'Outreach programme a success'

KNYSNA NEWS - The Department of Local Government in partnership with other provincial departments and the Knysna municipality recently hosted the Emergency Thusong Outreach programme in Knysna to provide residents affected by the June fires an opportunity to access government services.

The purpose of the programme, held on July 26 and 27 behind the town hall, was to bring government integrated services to the people who lost or misplaced their identity documents and birth certificates, as well as to apply for pension, UIF etc.

Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) was only notified of the programme days before, on July 21.

This short notice brought a few questions to mind. With hundreds of residents affected, were they all able to attend the programme? Was the outreach a success? And if many residents were not able to attend because they just didn’t know about the programme, will another be held?

According to assistant director: corporate communications for the Western Cape government, Patience Dlikilili, the initiative was a “big success”.

“In total, 160 citizens were assisted during the outreach and gained access to information and government services such as applications for IDs, birth certificates, UIF, certification of documentation, ID certification, information on government subsidies, and registration of counselling services,” said Dlikilili.

On the question of another, similar outreach opportunity, Dlikilili said, “The Department of Local Government in partnership with other government departments will continuously work with the Kynsna municipality as part of the recovery process in the Garden Route.”

As to when this will happen, no date was provided. KPH will inform readers as soon as the information is available.