| Policies
There is a belief that the success of any government can be measured by how it takes care of its youth and old people. The government introduced the grants in order to fulfil this belief. Since 1994 the South African Government (SAG) made a number of promises to improve the welfare of the vulnerable families. Firstly, it introduced Child Support Grants (CSGs) to cater for children below age 11;
Primary School Nutrition Program (PSNP); Bill of Rights as per Section 28(1)(C) of SA Constitution No. 108/1996; and the Growth Employment and Redistribution Strategy (GEAR). The laws and policies that SAG had planned appear to have failed to serve the best interest of children. For example CSG was meant to cater for children from infancy up to 11yrs excluding school-going child of 12 – 18yrs.
Even children within the accepted age, do not receive their grants because of technical delays up until the child is kicked out off the computer system. Definitely that child becomes the victim of the street. The second try was PSNP which again were not offered to all primary schools. Some children in the schools whereby this program is provided prefer to leave some portion of the dished food for their elder siblings. The government promised to ensure that poor children are put first in the policy, budgets and service delivery. But practically in this status quo some schools discriminate and expel children who cannot afford school fees. Justice centres have become the playground of juveniles who are in conflict with the law because they abandon schools and indulge themselves in criminal behaviour such as shoplifting, housebreaking and theft and robbery, to mention but a few. Some children opt to become street children while others are recruited into child labour. The government does not involve people on the ground when formulating policies and it should be recommended that members of the Legislative Assembly involve the masses before making decisions. Government is of the people not for the people.
Dostları ilə paylaş: | 
