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When the cold makes you think South Africa is in the grip of an incredible cold front and even here, in the Waterberg where the climate is supposed to be warmer, we are all feeling the cold cutting through flesh and bone. It is in these times that we cannot help but think about the poorest of the poor who do not even have a blanket to keep them warm. This week The BEAT reports on various 67 minutes projects, in honour of Nelson Mandela Day. One of these articles is about two children who are living alone after their parents died. One of the brothers is sick and, when the community workers visited his home, he was too weak to wake up. He was so weak because of hunger! The reason why these children are suffering so terribly is that they have no guidance and no knowledge of how to access government grants and schemes that are designed to help them. What is the use of all the grand schemes if it does not help those that it is intended to help? The children also had a problem because they did not have the documentation needed to apply for the help that is available to them. The community workers vowed to help them obtain these documents. These good Samaritans should be applauded for their efforts, but one cannot help wondering how many more of these kids are out there that are also in dire need of urgent help. How many children are hungry and cold, because they simply do not know how to access the documents that are needed for them to receive help? This is where the community comes in. These children are not living on their own on a mountaintop somewhere. No, they are living and functioning within a community. It is the community’s responsibility and obligation to look out for the children that have to fend for themselves. These children living in child headed households did not ask to be orphans. Their parents were taken from them by fate and they had no say in the matter. It is not their fault that they are helpless without adult guidance. When you are busy with your 67 minutes for Mandela, ask yourself if you cannot be more involved in your community on a permanent basis. There are thousands of children out there who need adults to guide them and help them survive.
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BEAT
20 July, 2012
Page 5
Selfless servants Bishop Silas Tlou
These children showed off their best moves on the dance floor during the BBEAG Soup Kitchen in Sunfa Stadium in Mandela section. Photo: Supplied
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What type of South Africa do we want to live in? What type of South Africa have we created? Are our towns safe and prosperous places that we can raise our kids? What about challenges at hand that threaten development and service delivery? The book of Proverbs has a few ideas on the role of council in government. Proverbs 20:26, “A wise king winnows out the wicked; he drives the threshing wheel over them.” Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” Proverbs 19:20, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” Proverbs 24:6, “… for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.” The challenge lies in making a pledge, inspired by the words of Madiba, “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” 1. Acknowledge that we are all equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship and are all equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship, without regard to race or gender. 2. Respect, protect and promote the supremacy of our Constitution and the rule of law. Teach our children to do the same. 3. Be resolved to live as equals, to live in peace and harmony, to be free from fear and want and to seek a better life. 4. Expect our multi-party system of democratic government to ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness in our interaction with those who serve us governing South Africa. 5. Undertake to do our best to heal the divisions of the past, improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of all who live in our lovely land. 6. So as to achieve these worthy objectives, we promise to hold our public administration to the exacting standards, values and principles, which govern public servants, and we shall co-operate with them in all ways, which enhance efficiency, economy and effectiveness in the affairs of state and the delivery of services. 7. Honour the principles of Ubuntu and Batho Pele in our efforts to build a united nation. A united nation as one under God. If we all take this pledge and honour our commitment to it, we can make our communities a better place to live in.