The first Community Development Workers Programme Road show in the Vhembe District took place at the Lesley Manyathela Stadium in Musina last Tuesday.

All the municipalities in the province are expected to have at least one road show, targeted at bringing together about 1 500 people while rendering government services in one place.

Community development workers - a concept introduced by President Thabo Mbeki in 2003 - are multi-skilled public servants deployed in communities to help people access government services and poverty alleviation programmes. They work as community facilitators, focusing on finding solutions to identified needs and blockages by interacting with national, provincial and local government structures by combining class-based and in-service training.

As part of their work, community development workers interact with ward committees, councillors and local municipalities, amongst others. They are deployed on a full-time basis in their communities, where they will ensure that people have an understanding of where and how to access government services such as social grants, health services and HIV/Aids programmes.

When addressing government officials and community members who came to use services, the mayor of Musina Municipality, Caroline Mahasela, said road shows of this nature helped the community to learn more about the challenges South Africa was facing in social welfare, infrastructure, education and health provision services. She added: "This is what we truly mean when we say that government officials should go to the people and serve them directly. We must live with the people, walk with them and talk their language – it is then that they will understand us. I am delighted to realize that what we have been dreaming together has today been turned into reality. We have been singing this song of bringing services to the doorsteps of our people for a long time. This function marks the beginning of a solid partnership that will have everlasting benefits for our community."

Mahasela commended the government for introducing the idea of the community development workers programme as an intervention that is aimed at improving access to the delivery of public services. "It is envisaged that the initiative is, amongst other things, assisting in the removal of service delivery deadlocks and strengthening contact between government and the people. Community development workers help the government with service delivery by improving communication and helping local people to access services to which they are entitled. It is one of the most effective ways of assisting our people because we know that the policy and legislative framework is now in place, but many still suffer because they don´t know how to access services to which they are entitled."

The following stakeholders made presentations to the people before rendering services at the stadium: the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the Departments of Home Affairs, Roads and Transport, Justice, Labour, Health and Social Development, Agriculture and Economic Development, Environment and Tourism.