A sea of red and white could be seen sweeping through the streets of Cape Town on Tuesday morning as Satawu and Utatu workers took to the streets in protest of the latest wage offer. Workers at both Transnet and Metrorail took part in the protest march. Metrorail workers are demanding a 16% increase while the Prasa is only offering a 8 % increase. Transnet workers are demanding a 15% increase while the employer is only offering an 11% wage increase.
Workers whom VOC News spoke to at the march said they are not able to put food on the table with their current salary. One worker said he takes home about R4000 a month after deductions. Another worker said his weekly wage is not enough to cover his daily living costs and that they work long hours. He said he does not know how he will put food on the table this week as the no work no pay rule has been applied.
On Monday Metrorial's acting regional manager, Lindelo Mataya, told VOC News that about 70% of their workforce had not reported for work. According to Matya of the 3500 unionized workers 897 reported for work on Monday morning. "I would assume that this figure could include both unionized and non-unionized members. I would say that it is about two-thirds of our workers that are on strike. Just under 70% have gone on strike and 30% has pitched up for work," he said.
Negotiations continued late into Tuesday evening with the CCMA in Johannesburg. This week Metrorail completely shut down its services and thousands of commuters were forced to find alternate modes of transport to and from work. This according to Matya mainly due to the fact that the company had lost two train sets in the previous strike action by workers.
When asked about the fact that Metrorial had shut down its services because of this the spokesman for Satawu in the Western Cape, Evan Abrahamse replied that they cannot be blamed solely for that as they were not the only union on strike at the time. "I thought that, that was a closed book. We were not the only strike happening at the time, there was a security strike also taking place which was not organized by Satawu, at the same time, when those trains were damaged," he explained.
According to Abrahamse, the Treasury's statement that wage increases should not be higher than inflation holds no water. "Economist has been largely discredited since the recession. What they are saying holds not water with us. Our members have been struggling to put bread on the table, so we need a better deal."
Meanwhile, Utatu's Trevor Wasserveld told VOC News that the current wage offer on the table is unacceptable. "The wage percentage itself in terms of the cost of living is way below the standard. There are also other issues that need to be dealt with," said Wasserveld
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT NEARLY COMPLETE FOR WORLD CUP
DORIANNE ARENDSE
With just 29 days to go before the kick off to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the City of Cape Town said its infrastructure development for the international spectacle is on track. Speaking to VOC News on Wednesday afternoon the Mayoral Committee member for Transport, Roads and Major Projects said the contractors are working around the clock to ensure that all the projects undertaken by the City would be completed on time.
"The contractors are working throughout the night and they think that that is the committee that we have from all our contractors. We can't even say 29 days left because we are aiming to have all work done by the end of May. Our Green Point pedestrian circle has been completed. The last paving has been done and the circle is one of the biggest where pedestrians do not need to compete with cars when crossing the road. Where they get off at the bus station they immediately go under the circle and they then are right onto the station," explained Thompson.
Roads
According to the councilor, the Bhunga Bridge has already being completed and pedestrians are already making use of the new foot bridge. "People are already using the bridge and we will officially launch it next week, but what is amazing about this Bhunga Bridge is that it a major link between Langa and the Athlone stadium and Klipfontein Road. The Athlone stadium will be used as a practice venue and it will allow pedestrians to cross the bridge right onto stadium," she said.
The Transport Management Centre located in Goodwood has also been completed. Currently the last bits of software and hardware are being moved into the centre. The centre will be used to monitor all accidents reported during the World Cup. "It will host the Metro Traffic, Disaster Risk Management and we will also be able to host the IRT operations from there. We will be able to monitor the freeways as well as the operation of the IRT buses with CCTV cameras," explained Thompson.
According to Thompson, the road infrastructure which will be used for the Soccer World Cup has been completed and it is just for the paving to be done. "The last bit of paving and landscaping still needs to be done on the dedicated lane where the bus will be traveling. We will have a service from the Airport into the CBD and from the CBD as far as the stadium and the inner city.
Bus stations
"All our bus stations is being finalized, there are three major bus stations- the one is at the airport, the other one is at Hertzog Boulevard, where the hub of the public transport is in and the other one is the stadium. The Granger Bay station has been completed but that will not be in use for the World Cup," said Thompson.
