The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng welcomes the decision by the Gauteng Department of Social Development to close down the Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa Child and Youth Care Centre in Soshanguve, Tshwane.
This decision which is long overdue was announced by the Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Nomathemba Mokgethi during the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) Social Development Portfolio Committee virtual meeting.
This centre, which has been plagued with numerous challenges ranging from corruption, mismanagement of funds and the neglect of children was closed last Friday.
According to MEC Mokgethi, this centre which houses 69 children has been closed due to structural defects and the fact that it is costing the department more money, about R1.4 million annually per child.
Since 2014, the DA has been calling on the department to intervene and act on these challenges facing this centre but the department ignored our concerns.
Furthermore, on several occasions the department denied our members of the GPL and the National Assembly access to conduct oversight visits at this centre.
While we welcome the decision to close this centre, we question why the department has overlooked the reports of August 2018 and February 2019 which clearly indicated that this centre was not conducive for human habitation.
The reports states that there are structural defects that are a severe threat to human life hence this centre has been operating on temporary occupational certificates.
There are also allegations that a child at this centre died because of a leg injury and the cause of death is still being questioned.
This centre was another Esidemini tragedy in waiting as the department has on several occasions been warned about the danger of this building, but they never listened.
Children from this centre will be placed in various centres across the Tshwane region. The department has also identified the Salvokop Centre which can accommodate 80 to 100 children. The employees of this centre will either be placed at other institutions and at the regional offices.
We will continue to monitor the process of the placement of children from this centre at other centres as well as the placement of the employees.
The DA calls on MEC Mokgethi to initiate an independent forensic investigation as a matter of urgency to determine why the centre has been operating despite the reports indicating that it was not conducive for human habitation. Those who are found to be guilty of deliberately ignoring these reports should face the consequences of their actions of putting the lives of these vulnerable children at risk.