DICAG Western Cape Hosts Groundbreaking Youth Summit for Young Persons with Disabilities in Mitchell’s Plain
The Disabled Children’s Action Group (Western Cape) hosted the Youth Summit for Young Persons with Disabilities from 7–9 November 2025, following the vision inspired by the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Hon. Ganief Hendricks.
Earlier this year, during a meeting with DICAG WC, the Deputy Minister called for the creation of a youth-led platform that allows young people with disabilities to speak directly to policymakers about their lived experiences, aspirations, and challenges, a first of its kind in South Africa.
Responding to this call, DICAG WC has worked with parents, staff, and volunteers across the province to bring this vision to life. The Summit, themed “Our Voice, Our Future, Our Inclusion,” gathered more than 90 young participants and their parents to engage in sessions on leadership, advocacy, and inclusion.
DICAG WC extends sincere appreciation to all government and community partners who continue to support the rights and development of children and youth with disabilities.
Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mr M.G.E. Hendricks, led the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (iCROP) in Macassar, Western Cape, on 31 October 2025, to improve access to government services.
The Aljama-ah team joins it’s leader Honourable Ganief Hendricks and assists in providing services to various communities in Cape Town such as Macassar, Tafelsig and Mitchell’s Plain.
The outreach, held in collaboration with SASSA, Home Affairs, Health and other partners, aimed to reduce service barriers and strengthen engagement between communities and government.
The initiative formed part of the District Development Model (DDM), which promotes integrated planning and people-centred service delivery.
The Department of Social Development (DSD), led by Deputy Minister M.G.E. Hendricks, brought vital government services directly to residents of Macassar through the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (iCROP). The event, held at Macassar District Hall, formed part of a broader national drive to ensure that essential services reach communities where they live.
Deputy Minister Hendricks said the outreach reflected government’s commitment to breaking down barriers between departments and the people they serve. “This initiative was designed to reduce the walls that separate communities from government. Instead of residents travelling long distances to access documents or services, government has come to them,” he said.
The iCROP outreach enabled residents to access key government services under one roof, including social grant applications, identity documents, birth and marriage certificates, and health screenings. The Deputy Minister was joined by SASSA Western Cape Regional Executive Manager Mr G. Pheiffer, iCROP Team Leader Mr S. Koliti, and representatives from local government and civil society organisations.
In his address, Deputy Minister Hendricks reflected on the historic and cultural significance of Macassar, home to a diverse and resilient community rooted in the legacy of Shaykh Yusuf Al-Makassari, who laid the foundations of the local Muslim community in the 17th century. He noted that the area, with its population of around 34 000 residents, continues to face socio-economic challenges, including high unemployment and low matric completion rates.
“Many of our communities, including Macassar, face serious obstacles such as job scarcity and limited access to education. Our role as the Department of Social Development is to help transform these conditions by creating opportunities and facilitating access to essential services,” he said.
The Deputy Minister also emphasised the importance of education and skills development for the youth. He encouraged parents to ensure that children acquire both language and professional skills to enhance employability. “It is important that your children become fluent in English and Xhosa to improve their chances of finding decent jobs and contributing to their communities,” he said.
“Through iCROP, we are not only providing services, but also engaging in dialogue that allows communities to voice their needs and help shape service delivery priorities,” he said.
South Africa’s foreign policy is once again thrown into sharp focus following the Freedom Front Plus’s (FF Plus) call for the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel.
FF Plus member of Parliament, Corné Mulder, last week argued that normalisation of relations was a necessary starting point if South Africa genuinely wishes to contribute to lasting peace in the Middle East.
The FF Plus frame this as a pragmatic move, suggesting that if South Africa restores relations, it would send a “positive message” to the United States (US), a gesture deemed “critical at this stage” of negotiations to normalise trade relations between the two countries. This argument directly targets the ANC’s political anxiety regarding its relationship with Western states, particularly the US, South Africa’s second-largest trading partner.
FF Plus’s plea comes nearly two years after the country’s sixth Parliament, driven by seismic political shifts following the events of 7 October 2023, formally resolved to suspend those very relations.
As the African National Congress (ANC) navigates the waters of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the conflict over Palestine has surged back onto the national agenda, threatening to pit the executive against Parliament.
EFF, Al Jama-ah oppose ties with Israel
Leading the charge against any attempt at diplomatic normalisation is the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the original proponents of the 2023 motion to shut down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria. The EFF remains uncompromising in its stance: diplomatic ties must remain severed with the “apartheid state of Israel” until all Occupied Territories are returned and a lasting peaceful solution is achieved.
The party views the current US-backed Gaza ceasefire with suspicion, urging Palestinians to approach it with extreme caution. Crucially, the EFF believes the resolution passed by the National Assembly in November 2023 to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel is being deliberately ignored by President Cyril Ramaphosa, suggesting he lacks the political will to implement the parliamentary resolution.
