Cape Town - Western Cape Child Commissioner Christina Nomdo has proclaimed the formation of the first cohort of child government monitors that will support the office to execute its functions as one of the highlights of her 100 days in office.
She was speaking at a special briefing on her first 100 days on Thursday. She started in June amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nomdo said she was excited to visit communities and conduct consultation workshops with children while at the same time building the capacity of role-players to understand a child rights approach as well as monitoring service infrastructure.
“My highlight will always be the engagements directly with children. My daily conversations with the child government monitors keep me connected to their lived realities. I am also able to share skills and knowledge with them about human rights, how government works and contextual issues shaping South African society,” she said.
Nomdo said she would add to the government systems in the province the involvement of children in governance.
“Children will be acting as citizens in this country in more vibrant and vigorous ways using the platform of the office to apply their voices.
“Children participation is one my skills set and it’s where I continue to innovate and bring ground breaking models to the fore. They must count in the decisions that affect children’s lives, and these decisions go across the board,” she said.
She invited the public to share the vision of “reimagining and remaking” childhoods in the province.
“We all decry the current state and the characters of our childhoods, we see violence against children on a daily basis. And so it is clear that we must make strategic and systematic shifts in the way that the government operates,” she said.
DA provincial spokesperson on social development Gillion Bosman said the commissioner had done a good job at establishing the office and reaching out to the children.
Bosman said there was a huge opportunity for the commissioner to bring together various stakeholders, not only the provincial government but also civil society and the police.
“I would like for the office to focus on the services that the children are getting and look into the circumstances where many of our children are being murdered and abused in communities,” he said.
The leader of the opposition in the Western Cape legislature, Cameron Dugmore, said Nomdo beginning her role in the midst of lockdown was never going to be easy for her.
“We look forward to her briefing the standing committee to report on progress and challenges on the first 100 days,” he said.
Cape Argus