When asked about the fact that the station deck would not be completed on time, Thompson replied that she did not want to comment too much on that as the construction is being overseen by Intersite. "There is a lot of construction happening in and around the City. So what will happen is that Interstite has got a certain portion of work that they have do.
"Whatever has to be done for the World Cup will be completed. There are projects that are ongoing but if you look at the N7, those projects are not meant for 2010. So whatever infrastructure needs to be done it will be completed but during the World Cup event all construction will be stopped and will only resume once the World Cup is over," the Councillor said.
Fan parks
According to Thompson, the business in and around the areas that had infrastructure development taking place were consulted about the construction that would be taking place through the various ward committees in the area. She said they would then have had ample time to raise their concerns. "We know that there has been engagement with the public through the ward meetings. They were engaged in terms of what would be taking place in around the stadium. By the end of May I would assume that all infrastructures would be completed. The World Cup starts on the 11 June, so we cannot down tools on the 10 June 2010."
When asked about the work around the fan parks, miles and walks, Thompson replied that she was not able to comment on this as it did not fall under her department. "The fan parks is not something that I can talk too, there I think it would be best to talk to our 2010 team. They would be able to give you more information with regards to that. But if we talk about our last mile home, in terms of public transport and pedestrian paving, there have been a number of rail stations that have been identified to be used as park and ride facilities.
In other words you can park your car and take a shuttle to the stadium. Your vehicle would be safe as we will have security around the area. Public transport would be available to take people after the evening matches are played. Metrorail has committed themselves to run a service until 2am in the morning. We are also engaging with the taxi industry to see if they would also extend their operating hours," said Thompson.
With just 29 days to go before the kick off to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the City of Cape Town said its infrastructure development for the international spectacle is on track. Speaking to VOC News on Wednesday afternoon the Mayoral Committee member for Transport, Roads and Major Projects said the contractors are working around the clock to ensure that all the projects undertaken by the City would be completed on time.
"The contractors are working throughout the night and they think that that is the committee that we have from all our contractors. We can't even say 29 days left because we are aiming to have all work done by the end of May. Our Green Point pedestrian circle has been completed. The last paving has been done and the circle is one of the biggest where pedestrians do not need to compete with cars when crossing the road. Where they get off at the bus station they immediately go under the circle and they then are right onto the station," explained Thompson.
Roads
According to the councilor, the Bhunga Bridge has already being completed and pedestrians are already making use of the new foot bridge. "People are already using the bridge and we will officially launch it next week, but what is amazing about this Bhunga Bridge is that it a major link between Langa and the Athlone stadium and Klipfontein Road. The Athlone stadium will be used as a practice venue and it will allow pedestrians to cross the bridge right onto stadium," she said.
The Transport Management Centre located in Goodwood has also been completed. Currently the last bits of software and hardware are being moved into the centre. The centre will be used to monitor all accidents reported during the World Cup. "It will host the Metro Traffic, Disaster Risk Management and we will also be able to host the IRT operations from there. We will be able to monitor the freeways as well as the operation of the IRT buses with CCTV cameras," explained Thompson.
According to Thompson, the road infrastructure which will be used for the Soccer World Cup has been completed and it is just for the paving to be done. "The last bit of paving and landscaping still needs to be done on the dedicated lane where the bus will be traveling. We will have a service from the Airport into the CBD and from the CBD as far as the stadium and the inner city.
Bus stations
"All our bus stations is being finalized, there are three major bus stations- the one is at the airport, the other one is at Hertzog Boulevard, where the hub of the public transport is in and the other one is the stadium. The Granger Bay station has been completed but that will not be in use for the World Cup," said Thompson.
When asked about the fact that the station deck would not be completed on time, Thompson replied that she did not want to comment too much on that as the construction is being overseen by Intersite. "There is a lot of construction happening in and around the City. So what will happen is that Interstite has got a certain portion of work that they have do.
