For the residents of Daggakraal in Mpumalanga, government services are coming to them – no long taxi rides, no queues in faraway towns. Minister of Social Development Dina Pule leads an Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP) at the Daggakraal 3 Sports Ground on Friday, bringing a full basket of government and social services directly to the community.
The outreach, in the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, forms part of Mandela Month activities and takes place a day before International Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July, observed this year under the theme “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity,” SAnews reports.
Services under one roof
ICROP is one of the South African Social Security Agency’s flagship service delivery initiatives, designed to improve access to essential services by bringing them closer to communities. According to the Department of Social Development, the model cuts travel costs, reduces waiting times and puts a wide variety of services in one place.
Residents can expect help with, among others:
- Social grant applications and enquiries;
- Employment and career guidance;
- Information on bursaries, student funding and learnerships;
- Entrepreneurship and small business (SMME) support;
- Social work services and referrals, including support for vulnerable residents;
- Registration and support services for civil society organisations.
Twenty years of SASSA
The Daggakraal event carries extra meaning this year: it forms part of SASSA’s 20th anniversary celebrations, marking two decades of providing social assistance and advancing social protection for millions of South Africans.
“The engagement presents an opportunity not only to celebrate this important milestone but also to reaffirm government’s commitment to bringing services closer to the people and strengthening service delivery,” the department said.
In keeping with Mandela Month, the programme focuses on poverty alleviation, skills development, entrepreneurship, support for small businesses, the inclusion of persons with disabilities and programmes promoting social cohesion.
Listening first, then delivering
Pule will be joined by Mpumalanga MEC for Social Development Nompumelelo Hlophe, along with municipal and traditional leaders. Before the main programme, the delegation visits local community development initiatives and holds a community engagement session where residents can raise the issues that matter to them – followed by on-site delivery of services by participating departments and stakeholder organisations.
It is service delivery the way communities like it best: close to home, joined-up and personal – exactly the spirit Mandela Day asks of all of us.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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