House Chair, the committee visited the Rosendal High School in the Western Cape. The challenges that faced the high school were as follows: a shortage of professional personnel, such as social workers, psychologists and school nurses; a lack of research on the role of the boy- child regarding teenage pregnancy; a high rate of terminations of pregnancy, which were often performed without sufficient counselling and left learners traumatised; a lack of parental involvement in the activities of the school; and struggling to keep learners on the school premises until the end of school hours. Some educators within the district did not implement the policies of the provincial department, such as reporting learners who are pregnant.
The challenges faced by the police station were as follows: no rehabilitation facilities in the area; limited recreational facilities; lack of youth development organisations; poor socioeconomic conditions that prevail in the area, such as poverty and a high rate of unemployment; lack of role models in the area; and lack of safety at schools. There was also the prevalence of gangsterism in the area.
The challenges that faced the health care centre included a shortage of school nurses to educate learners on teenage pregnancy; some school governing bodies that did not allow programmes on teenage pregnancy, making it difficult for the health care centre to educate learners; poor socioeconomic conditions, such as poverty and unemployment which contributed to the infant mortality rate in the area; and a high rate of terminations of pregnancy and lack of family planning programmes which would assist in reducing the termination of pregnancies.
Regarding the recommendations, the Departments of Basic Education, Health and Social Development should work together to address the challenges faced by the schools and the community; the Department of Basic Education should ensure that the sexual harassment and teenage pregnancy policies are implemented; the Department of Basic Education should ensure that parents and communities are involved in the activities of the school; and awareness campaigns on teenage pregnancies and substance abuse should be regularly held by the Department of Basic Education. However, the committee noted the working together of these stakeholders. I thank them for that. [Applause.]
Shall I proceed to the next report?
Yes, proceed.
I now come to the oversight visits by the Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities committee to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In KwaZulu-Natal the committee undertook visits and engaged with the following organisations and government entities, namely Childline SA, DeafSA, the Association for the Physically Disabled, and the Disability Forum, and Justice and Women. The Pietermaritzburg mayor's chamber created a meeting with the mothers of disabled children in Mooi River in Pietermaritzburg. After engaging with the above-mentioned organisations, the following challenges that were highlighted included incidents of child abuse; poor implementation of laws and policies; a lack of training of policemen; ineffective co-ordination; and challenges in terms of funding and human resource constraints.
In terms of the visit to the Pietermaritzburg mayor's chamber where the committee was supposed to meet with the provincial and the National Youth Development Agencies advisory centre, we met, however, with the mayoral committee. The meeting was dominated throughout by the mayor's office, and the National Youth Development Agency officials provided no information on what was done in the city or province by the agency.
The recommendations yielded from the oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal were collated with that of the Eastern Cape. In the Eastern Cape the committee undertook visits to the Taylor Bequest Hospital, the Maluti Police Station, the Thuthuzela Care Centre and three special schools in Bizana, as well as engaging with the National Youth Development Agency and provincial board members of the Eastern Cape. In terms of engagement with the NYDA, the committee observed that there were no activities or programmes in the provinces visited that would suggest that the NYDA was fulfilling the aforementioned objectives.
Three special schools were visited by the committee in Bizana, namely the Nompumelelo, Vukanzenzele and Zamokuhle schools. Two of the schools were located at the same premises with a hostel for children with intellectual and physical disabilities, and the third school was for children who were blind or visually impaired.
Having engaged with all these, the committee made the following recommendations: the Department of Basic Education should be made aware of the issues noted in each province and what the relevance was in relation to its stated mandate and strategic objectives; the Department of Social Development needs to train more social workers, especially in the rural areas; there should be stringent monitoring and evaluation of social workers' caseloads; there should be improved case management; and investigations into allegations of abuse and death noted by service providers and community members.
In terms of the Department of Basic Education, the following were some of the concerns: the negative implications of the moratorium on educator posts in the Eastern Cape; the poor living conditions of learners with disabilities in hostels in terms of overcrowding; a lack of multidisciplinary professionals; a lack of basic infrastructure and basic services; a lack of teacher support; a lack of schools for children with profound disabilities; ineffective implementation of White Paper Six on inclusive education.
In terms of the Department of Health, we noted the following: high maternal death and infant mortality rates; and high numbers of teenage pregnancies which pointed to a need for improved sexual reproductive health care and family planning programmes. We also noted in terms of the Department of Police that there was a lack of vehicles for transporting victims of abuse and domestic violence. The attitude of the police also was noted as a concern. In terms of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the department should be made aware that there was a lack of collaboration with the Department of Basic Education.
In conclusion, having met with the relevant stakeholders and main organisations, the committee concluded that there was a need to share the report with the affected departments. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Chairperson, I move:
That the Reports be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report on Women, Children, Youth and People with Disabilities on Oversight Visit to Rosendal High School, Delft Police Station and Delft Community Health Care Centre, Western Cape, accordingly adopted.
Report on Women, Children, Youth and People with Disabilities on Oversight Visit to KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape from 24 - 29 July 2011 accordingly adopted.