The Minister of Social Development Susan Shabangu visited the Gamagara local municipality in Kathu on Tuesday 26 February where she deliberated with the NC MEC of Social Development Gift van Staden, the NC Chairperson of the ANC Zamani Saul, the district and local mayors and management team about resolving the social challenges it is facing,  predominately the water shortages experienced in parts of Kathu and Olifantshoek. 

Mrs Shabangu then visited Olifantshoek where she handed school uniforms over to learners at the Maikaelelo, Noord-Kaap and Langberg schools and 120 food parcels were distributed to the elderly.

Mrs Shabangu announced that the Council for Geoscience would go to Olifantshoek at the beginning of March 2019 to identify positions where boreholes would be drilled to alleviate the dire water shortage problem permanently. She said that the boreholes would be drilled until water is found, regardless of the depth, and that pipelines would be connected to all the areas of Olifantshoek. 

Mrs Shabangu said that she was shocked at the levels of poverty, neglect and unemployment of young people in Gamagara. She vowed to cooperate with the community to address the social ills and to upgrade the standard of living.

The Minister also addressed the social plights of the community, with special reference to the quarterly food parcels in-tended for the 120 identified pensioners and the 450 children who are dependent on the feeding scheme, the misuse of social grants and the introduction of a new programme for teenage mothers called Second Chance which will be rolled out in Olifantshoek soon.

Mrs Shabangu said that she would re-turn to Olifantshoek as soon as the first borehole was operational.