"Whatever has to be done for the World Cup will be completed. There are projects that are ongoing but if you look at the N7, those projects are not meant for 2010. So whatever infrastructure needs to be done it will be completed but during the World Cup event all construction will be stopped and will only resume once the World Cup is over," the Councillor said.
Fan parks
According to Thompson, the business in and around the areas that had infrastructure development taking place were consulted about the construction that would be taking place through the various ward committees in the area. She said they would then have had ample time to raise their concerns. "We know that there has been engagement with the public through the ward meetings. They were engaged in terms of what would be taking place in around the stadium. By the end of May I would assume that all infrastructures would be completed. The World Cup starts on the 11 June, so we cannot down tools on the 10 June 2010."
When asked about the work around the fan parks, miles and walks, Thompson replied that she was not able to comment on this as it did not fall under her department. "The fan parks is not something that I can talk too, there I think it would be best to talk to our 2010 team. They would be able to give you more information with regards to that. But if we talk about our last mile home, in terms of public transport and pedestrian paving, there have been a number of rail stations that have been identified to be used as park and ride facilities.
In other words you can park your car and take a shuttle to the stadium. Your vehicle would be safe as we will have security around the area. Public transport would be available to take people after the evening matches are played. Metrorail has committed themselves to run a service until 2am in the morning. We are also engaging with the taxi industry to see if they would also extend their operating hours," said Thompson.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
FARM WORKER SUMMIT HELD AT GOUDINI
DORIANNE ARENDSE
The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape held a 2 day summit this week at Goudini outside Rawsonville to look at various issues concerning farm workers. According to the spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Gerrit Van Rensburg even though the department of agriculture was hosting the summit, it included the departments of Education, Health, Rural Development and Housing is also present at the summit.
"We had the two day summit yesterday and today. The main aim of the summit was to give farm workers a direct opportunity to voice concerns affecting them towards all the government departments. Agriculture organized the summit but Health, Education, Housing and Rural Development was present as well," he said.
According to Kriel the main issues affecting farm workers is also the same issues affecting everyone living in rural areas in the province. "Issues were raised about education, transport for kids to schools, access to health care facilities and farm safety were raised."
Improving situation
Kriel said the MEC would also be looking at ways of providing adequate housing for farm workers as most of the time the labourers working on farms do not have a permanent residence outside of the farming environment. "Farm worker housing is always a contentious issue and the MEC feels very strong about this. His argument is that someone who works on a farm in the Western Cape and contributes towards the economy his whole working life and is then he retires, he does not have access to a government house in town as other workers who partake in the economy does," he explained.
He said that this has prompted the MEC to meet with the MEC for Human Settlements, Bongikosi Madikezela to look at ways of improving this situation. "The municipalities say that these workers have a house on the farm, but when a farm worker retires that house is needed for another worker who is working on the farm. These people end up being in the middle of no mans land.
The MEC has had discussion with the MEC for Housing on this issue and they are trying to work out a situation where farmers might donate or contribute towards financing municipal housing. In return the farm worker would get preference on the housing lists in towns. A house on farm in itself is not really worth anything whereas has monetary worth, it is something that you can sell or leave to your children," explained Kriel.
Protecting workers
Meanwhile, farm worker union Sikhule Sonke told VOC News that they have made a submission to the summit highlighting their concerns, particularly pertaining to the protection of farm workers. "There are a few things that have been raised by organization at this summit. There is no protection for the Agricultural sector and that we are competing with highly subsidized economies, which make it very difficult for a union to bargain for better conditions for farm workers. We are competing unequally with agricultural economies in the north," said Wendy Pekeur the spokeswoman for the trade union.
According to Pekeur they support President Jacob Zuma's call for a review of the willing buyer willing seller policy. "We support the President's call to review the willing by willing seller concept. We have also highlighted the issue of wages and the fact that farm workers are earning the lowest wages," she said.
When asked about the fact that the MEC for Agriculture will be looking at housing for farm workers, Pekeur replied that they had made some suggestions around housing for farm workers. "Government should also look at farm evictions and should ensure that farm workers have access to adequate housing. We also need a commitment from government when it comes to looking at ways of improving wages and housing for farm workers," said Pekeur
The Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape held a 2 day summit this week at Goudini outside Rawsonville to look at various issues concerning farm workers. According to the spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Gerrit Van Rensburg even though the department of agriculture was hosting the summit, it included the departments of Education, Health, Rural Development and Housing is also present at the summit.
