This Tuesday Special Assignment travels to the Ufafa valley near Ixopo in the southern KwaZulu-Natal midlands, where they come face to face with children suffering from malnutrition and HIV/Aids.
It’s estimated that up to 12 million children in South Africa are living in deep poverty. For many families child support grants have become a meal ticket, but accessing these grants can be a problem, mainly because parents or caregivers do not have bar-coded ID documents.
In the valley we came across a small group of ordinary people working hard to make a difference. Gundane Mthembu is a para-legal worker and his colleague Thembi Maleli is a field worker. Both are with Woza Moya, an HIV/Aids Community Care and Support Programme. We accompany them as they visit families in distress.
Thembi tells Gundani about a specific case that needs urgent attention. A grandmother with eleven orphans is trying to get a new ID document. Without it, she will never be able to access any form of social assistance from the government.
When we finally arrive at the home after a long drive and walk, we are met by crying, malnourished children who have not eaten for five days.
This is part of the daily routine for the Woza Moya team as they struggle to help families apply for IDs or grants. But it’s not easy: rural dwellers often have to travel long distances to get to Home Affairs offices, and they don’t always have the money to pay for taxis or for the documentation or photos that may be required. And in many cases, it takes more than one trip to get an ID or a child grant.
But the Department of Social Development says it cannot just hand out grants without the right documents, as fraud is rife. But it does say that relief is available in the form of cash or food, for families waiting for their ID documents or grants.
Later this year child rights activists are taking government to court, to get them to accept other forms of identification in order to access grants. The outcome will determine the fate of many families.
Children of the Valley is produced by Johann Abrahams and was filmed by cameraman Roy Freeman.
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