In a groundbreaking programme to enhance service delivery, Limpopo’s Office of the Premier, Local Government Sector Training Authority and the University of Venda (Univen), bestowed 82 National Certificates in Community Development Work on the first group of competently trained community development workers on Saturday, the first historic graduation ceremony of its kind.

This new category of public servants will help the government with service delivery by enhancing communications and access to services to which they are entitled. Some 71 of the 82 graduates have been appointed permanently in different government structures in the province.

The community development workers completed a one-year training programme, combining class-based and in-service training with the University of Venda.

Introduced by President Thabo Mbeki in 2003, the community development workers project entails the training of individuals to become multi-skilled public servants to help people access government services and poverty alleviation programmes. As part of their work, the community development workers will interact with, among others, ward committees, councillors and local municipalities.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the University of Venda Auditorium, the MEC for Local Government and Housing, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, said universities are expected to strengthen linkages with communities to enhance service delivery. “Many people are still struggling to differentiate between the roles of ward councillors and community development workers, while they need to complement each other in their diverse roles. Councillors are elected every five years, while community development workers are multi-skilled public servants trained to bridge the service delivery gap between government and the community. We believe that these men and women will assist in building a caring government and carry the Batho Pele initiative further. We seriously believe that these community development workers will be able to resolve the disputes between the government and the communities.”

Speaking at the same event, University Registrar Khuliso Nemadzivhanani said the university will work hard with different stakeholders in the fight against poverty, unemployment and service delivery. He further added that about half of the country’s population is poor and lives below the poverty line. “Apathy, dependency, disease, dishonesty and ignorance continue to flourish in our societies. Furthermore, almost two-thirds of the country’s poor live in rural areas. This reality directed the government to introduce the community development worker programme with the goal of bringing on board a new set of foot soldiers to fight the deprivation that characterises South African society. As a responsible university, we are proud to engage ourselves in the enhancement of service delivery in our country.”