"We had the two day summit yesterday and today. The main aim of the summit was to give farm workers a direct opportunity to voice concerns affecting them towards all the government departments. Agriculture organized the summit but Health, Education, Housing and Rural Development was present as well," he said.
According to Kriel the main issues affecting farm workers is also the same issues affecting everyone living in rural areas in the province. "Issues were raised about education, transport for kids to schools, access to health care facilities and farm safety were raised."
Improving situation
Kriel said the MEC would also be looking at ways of providing adequate housing for farm workers as most of the time the labourers working on farms do not have a permanent residence outside of the farming environment. "Farm worker housing is always a contentious issue and the MEC feels very strong about this. His argument is that someone who works on a farm in the Western Cape and contributes towards the economy his whole working life and is then he retires, he does not have access to a government house in town as other workers who partake in the economy does," he explained.
He said that this has prompted the MEC to meet with the MEC for Human Settlements, Bongikosi Madikezela to look at ways of improving this situation. "The municipalities say that these workers have a house on the farm, but when a farm worker retires that house is needed for another worker who is working on the farm. These people end up being in the middle of no mans land.
The MEC has had discussion with the MEC for Housing on this issue and they are trying to work out a situation where farmers might donate or contribute towards financing municipal housing. In return the farm worker would get preference on the housing lists in towns. A house on farm in itself is not really worth anything whereas has monetary worth, it is something that you can sell or leave to your children," explained Kriel.
Protecting workers
Meanwhile, farm worker union Sikhule Sonke told VOC News that they have made a submission to the summit highlighting their concerns, particularly pertaining to the protection of farm workers. "There are a few things that have been raised by organization at this summit. There is no protection for the Agricultural sector and that we are competing with highly subsidized economies, which make it very difficult for a union to bargain for better conditions for farm workers. We are competing unequally with agricultural economies in the north," said Wendy Pekeur the spokeswoman for the trade union.
According to Pekeur they support President Jacob Zuma's call for a review of the willing buyer willing seller policy. "We support the President's call to review the willing by willing seller concept. We have also highlighted the issue of wages and the fact that farm workers are earning the lowest wages," she said.
When asked about the fact that the MEC for Agriculture will be looking at housing for farm workers, Pekeur replied that they had made some suggestions around housing for farm workers. "Government should also look at farm evictions and should ensure that farm workers have access to adequate housing. We also need a commitment from government when it comes to looking at ways of improving wages and housing for farm workers," said Pekeur
Union joins fight for seniors
Dorianne Arendse
Trade union Cosatu has vowed to continue with its monthly outings for senior citizens over the age of 60, this despite the fact that their funding for the free trains has been taken away by Provincial Government. On Tuesday morning 3000 pensioners made use of the free trains provided by Cosatu to for their monthly outing.Speaking to VOC News the spokesman for Cosatu in the Western Cape Tony Ehrenreich said the event was to be funded by provincial government.
"Helen Zille pulled the plug, essentially sabotaging the opportunities of working class citizens to go out an enjoy the sites of the Western Cape, as well as being able to enjoy the sites, as well as just able to spend some time out of the impoverished communities they come from. It is really a sad when the Democratic Alliance refuses to honour the agreement of government in respect of poorer communities and their senior citizens," Ehrenreich said.
He said the funding for the pensioners event was agreed to by the provincial government under the leadership of then Premier Lynn Brown. "This agreement had to be honoured by the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, who has just withdrawn the agreement and questioned its status. The matters have been repeatedly raised with Premier Helen Zille but she has shown no regard for the plight of senior citizens from working class communities. This just again reaffirms what I think is the ambit of the DA in regard to the poorer communities," he said.
Free trains
According to Ehrenreich the free trains cost a minimal amount of R2000 a month to make it possible for senior citizens to get out and spend some time in the beauty of the Western Cape. "The government has refused to honour the bill and so Cosatu is going to have to have to in conjunction with the senior citizens find someone else to foot the bills until we take the provincial government to court and force the government to honour the agreement," said Ehrenreich.
