Lekwa Local Municipality Mayor, Cllr. Louis Thabethe has welcomed a review of the Multi-Sectoral Local AIDS Council Implementation Plan, which was held at the municipality’s Council Chamber today.
The purpose of the review is to identify areas that need special attention in responding to HIV and AIDS, TB, and social-ills that include Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
In his welcoming remarks Mayor Thabethe said the municipality has a role to also deliver services that the benefit the souls of its residents by addressing social ills, some of which are coming up because of unemployment and lack of housing development among others.
“The need to build social aspect of our municipality is very important. When there is a lack of housing development, for example, that leads to people sharing one shack and other social-ills come up,” he said.
He said the municipality has the responsibility of rebuilding bridges with all the stakeholders, including a multi-sectoral structure like the Local AIDS Council to intensify the response to HIV, TB and Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
“These remain challenges in our society and continue affecting the lives of our people. This is why we need this structure to come up with a collective and multi-prolonged effort in order to combat them,” he added.
Mayor concluded by saying that there must be fewer boardroom meetings, and these programmes must touch communities directly. “I would be very happy to be invited by this structure on a programme held at townships and informal settlements to rebuild fibre of our society,” he concluded.