“We will have to look into legal action to force the President to implement the motion,” said the EFF.
EFF leader Julius Malema has previously voiced his conviction that the Palestine issue has been negatively impacted – or entirely removed – from South Africa’s national agenda by the political dynamics of the GNU.
Last year, Malema argued that the ANC’s partners, including the FF Plus – who he characterised as “remnants of apartheid” and “fanatics of Zionist Apartheid Israel” – have successfully muzzled Ramaphosa. The president’s noticeable silence on Palestine during his July 2024 Opening of Parliament Address was deemed a result of being “hamstrung” and “scared to offend” his new coalition partners.
Adding to the EFF’s stance, the Al Jama-ah party vehemently rejected the FF Plus’s proposal, labelling it an “apartheid activity”. The party’s leader, Ganief Hendricks – who is also deputy minister of Social Development in the GNU executive – asserted that because Israel is a Zionist entity and an apartheid state, supporting such a proposal risks violating the Rome Statute, which is sufficient to criminally charge those supporting apartheid.
Deputy Minister of Social Development Honourable Ganief Hendricks launched the world’s first Boy child Parliament at Stellenbosch University this weekend.
This marks a significant step towards empowering the boy child in South Africa. The two-day event, held on the 18-19 October, 2025, brought together boys from across the country to discuss critical issues affecting them, including HIV prevention and gender-based violence.
Addressing the gathering as a keynote speaker, Deputy Minister of Social Development Mr Ganief Hendricks encouraged the boys to seize this opportunity.
“I would want to describe this event as ‘a very special occasion’; it is one that reminds me of the time when I was a boy child when I and many others did not have the chances,” said the Deputy Minister.
Hendricks added, “If we did not enjoy the opportunities that you have today. You and many across our country have the chance to fully participate in platforms such as the one that we are launching here.”
Hendricks’ sentiments were shared by 16-year-old Western Cape Chairperson for Sport Stepping Stones, Abonile Yantolo, who highlighted the importance of including the boy child in youth empowerment initiatives.
“I am happy that the Department of Social Development and the Men’s Sector Forum have established this Boys Parliament; it will assist us to be included in the law-making processes of the country about a boy child’s needs and interests,” he detailed.
Yantolo also updated the National Boys Parliament on the some of the challenges faced by boys in South Africa, particularly regarding initiation schools.
“Here in the Western Cape and in many parts of our country, boys are forced to honour and attend initiation schools against their will. Sadly, no one is prepared to recognise the silent voices of those boys who are not happy with these traditional rites, which, at times, turn out to be tragic for a boy child,” he highlighted.
The launch’s theme, #BetterMan4Tomorrow, aims to uplift the boy child and is the result of collaborative efforts led by the SANAC (South African National Aids Council) Men’s Sector, Men’s Forums, the Office of the South African Deputy President, and the National Department of Social Development.
Social Development Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks has paid tribute to the elders of South Africa during a visit to the Laudium Old Age Home.
Being at the home reminded the deputy minister of the teaching that a society or a nation is judged by how it treats its elders.
“Your compassion and tireless service, which you demonstrated over the decades when you socialised and mingled among our rainbow nation, are the notable threads that hold our social fabric together,” he told the residents.
Al Jama-ah’s President, Hon Ganief Hendricks in his capacity as Deputy Minister of Social Development, has co-hosted a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of the Republic of Uganda on a Benchmarking Visit to South Africa on Disability Inclusion Social Protection Systems and Programmes.
The session with the Ministry of Uganda was held in Pretoria on the 7 October 2025, where they were welcomed by Deputy Minister Hendricks. People with Disabilities is one of the functions delegated by Social Development Minister Sisisi Toloshe to Deputy Minister Hendricks.
Hendricks said a 2022 census report revealed that: “The socio-economic status and living arrangements of persons living with disabilities are shaped by a complex interplay of societal, economic, and individual factors. These challenges require a comprehensive approach that addresses barriers to employment, housing, education, and healthcare while promoting inclusivity, accessibility, and social justice for all members of society.”
He added that South Africa values its friendly and cordial relationship with Uganda, which is one its closest partners in the African Union (AU) based on shared values and mutual respect, the promotion of Pan-Africanism and a commitment to the emancipation of women and the attainment of gender equality.
The Ugandan delegation was represented by Minister of State for Disability Affairs, Hon Asamo Hellen Grace; Chairperson of Uganda’s Parliament’s Committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon Agnes Kunihira; Deputy Chair of the Budget Committee, Hon Achia Remegio; Permanent Secretary for the Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Mr Aggrey David Kibenge; Commissioner for Disability and Elderly, Mr Proper Muhumuza and Senior representatives of UNICEF and World Food Program