In a previous interview with VOC News the Provincial department of Social Development said it was forced to redistribute the funds to old age homes in the province, which are faced with financial problems. In February, the department announced it would be cutting the funding to Non Profit Organisations (NPO's) and Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's), due to a major reduction in its overall budget allocation from the national government. Monies have been reallocated based on the quality of services delivered at each specific organization.
Trade union Cosatu has vowed to continue with its monthly outings for senior citizens over the age of 60, this despite the fact that their funding for the free trains has been taken away by Provincial Government. On Tuesday morning 3000 pensioners made use of the free trains provided by Cosatu to for their monthly outing.Speaking to VOC News the spokesman for Cosatu in the Western Cape Tony Ehrenreich said the event was to be funded by provincial government.
"Helen Zille pulled the plug, essentially sabotaging the opportunities of working class citizens to go out an enjoy the sites of the Western Cape, as well as being able to enjoy the sites, as well as just able to spend some time out of the impoverished communities they come from. It is really a sad when the Democratic Alliance refuses to honour the agreement of government in respect of poorer communities and their senior citizens," Ehrenreich said.
He said the funding for the pensioners event was agreed to by the provincial government under the leadership of then Premier Lynn Brown. "This agreement had to be honoured by the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, who has just withdrawn the agreement and questioned its status. The matters have been repeatedly raised with Premier Helen Zille but she has shown no regard for the plight of senior citizens from working class communities. This just again reaffirms what I think is the ambit of the DA in regard to the poorer communities," he said.
Free trains
According to Ehrenreich the free trains cost a minimal amount of R2000 a month to make it possible for senior citizens to get out and spend some time in the beauty of the Western Cape. "The government has refused to honour the bill and so Cosatu is going to have to have to in conjunction with the senior citizens find someone else to foot the bills until we take the provincial government to court and force the government to honour the agreement," said Ehrenreich.
In a previous interview with VOC News the Provincial department of Social Development said it was forced to redistribute the funds to old age homes in the province, which are faced with financial problems. In February, the department announced it would be cutting the funding to Non Profit Organisations (NPO's) and Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's), due to a major reduction in its overall budget allocation from the national government. Monies have been reallocated based on the quality of services delivered at each specific organization.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
SATAWU STRIKE TO TAKE PLACE ON THE 17 MAY
DORIANNE ARENDSE
Trade union Satawu has confirmed to VOC News that the planned strike against Metrorail will not go ahead on Monday as planned. Speaking to VOC News on Saturday morning the spokesman for the union in the Western Cape Ivan Abrahamse said they will only be issuing their members with a notice to strike this week and therefore will not be able to proceed with the strike action as planned. He said the strike will now take place on 17 May 2010.
Workers are demanding a 15% wage increase while the employer is only offering 8 percent. Talks deadlocked this week and Satawu announced their decision to strike. "We have a mandate to issue a notice to strike next which, this means that we will only embark on strike action on the 17 May 2010," said Abrahamse.
He said he was not sure if Metrorail would be running its normal schedule on Monday of if they will still have a shutdown of its services as planned. "I am not sure if Metrorail will be running its normal service next week. They have indicated that they will be suspending their services. As far as we are concerned our strike is only starting on the 17," explained Abrahamse.
Confirmed
Meanwhile Metrorail's Riana Scott confirmed to VOC News that their service will be running as normal next week. She said they will only suspend their services once Satawu embarks on strike action. "The complete shut down of our services is dependent on the strike action going ahead. If it is not going ahead and we have had assurances to that effect, that means that our service will operate normally. We will be selling singles, returns and weekly tickets. We encourage our customers to make use of that. Obviously whenever the strike is called we will go back into contingency mode," explained Scott.
She said the contingency plan which they put in place is the shutdown of its operations. "We will be forced to close down our operations entirely as both the unions will participate. All of our contingency plans with extended peak for bus services, additional bus services, as was announced by the City of Cape Town will kick into action," she said.
