Pretoria - The newly launched TV series, the Kwanda Reality show, is making strides in communities by helping to fast-track service delivery.
Aired on SABC1 every Wednesday at 9pm, the Kwanda Reality TV series is the first community make-over show which helps to address some of the biggest challenges facing communities.
A few months ago, volunteer teams were recruited across five provinces - namely the Eastern Cape (Pefferville), KwaZulu-Natal (Umthwalume), Mpumalanga (Tjakastaad), Limpopo (Lephephane) and in the Free State (Kwakwatsi).
Since then, they have been trained to organise themselves and were filmed as they worked together in their communities.
Representatives from the Department of Social Development, Soul City and the SABC crew recently embarked on a 3-week site visit to projects run by these communities. The aim of the visit was to assess progress made by the communities since the launch of show last month.
The representatives were surprised when they observed that community members from these different rural areas were more determined to make a difference in their areas with little if no financial assistance from government and the private sector.
The Kwanda teams have been helping orphans by reducing alcohol abuse and alcohol related violence, generating income, creating jobs and reducing new HIV and AIDS infections.
A Kwanda Klothing label was displayed at the Sanlam Fashion Week that took place last month. Plans were also afoot to clinch deals to line-up the Kwanda Fashion label, with leading clothing retail companies, such as Woolworths, Edgars and the others.
The Kwanda teams have also conducted research identifying all vulnerable children in their community and helped them to receive social grants. They have also worked with police and community policing forums to eliminate gang violence and establish neighbourhood watches.
They have challenged tavern owners to eliminate under-age drinking and established sewing, screen-printing and recycling businesses.
A Kwanda booklet to be released in November is also compiled and ready for mass distribution to other provinces to support communities who want to follow the example of the Kwanda teams.
Kwanda, which means wealth and growth, will assist government to deal effectively with the scourge of poverty in the hard-hit rural areas of the country.
Other partners involved in the funding of the project include the Department of Health, the South African Local Government Association, BP Southern Africa, MTN and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This public-private partnership between the institutions gives effect to President Jacob Zuma's call on communities to begin initiating job-creating projects on their own in an attempt to assist government in alleviating poverty in communities.
Similarly, it gives effect to the current government slogan, "Working Together we can do more".
