​As part of the government’s continued efforts to empower communities and to build a caring society for a better life, the Gauteng Department of Social Development in partnership with various stakeholders has taken services of government closer to the residents of Lufhereng in Soweto today.
The integrated service delivery blitz seeks to equip communities with information for them to be able to drive their own development.

According to the community development Supervisor Thembelihle Mkhumbuzi, the main objective of the delivery blitz is among others to render unmediated service to the residents and to ensure that communities have easy access to various government services. Mkhumbuzi said the integrated service delivery blitz was also intended to spread the message about work of government, especially to the most vulnerable individuals in society who usually struggle to access the services. “Our aim is clear, to promote the collaboration of multi-stakeholders in delivering effective and efficient services to the people in need of government interventions”.

Mkhumbuzi explained that the community of Lufhereng is infested with so much social ills that need immediate government intervention. “Many people do not have identity documents; young people drop out of school, and it is also reported that there is a lot of gender-based violence happening in the area.

“We want people to understand that government services are free, and our aim is to reach everyone and to ensure that people are empowered with information”, said Mkhumbuzi.

She said the blitz was part of a responsive intervention in the area following one of the community leader Fortune Younger who wrote a letter to the Office of the Premier citing several social ills in their community and requesting an integrated government intervention.

“It is our responsibility as government officials to ensure that people are being served and this blitz is all what we truly mean when we say that government officials should go to the people and serve them directly. We want people to understand that we are a government that is responsive to the needs of the people”, she added.

Younger said some of the key issues that are commonly affecting young people in the area of Lufhereng include poverty, substance abuse, lack of access to information, youth unemployment, and high rate of teenage pregnancy among others.

“The reality is that young people in this area are frustrated and some don’t even know what to do with their lives because it is difficult for them to get the right information”, added Younger.

“I am so excited today to see various government departments rendering services in our area and we are saying they must come more often to listen to our plight and help address our problems. We hope that young people today will use this opportunity to get information that will help them to better their lives”, she said.

A 20-year-old Sbongile Motsai who dropped out of school in 2017 while in grade 10, said she was thankful to government for bringing the services to their area because some of the people don’t have money for a taxi fare to town. Motsai, who is unemployed with a two-year-old son, added that she needs assistance with identity document. She added that she was struggling get help since her parents’ death and she ended up abusing substances.

Home Affairs, SASSA, Tshepo 1Million and the Department of Labourwere among the stakeholders rendering services to the community.