Minister to assess needs of Marikana families

PRETORIA: The Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, will this weekend visit Marikana in the North West to assess the needs of those families affected by the strike in the platinum belt.

27 Jun 2014

According to the Department of Social Development, the area has seen a disruption in most government services due to the five-month long strike by platinum mine workers.

The strike, which ended on Monday, has left many families, particularly women and children, in extreme poverty.

The minister's visit on Sunday is aimed at continue providing humanitarian aid to the community, said the department.

The department, together with the assistance of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the National Development Agency (NDA), has been working in Marikana in the past months providing humanitarian and social assistance.

To date, SASSA has spent more than R6 million in Marikana providing social relief of distress to the affected families.

This comes as President Jacob Zuma, in his State of the Nation Address earlier this month, announced the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Communities, led by the Presidency.

The role of the IMC is to improve the living conditions of mining communities and Minister Dlamini will be in Marikana to advance the work of the committee

Source: SAnews.gov.za

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