive framework, having adequate management support of their own and access to material resources so that they can effectively supervise community members working in community-based public works teams to develop local assets and resources.
If properly implemented the Community Development Workers Programme has the potential of ensuring the further extension of free basic services like water and electricity, free health care to pregnant women and people living with disabilities, and so forth. This programme can ensure that previously marginalised communities are included in government's social net, and can ensure for example that all children, particularly those living in the poorest corners of our country, and who qualify to receive government's social grant actually do so. The Community Development Workers programme will be linked with, and will be integrated into key government programmes for example the 21 Presidential nodes. It is envisaged that Community Development Workers should live and work in the ward they serve. The vacancy for a Community Development Worker should therefore be advertised within a ward.
The recruitment and selection process should take account of, and be sensitive to the needs of a particular ward. It is imperative that the wards take ownership of the Community Development Workers programme. This would be done through ward committees, which are expected to provide guidance and support to the CDW and assist the local municipality in improving service delivery. Community Development Workers have a dynamic role to play in advancing community's active participation in their own lives. So that the work of a Community Development Workers will not only be to pass on information and to assist, but also to deepen democracy in a broader sense.
The Community Development Workers could act as a catalyst for broader, deeper democratic processes, including community-based infrastructure development. As a conduit to government services, Community Development Workers could actively galvanise people to become masters of their own destiny and to actively change and transform their lives. For example, a Community Development Worker visiting a house to ensure that a social pension is processed could inform and involve household members in potential employment at one of government's Extended Public Works Programmes. From these proceeding paragraphs it is evident that Community Development Workers therefore have a crucial role to play in empowering the communities they serve.
CONCLUSION
Once again we are convinced as I alluded to earlier, on that this is still one of the BIG IDEAS for the next ten years. Political will and institutional capacity will be the two bedrocks for its success. It is not a coincident that this assembly has drawn together leading politicians and officials at all these spheres of government to amass their effort and be decisive about what the programme should look like in ten years times. Map one of the important steps to ensure that we achieve more in the next ten year. We can boldly say that we are one of the few governments that are proactive and are willing to undertake outward planning and strategies for the next ten years. In case you did not notice, the work we are engaging in has bearing for the next ten years. History is on our side and no one has the potential to stop us.
Finally I wish to read the following poem written by James Yen in the 1920s to guide the Rural Reconstruction Movement in China of which I think still holds water, even in our contemporary society today.
Go to the people
Live among the people
Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Work with the people
Start with what the people know
Build on what the people have
Teach by showing; learn by doing
Not a showcase but a pattern
Not odds and ends but a system.
When we meet again it would be March 2005 where we would be reviewing the progress made in achieving the resolutions we are about to commit ourselves to. Please make sure that we seize the moment to take the CDW programme to greater heights.
Issued by: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government
26 January 2004
Source: Department for Provincial and Local Government (http://www.dplg.gov.za/)
Source: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government
Title: Botha: Community Development Workers National Stakeholders Workshop
DRAFT SPEECH NOTES FOR THE DEPUTY MINISTER FOR PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MS N BOTHA, DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF A NATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS WORKSHOP ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS (CDWs), HOLIDAY INN, JOHANNESBURG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, 26 JANUARY 2004
PROLOGUE
Programme Director
MECs
Honourable Mayors and Councillors here present
Heads of Departments and Municipal Managers
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Preface to the document with an audacious title " Towards A Ten Year Review" cites twin monumental challenges that a decade ago confronted the newly born democratic state namely reconfiguration and transformation of the machinery and architecture of the state and parallel to this was redressing the legacy of apartheid. It is almost ten years since the assumption of power by the present government and it is public information that in less than four months the nation will be in jubilee celebrating the harvest of the requisite environment that has been created by efforts made by a mission driven government which is government for the people by the people. Because the level of progress made to date is unparralled and inexplicable many people tend to refer to such significant, remarkable and irrefutable achievements within a short space of time as a miracle of South Africa. Our obsession about people driven government at least in practice as according to Karl Marks theory without practice is sterile has turned newspapers and books on governance into a growing industry. Brett Bowes who has been cited by the President in ANC Today is one of the people who has seized the moment and instead of writing illusion about South Africa started focusing on reality. To me this amounts to new patriotism which is increasing at an alarming proportion among South Africans.