When asked if they were selling their monthly tickets at a reduced cost, Scott replied that it was not ‘as easy as they thought to reduce the cost of the tickets because of the ticketing system which they used'. "I know there was intentions to do that, however our ticketing system and financial system does not allow us to change that as easy as what was initially thought. At the moment we have no indication from our principles at to what the arrangement will be. It is not a judgment call that a region can make on its own. We will wait on guidelines from our principles and implement whatever they decide," explained.
Wage offer
According to Scott the company has had no word yet from trade union Utatu on whether they will be accepting the improved wage offer from Prasa. "We have not been formally notified of either union's intentions, so we hope that this week will bring clarity," she said.
Scott said that they will still not be selling monthly tickets for the month of May as they feel it would not be fair to sell a monthly ticket when they cannot guarantee a service for the entire month. "If we look at the way events are unfolding, it would be very unfair to sell a monthly ticket and that was our contention right from the start. Because we have no indication of how long the strike would be, it would be unfair to sell a monthly ticket and leave people without ready cash to make alternative arrangements should they need to.
"So for now and for May we will be continuing to sell weekly tickets for that very reason. Until we have clarity on the strike and no the duration or whether it is going ahead or not, we will continue every week to sell weekly tickets, singles and returns," said Scott.
Trade union Satawu has confirmed to VOC News that the planned strike against Metrorail will not go ahead on Monday as planned. Speaking to VOC News on Saturday morning the spokesman for the union in the Western Cape Ivan Abrahamse said they will only be issuing their members with a notice to strike this week and therefore will not be able to proceed with the strike action as planned. He said the strike will now take place on 17 May 2010.
Workers are demanding a 15% wage increase while the employer is only offering 8 percent. Talks deadlocked this week and Satawu announced their decision to strike. "We have a mandate to issue a notice to strike next which, this means that we will only embark on strike action on the 17 May 2010," said Abrahamse.
He said he was not sure if Metrorail would be running its normal schedule on Monday of if they will still have a shutdown of its services as planned. "I am not sure if Metrorail will be running its normal service next week. They have indicated that they will be suspending their services. As far as we are concerned our strike is only starting on the 17," explained Abrahamse.
Confirmed
Meanwhile Metrorail's Riana Scott confirmed to VOC News that their service will be running as normal next week. She said they will only suspend their services once Satawu embarks on strike action. "The complete shut down of our services is dependent on the strike action going ahead. If it is not going ahead and we have had assurances to that effect, that means that our service will operate normally. We will be selling singles, returns and weekly tickets. We encourage our customers to make use of that. Obviously whenever the strike is called we will go back into contingency mode," explained Scott.
She said the contingency plan which they put in place is the shutdown of its operations. "We will be forced to close down our operations entirely as both the unions will participate. All of our contingency plans with extended peak for bus services, additional bus services, as was announced by the City of Cape Town will kick into action," she said.
When asked if they were selling their monthly tickets at a reduced cost, Scott replied that it was not ‘as easy as they thought to reduce the cost of the tickets because of the ticketing system which they used'. "I know there was intentions to do that, however our ticketing system and financial system does not allow us to change that as easy as what was initially thought. At the moment we have no indication from our principles at to what the arrangement will be. It is not a judgment call that a region can make on its own. We will wait on guidelines from our principles and implement whatever they decide," explained.
Wage offer
According to Scott the company has had no word yet from trade union Utatu on whether they will be accepting the improved wage offer from Prasa. "We have not been formally notified of either union's intentions, so we hope that this week will bring clarity," she said.
Scott said that they will still not be selling monthly tickets for the month of May as they feel it would not be fair to sell a monthly ticket when they cannot guarantee a service for the entire month. "If we look at the way events are unfolding, it would be very unfair to sell a monthly ticket and that was our contention right from the start. Because we have no indication of how long the strike would be, it would be unfair to sell a monthly ticket and leave people without ready cash to make alternative arrangements should they need to.
"So for now and for May we will be continuing to sell weekly tickets for that very reason. Until we have clarity on the strike and no the duration or whether it is going ahead or not, we will continue every week to sell weekly tickets, singles and returns," said Scott.
