SAVE SOUTH AFRICA CIVIC MOVEMENT CALLS FOR THE SCRAPPING OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE: THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE MUST BE REPLACED WITH THE MINISTRY OF CHILDREN
By Tebogo Mashilompane
National Communications Director,
Save South Africa Civic Movement
Save South Africa Civic Movement for scrapping of the Ministry of Agriculture.
This new Ministry in its 100 days failed to convince us that it will indeed address the imbalances of the past in as far as Agriculture is concerned.
Minister John Henry Steenhuisen is obsessed with the Democratic Alliance’s policies as opposed to the policies that seek to advance the lives of blacks in the agricultural space.
The Ministry of Agriculture must be, joined with the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment because there is a relationship between these two Ministries.
We are making this call because the Ministry of Agriculture is amongst the Ministries that are, regarded as wasteful Ministries while our children have no Ministry dedicated to protect them.
Section 28 subsection (2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, dictates that the rights of children are of a paramount importance in every matter that concerns children.
But, it worries all of us that children in South Africa find themselves in a place where their lives are in danger daily because the government fails to uphold the Constitution when coming to the protection of children particularly in villages and townships.
It is sad that there are bylaws, and strict procedures to foreigners who wants, to establish businesses in South Africa.
But, those aws are not enforced as a result the laws are disrespected.
In Pakistan, Ethiopia etc, the business of spaza shop is reserved for the citizens not foreigners, but shockingly, South African laws requires that a foreigner must have a starting capital of R5000 000 among other things in order to start a business, surprisingly, foreigners starts businesses without complying with our laws.
And, as a result our children suffer the consequences.
In this, 100 days of GNU we continue to witness deaths of children due allegations of food poisoning. What shocks us further, is the fact that no Ministry is taking a full responsibility of this, crises.
One death of a child is too much but it is surprising that to date no Ministry is taking the responsibility and there is, no voice of the President in all of these.
We must also mention the fact that there are child headed families and these children will, continue to, buy from these spaza shops and as a result, they become the victims of the evil mission.
We must further reemphasise with disappointment that children find themselves in a vulnerable position and our government continues to be mum about the issues of spaza shops.
In Limpopo, primary school children had to take the whole issue upon themselves and faced the spaza shops owners.
This is what the government has exposed our children to, but refusing to enforce the law.
The failure by the current government in protecting children means that in the 100 years to come South Africa will be, read in past tense.
We will be, called a nation that once existed, so as a Movement we are trying to guard against that.
Therefore, Save South Africa Civic Movement is calling for the establishment of the ministry that will fully and strictly focus on the best interest of children as entrenched in the Constitution.