The wind of change that has blown in an unprecedented manner has been brought about by numerous drivers. One very significant driver is the "people's power in action". This philosophy is antithetical to many states. It is not the first time that people's power has made these miracles. Many of you will concur with me that the same people's power ten years ago has brought apartheid to its knees. It was not goodwill but the resolve people had to topple the previous regime. The present government recognizes the might of the people's power in action thus for the next decade (2004-2014) it places its emphasis on supporting the Community Development Workers as one of the BIG IDEAS and features prominently on its development agenda.
It was against this background of reinventing government President Thabo Mbeki, in his State of the Nation Address (SON) at the Opening of Parliament in February 2003 announced that, "government will create a public service echelon of multi-skilled community development workers". The need for community development workers became clear during the Imbizo, when the President, Cabinet Ministers, MECs and other government officials visited different communities. At the Imbizos government at large met with, and interacted directly with members of the community and explained government's programme of action to create a better life for all. In turn communities asked questions and put forward ideas to overcome problems and to speed up the implementation of service delivery. One of the lessons learnt during the Imbizos, is that it is often difficult for people to contact government offices for assistance. Many are to poor to afford the travel costs, whilst others do not have the necessary information or knowledge on their right to access government and offering services, nor do they have the necessary knowledge of the processes involved. It is in this context that the idea of Community Development Workers arose. Government understands that this new body of trained Community Development Workers will work directly with communities, to ensure ongoing and continuous interaction between government and the broader community. Problems will be addressed and follow-ups will be made, with a special focus on addressing the needs of the poor.
Programme Director, allow me to pause momentarily and put things which have been distorted by government detractors in their proper context.
The concept within the folds of the progressive mass-movement is not a new phenomenon or a political ploy or an electioneering campaign. The philosophy is grounded on our proud tradition of the people's power which has its genesis in the Freedom Charter, organs of people's power, the RDP and paralleled in the constitution. In fact, all government is doing is just to jealously and vigilantly preserve this deeply seated norm by giving further impetus to the concept in the form of institutionalising it. Over and above this CDWs cannot be reduced to information workers, as anti-democratic forces would love the public to believe. Since we are not in a habit of telling lies government is serious about this CDWs, and that point cannot be overstated. To refer to earlier extract from the President's speech, CDWs cadres are not conceived as one dimensional, in fact they are multi-skilled and generalist community development workers. Thus the special qualification of CDWs. The special qualifications of CDW in terms of their NQF qualifications in Development Practice require that they have a more transformative role than information exchange. Communities urgently require that they take a more active role in spearheading development initiatives by using a participatory process in working with an "action group" such as the "ward committee", to undertake specific projects. Foremost among these should be the facilitation of the expanded public works programme in the ward in which they serve in a stepwise and progressive manner. Other departmental projects at ward level should also be co-ordinated by this cadre, who should collaborate with other community based community workers such as community health workers (CDWs). This is very important if we are serious about integrated governance for seamless provision of services. We should regards this as a norm and ethos of our work, as decision has been taken already during the July Cabinet Lekgotla of 2003.
CO-ORDINATING THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS PROGRAMME
It is logical due to the nature of the CDW programme, which is transversal that it is multi sectoral. Notwithstanding this I should stress that it is nationally and provincially supported but locally driven. Thus at the July 2003 Cabinet Lekgotla it was decided that provinces are responsible for implementation and the initial rollout of Community Development Workers will take place in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the North West Provinces. A Community Development Workers Task Team drawn from DPLG, Departments of Labour, Public Service and Administration, SALGA, SAMDI, Eastern Cape Province, North West Province, Gauteng Province and Limpopo Province was established to co-ordinate the implementation of the Community Development Workers programme in the four provinces. During September 2003, a joint decision was made by the Ministries for Provincial and Local Government, and Public Service and Administration that the central point of co-ordination for the inception and incubation of the Community Development Workers Programme would be the Ministry of Public Service and Administration. After which the project will be handed over to the Department of Provincial and Local Government. It was also decided that the facilitation of relationships between the three spheres of government rest with the Department of Provincial and Local Government.
STATUS QUO REPORT
On the pilot provinces:
* Gauteng has already trained 60 learners for learnership
* An additional 60 is currently being trained
* 60 learners per the remaining three pilot provinces will commence with the learnership on 2 February 2004
* By 23 February 2004, an additional 240 learners will be enrolled on the learnership (60 per pilot province)
* By 15 March 2004, an additional 300 learners will enroll into the learnership. (60 per province for Western Cape, KZN, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Free State)
* Total by end March 2004 = 840.