Monday, May 3, 2010
NEW APOSTLIC CHURCH TO HOST WINTER SCHOOL DURING SOCCER WORLD CUP 2010
DORIANNE ARENDSE
In a bid to keep school children safe during the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup the New Apostolic Church in the Western Cape will be hosting a Winter School Programme in the province and they are calling on the community to assist. "As we know there is going to be extended mid year school holidays this year because of the Soccer World Cup so the children are going to be at home," said Apostle Brian de Vries, spokesperson for the program.
"We know that not all parents and guardians are able to take of their children as the school holiday is for about 5 weeks. This prompted us to run a Winter School Programme. We also know that not all parents have the finances to get a caregiver to look after their children."
He explained that in the area of Mitchells Plain there are not sufficient facilities for children to play. "Children in certain areas especially in Mitchells Plain they have no safe place to play are security is not sufficient. We want to keep them off the street. We designed a programme which will do just that. The programme will involve teachers, volunteers from the community, parents who are at home and spiritual leaders."
Open to all
De Vries said the Winter School Programme is not limited to members of the New Apostolic Church. "The leaders of each congregation can invite anyone or organization from the community that is not necessarily a member of our church to attend the programme. But they have to give us their name; we will then send them an indemnity that needs to completed by their parents to say that they are placing their children in our care over that period of time," he said.
According to the Apostle, the leaders in the various congregations will alert the schools in the area to the programme. "We are trying via the rector of each congregation to get in touch with all the schools in the community. Everyone is involved in this programme. We will also try to get the message across via our children to the principles. On the 11 June the programme will kick in," he said.
Some of the activities which will be offered to the children include Arts and Crafts, a readathon, drug awareness programme, and a programme on HIV/AIDS as well as a fun and games day. "It took a long time for us to work out a programme of activities for the children. We decided to go into three categories which are activities at church, other venues and activities at home," he said.
According to De Vries, the parents will be asked to pack a lunch box for their children but on certain days we will provide a meal for kids. "Children love to eat so somehow we have to cater for them. We can't obviously give elaborate meals but we will be having a soup kitchen. We would possible be asking parents to pack in lunch for the children on the one or other day to help us," said De Vries.
In a bid to keep school children safe during the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup the New Apostolic Church in the Western Cape will be hosting a Winter School Programme in the province and they are calling on the community to assist. "As we know there is going to be extended mid year school holidays this year because of the Soccer World Cup so the children are going to be at home," said Apostle Brian de Vries, spokesperson for the program.
"We know that not all parents and guardians are able to take of their children as the school holiday is for about 5 weeks. This prompted us to run a Winter School Programme. We also know that not all parents have the finances to get a caregiver to look after their children."
He explained that in the area of Mitchells Plain there are not sufficient facilities for children to play. "Children in certain areas especially in Mitchells Plain they have no safe place to play are security is not sufficient. We want to keep them off the street. We designed a programme which will do just that. The programme will involve teachers, volunteers from the community, parents who are at home and spiritual leaders."
Open to all
De Vries said the Winter School Programme is not limited to members of the New Apostolic Church. "The leaders of each congregation can invite anyone or organization from the community that is not necessarily a member of our church to attend the programme. But they have to give us their name; we will then send them an indemnity that needs to completed by their parents to say that they are placing their children in our care over that period of time," he said.
According to the Apostle, the leaders in the various congregations will alert the schools in the area to the programme. "We are trying via the rector of each congregation to get in touch with all the schools in the community. Everyone is involved in this programme. We will also try to get the message across via our children to the principles. On the 11 June the programme will kick in," he said.
Some of the activities which will be offered to the children include Arts and Crafts, a readathon, drug awareness programme, and a programme on HIV/AIDS as well as a fun and games day. "It took a long time for us to work out a programme of activities for the children. We decided to go into three categories which are activities at church, other venues and activities at home," he said.
According to De Vries, the parents will be asked to pack a lunch box for their children but on certain days we will provide a meal for kids. "Children love to eat so somehow we have to cater for them. We can't obviously give elaborate meals but we will be having a soup kitchen. We would possible be asking parents to pack in lunch for the children on the one or other day to help us," said De Vries.
Orginal Article can be found at: www.vocfm.co.za
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