Khayelitsha to benefit from project aiding unemployed youth
THE Community Safety Department’s outreach programme to vulnerable, poverty-stricken and unemployed youth in crimeplagued communities is due to be taken to Khayelitsha today.
Community Safety MEC Dan Plato, together with officials from the Department of Community Safety, will conduct engagements in the informal settlement of Makhaza on the various safety partnerships available.
Today’s outing followed one held in Malmesbury on Monday, which started with Plato holding a breakfast meeting with local religious and community leaders, the CPF, neighbourhood watches and the police.
It ended with his walkabout in Wesbank to gauge the extent of the community’s problems and encourage, especially the youth, to take part in programmes by institutions such as Chrysalis Academy in Tokai and the Northlink College.
“We discussed various social issues and criminality experienced by the community in the Swartland area and how the department, with church leaders, can address these issues.
“The main thrust of our programme is to keep vulnerable and poverty-stricken youth occupied and busy with educational and development programmes during school holidays,” said Plato.
He said his department, as part of the programme, would pay religious institutions a fee of R50 per youth a day to enable them to keep young people busy and provide them with food, “because if no food is provided, they would not stay part of the programme”.
The department would monitor the participation of the youth and institutions by sending representatives to the venues where the religious institutions run holiday programmes, said Plato.
The outreach programme had already reached areas like Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay and Knysna.