Childrens Commissioner WC

17/04/2026

This week, we continued with our unannounced visits to Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCCs) by evaluating three level 2 centres located in Strand, Gordons Bay and Kuilsriver. These visits are a continuation of the work we undertook in November last year in the Southern Suburbs of the City of Cape Town, followed by visits to the Eden Karoo Municipality in February.

Observations from these visits reveal a concerning and consistent pattern. Crucially, the challenges and operational hurdles being faced by these CYCCs are alarmingly similar; they are not isolated incidents unique to a single geographical area or institution.

Our immediate objective is to synthesise these observations into actionable recommendations that will lead to tangible improvements in the standard of care for the vulnerable children and youth residing in these facilities across the province.

19/03/2026

18/03/2026

Today I attended the launch of Huis Spitskop Child and Youth Care Centre in Murraysburg. This facility will ensure that children that need the care and protection of a CYCC will be able to remain near their communities in the Karoo. This new CYCC will be managed by Huis Andrew Murray CYCC management

Congratulations to the role players for taking such an important step to ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable children in the Karoo.

Huis Spitskop

26/02/2026

Yesterday, I had the honour of attending my first official opening and State of the Western Cape Province Address, hosted in the beautiful town of George.

It was a privilege to be part of this important occasion and to gain valuable insight into the provincial government’s plans and priorities for the people of the Western Cape. Moments like these are vital in strengthening collaboration and ensuring that the rights, voices and wellbeing of children remain central to the province’s development agenda.

A sincere word of appreciation to the George Municipality for hosting us and for the warm hospitality.

23/02/2026

Our child-friendly infographics on the Witzenberg Municipality community child rights feedback workshops ensured that children understood the responses from the four mandate departments and could engage with and validate the feedback regarding the service delivery concerns and issues they raised.

21/02/2026

Diè volgende graad 8-leerders het die skool verteenwoordig tydens ‘n besoek deur diè kinderkommissaris, Sarah Roberts: Mikayla du Toit, Eduard Joubert en Edrich Dafel.

Tydens ’n vorige geleentheid het leerders uit die Ceres-gemeenskap belangrike kwessies geïdentifiseer wat volgens hulle dringende aandag benodig. Dit is aan die Parlement voor gehou. Verskeie departemente, waaronder die Wes-Kaapse Onderwysdepartement, Departement van Maatskaplike Ontwikkeling, Departement van Gesondheid en die Departement van Sport, Kuns en Kultuur, het daarna onderneem om hierdie uitdagings aan te spreek.

Vandag se besoek het gefokus op aanspreeklikheid en terugvoer. Die Kinderkommissaris het direk by die kinders kom hoor of die kwessies wat destyds genoem is, wel aangespreek is, watter veranderinge reeds sigbaar is, en watter uitdagings steeds nie voldoende aandag geniet nie.

Ons is besonder trots op ons drie leerders wat met insig en selfvertroue hul ervarings en perspektiewe gedeel het. Hulle deelname wys hoe belangrik dit is dat kinders se stemme ernstig opgeneem word en dat hulle ’n aktiewe rol speel in die bevordering van kinders se regte in S.A.

21/02/2026

Yesterday, we concluded our feedback workshops in the Witzenberg area with meaningful engagements that truly reflected the power of community collaboration.

We began the day in Tankwa, where we met with parents for an open and constructive discussion about the issues affecting children and families in the farm community. We then hosted our final learner session at Ceres Secondary School, joined by learners from surrounding schools.

On Thursday, we held our largest stakeholder engagement of the week. The session brought together representatives from the police, social workers, health professionals, ward councillors, and local organisations — demonstrating a shared commitment to protecting and promoting children’s rights. This was followed by a meaningful engagement with children at St Mark’s Primary School, where learners shared their experiences, concerns, and hopes.

The Children's Commissioner extends heartfelt gratitude to all the children, parents, service providers, and stakeholders who participated in the workshops. A special thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the success of these engagements.

19/02/2026

As our feedback workshops continue across the Witzenberg Municipality, we recently hosted meaningful engagements in Op die Berg.

During this visit, we had the privilege of meeting with learners from surrounding schools at Skurweberg Senior Secondary School. The session provided a valuable platform for the children to share their experiences, raise concerns, and reflect on the progress made since our previous engagement.

We visited Ceres Provincial Hospital, where we engaged with the Hospital Head, Dr Elton Titus, and his dedicated team.

We also met with the Mayor of Witzenberg Municipality, Trevor Abrahams, to strengthen our collaborative efforts focused on improving the lives of children throughout the municipality. Our goal is to ensure there is a platform for children that enables them to voice their concerns and perspectives to the decision-makers in the municipality.

18/02/2026

On day two, we continued our workshops in Wolseley with engagements with representatives from the South African Police Service and the Department of Social Development, Emergency Services and children from the surrounding schools. We also visited the Wolseley Clinic and the Pine Valley to validate the safety concerns raised by the children.

17/02/2026

On the first day of our workshops, we brought together adult stakeholders from the health and wellness department, education sector, Witzenberg Municipality, and representatives from child protection service providers, including Badisa Tulbagh and Steinthal Kinderhuis. A monitoring visit to the Steinthal Child and Youth care Centre followed this, and we concluded the workshop by engaging with children from local schools in the area.






Steinthal Child and Youth Care Centre
Badisa Children Foundation

16/02/2026

PRESS STATEMENT: This week, the Western Cape Commissioner for Children will return to the communities in the Witzenberg Municipality to hold Community Child Rights Feedback Workshops (CCRW).

These workshops aim to present the report from the previous workshops conducted from May 19 to May 25, 2024. They will also address the responses from the four mandate departments regarding the recommendations and concerns raised by stakeholders during those sessions.

The Commissioner looks forward to engaging with children, adult stakeholders, child protection service providers, and public sector officials.

04/02/2026

Yesterday, the Commissioner joined Cape Talk radio host Clarence Ford to talk about last week’s unannounced visits to Early Child Development Centres and Child and Youth Care Centres within the Garden Route District Municipality. To listen to the interview, click on the link below:

https://www.primediaplus.com/childrens-commissioner-unannounced-ecd-visits-in-eden-karoo-district-municipality/





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