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In keeping with its commitment to interact directly with the people the government is once again embarking on an Imbizo Focus Week from 7-13 October 2002. The Focus Week happens during the Social Development Month, with its emphasis on registration for child grants, and coincides with Public Service Week. The integration of these programmes is reflected in the theme for the Imbizo Focus Week is: Lend a Hand to Protect Children's Rights.

This theme, along with the broader theme of pushing back the frontiers of poverty, will inform the activities of the Imbizo Focus Week. Over three hundred and twenty activities are planned, through which all spheres of government - national, provincial and local, through members of the Cabinet, Provincial Executives and Municipal Councils - will be in direct communication with the public in all the provinces across South Africa.

At most of the events there will be temporary registration sites to register those who are eligible for child support grants. As part of Public Service Week hundreds of public servants from many national departments and from provinces are expected to be assisting in this regard. In this way government will be helping translate into practical action the President's call at the beginning of the year for "massive mobilisation around registration for social grants, we need to register all who are eligible for child grants and other allowances with each one of us lending a hand, we can attain this".

This Imbizo Focus Week will be the third since the launch of Imbizo in November 2001. National, Provincial and Local will be participating in this programme to as part of government's commitment to ensure ongoing and dynamic dialogue with the public around programmes that are aimed at improving their lives.

Imbizo is an opportunity for people to hear directly from government about what it is doing to implement its programme of action, information that is essential for holding government accountable.

It is an opportunity for people to speak out and for government to listen and learn about how government and communities can better work together to implement programmes and overcome problems in implementation.

The Focus Week will begin with an event in Taung on 7 October to jointly launch Public Service Week and the October intensification of the child grant registration campaign.

At the end of the Focus Week, on 13 October, Deputy President Jacob Zuma will be accompanied by Minister Skweyiya to conduct Imbizo in areas in the Eastern Cape worst hit by malnutrition and problems of children accessing their grants.

From 18 - 20 October President Mbeki will be making an Imbizo visit to Gauteng Province. This will be the fourth such visit to a province, following his visits to Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Free State provinces last year and this. In Gauteng the President will visit places and projects to view progress regarding poverty alleviation, economic growth, delivery of basic services and improvement in the conditions under which people live. The President will be listening to ideas on how people and government can work together to accelerate implementation of these programmes.

The government is calling upon all communities to participate in this programme by attending the activities planned so they exercise their right to be heard and to lend a hand in the registration of child grants.

For more information on the programme for the Imbizo Focus Week check Government Online: http:/www.gov.za or call (012) 314 2446

Enquiries: Tebogo Montse @ (012) 314 2207 or 082 345 0035

Issued by Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)

3 October 200