Black Sash presents submission to public hearings on service delivery - BLACK SASH, 4 Feb 2010For Immediate Release: Thursday, 4 February 2010
‘Poor co-operation causes real suffering’
The Black Sash has expressed its frustration over the government’s apparent inability to confront and solve the multiplicity of crises afflicting the efficient delivery of basic services, especially to poor and vulnerable communities. In its submission to the public hearings being held into service delivery in Parliament, the human rights organization insisted that “poor or less than ideal cooperation between government departments and spheres of government has led to real suffering for people.”
Black Sash Advocacy Programme Manager Elroy Paulus told MPs earlier today that “the quality of service delivery is not just a measure of how far we have realised our Constitutional commitments to social protection, but also a key indicator of South Africa’s progress towards a meaningful democracy characterised by good governance, accountability, social cohesion and stability.” He went on to raise numerous service delivery challenges in the areas of basic services; municipal debt; social grants; private pensions; unemployment insurance and compensation for work-related injuries; service delivery tenders and the impact of exploitative and negligent practice by the private sector.
Paulus said that at a local level, key challenges included the prioritization of long-standing grievances such as housing; access to land; the maintenance of infrastructure (especially water and sanitation services) and the absence of real participation by residents within a municipality. “The legacy of apartheid affects all of us but is most tangible and visible for poor people. We urgently need to find a way to address the needs of all the people in South Africa – including foreign nationals - and always within a human rights culture. Failure to do so is a guaranteed recipe for disaster and further violence,” Paulus warned MP’s.
In compiling its submission, the Black Sash drew on the daily work done by paralegals in its seven regional advice offices; statistics from its monitoring of service delivery points; the testimonies of parents and caregivers given during public hearings into the Child Support Grant; its involvement in the national Poverty Hearings, experiences on various Appeal and UIF boards across the country and its work with community organisations. The Black Sash Regional Offices will present further submissions to the Ad Hoc Committee on Service Delivery when it visits the different provinces over the next few months.
Download the full BLACK SASH SUBMISSION to the Ad Hoc Committee on Service Delivery
ENDS.
For interview requests, please contact:
Elroy Paulus
Black Sash Advocacy Programme Manager
Cell: 072-382 8175
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OR
Ratula Beukman
Black Sash Advocacy Programme Manager
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072-174 3507
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Nicklin
Black Sash Media Officer
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073-150 9525
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