SA needs ministry dedicated to children, says civic movement
Save South Africa Civic Movement wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to scrap the Department of Agriculture and replace it with one focused on children.
The suggestion comes amid a spike in incidents of suspected food poisoning among children in various provinces, including Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
The organisation’s spokesperson, Tebogo Mashilompane, said the country’s children have no dedicated ministry.
Currently, there is only a Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
“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,” said Mashilompane.
“The Constitution…dictates that the rights of children are of paramount importance in every matter that concerns children.”
Mashilompane said the government is failing to protect the lives of children, especially those living in villages and townships.
“In these 100 days of GNU, we continue to witness deaths of children due to allegations of food poisoning. What shocks us further is the fact that no ministry is taking full responsibility for this crisis.
“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.”
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