With regard to training:
* The learnership approach was adopted to ensure the transfer of skills and knowledge
* It is more viable if learners are rewarded with credits or a qualification after training, instead of attending a short skills programme with no credits attached
* The new cadre as envisaged by the President, should be in possession of certain competencies such as, inter alia, project management and financial skills. This level of competence cannot be attained by means of a two to three week training programme
* During the learnership process of 12 months, there will be very limited theoretical work and more practical exposure for the Learner Community Development.
On selection and recruitment:
* Local authorities will need to (in consultation with Province depending on the nature of the agreement) recruit and select learners. (It must be clear that the employer is the Provincial Government)
* The learnership is a capacity building exercise for the future cadre of public servants, to ensure that those who are ultimately appointed are well trained and prepared to serve as CDWs
* Once the learnership has been successfully completed, the Learner Community Development Worker may be appointed as a Public Servant. The specific salary level is still under review by the DPSA.
With regard to monitoring and evaluation:
* The Community Development Worker will be expected to submit weekly reports to Municipality and Provincial Government
* Municipality and Provincial Government to submit a monthly report to DPLG
* DPLG and DPSA to submit these reports to the Governance and Administration Cluster and the President's Co-ordinating Council Meeting.
THE POTENTIAL DYNAMIC ROLE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKERS
Community development workers (CDWs) are defined as community-based resource persons who collaborate with other cadres to help fellow community members progressively meet their needs, achieve goals, realize their aspirations and maintain well-being. They are participatory change agents working within communities from where they are selected, where they live, and to whom they are answerable for their activities. They are supported financially and functionally by a range of government spheres and departments, particularly provinces.
The draft National Framework for the CDW Programme envisages them as empowering facilitators working within a supportive framework, having adequate management support of their own and access to material resources so that they can effectively supervise community members working in community-based public works teams to develop local assets and resources.
If properly implemented the Community Development Workers Programme has the potential of ensuring the further extension of free basic services like water and electricity, free health care to pregnant women and people living with disabilities, and so forth. This programme can ensure that previously marginalised communities are included in government's social net, and can ensure for example that all children, particularly those living in the poorest corners of our country, and who qualify to receive government's social grant actually do so. The Community Development Workers programme will be linked with, and will be integrated into key government programmes for example the 21 Presidential nodes. It is envisaged that Community Development Workers should live and work in the ward they serve. The vacancy for a Community Development Worker should therefore be advertised within a ward.
The recruitment and selection process should take account of, and be sensitive to the needs of a particular ward. It is imperative that the wards take ownership of the Community Development Workers programme. This would be done through ward committees, which are expected to provide guidance and support to the CDW and assist the local municipality in improving service delivery. Community Development Workers have a dynamic role to play in advancing community's active participation in their own lives. So that the work of a Community Development Workers will not only be to pass on information and to assist, but also to deepen democracy in a broader sense.
The Community Development Workers could act as a catalyst for broader, deeper democratic processes, including community-based infrastructure development. As a conduit to government services, Community Development Workers could actively galvanise people to become masters of their own destiny and to actively change and transform their lives. For example, a Community Development Worker visiting a house to ensure that a social pension is processed could inform and involve household members in potential employment at one of government's Extended Public Works Programmes. From these proceeding paragraphs it is evident that Community Development Workers therefore have a crucial role to play in empowering the communities they serve.
CONCLUSION
Once again we are convinced as I alluded to earlier, on that this is still one of the BIG IDEAS for the next ten years. Political will and institutional capacity will be the two bedrocks for its success. It is not a coincident that this assembly has drawn together leading politicians and officials at all these spheres of government to amass their effort and be decisive about what the programme should look like in ten years times. Map one of the important steps to ensure that we achieve more in the next ten year. We can boldly say that we are one of the few governments that are proactive and are willing to undertake outward planning and strategies for the next ten years. In case you did not notice, the work we are engaging in has bearing for the next ten years. History is on our side and no one has the potential to stop us.
Finally I wish to read the following poem written by James Yen in the 1920s to guide the Rural Reconstruction Movement in China of which I think still holds water, even in our contemporary society today.
Go to the people
Live among the people
Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Work with the people
Start with what the people know
Build on what the people have
Teach by showing; learn by doing
Not a showcase but a pattern
Not odds and ends but a system.
When we meet again it would be March 2005 where we would be reviewing the progress made in achieving the resolutions we are about to commit ourselves to. Please make sure that we seize the moment to take the CDW programme to greater heights.
Issued by: Ministry for Provincial and Local Government
26 January 2004
Source: Department for Provincial and Local Government (http://www.dplg.gov.za/)
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