​On Friday the Gauteng Department of Social Development’s MEC Morakane Mosupyoe together with Infrastructure Development MEC Tasneem Motara officially handed over the newly built John Jangaiso Early Childhood Development Centre (ECD) to the community of Devon in Sedibeng Region.
This was done as part of the department’s efforts to ensure that children between the ages of 0-5 years old are given the best start in life by being well cared for, protected, supported and provided with early learning development.

The opening and hand over of this facility is done on this month of October also as part of observing social development month. In this month the department has been escalating its services to various communities including services to older persons, services to people with disability, services to victims of gender-based violence and early childhood development.

Addressing the community of Devon MEC Mosupyoe said the hand over was in honour of Charlotte Maxeke who was a pioneer of education and that the Gauteng Provincial Government seeks to bring early childhood development centres to rural areas as government values proper development of children. She further thanked the family of John Jangaiso who allowed the government and community of Devon to name the facility after him in his honour. Jangaiso was a local struggle hero who was killed by the police in early 90s.

She added that formalized early childhood development in rural communities is essential for the development of these areas. And as such government prioritizes access to ECD centres and programmes. Mosupyoe explained that Social Development’s Vangasali Programme which intends to ensure that no child is left behind. Through this programme that Department ensures access to compliant ECD centres for all children.

“This is very important for the department as we believe that the first 100 days in the development of a child are very important and contribute to a firm foundation for a child. As government we want to see a better educational outcome for our children and that can only start at the ECD level hence we make provision for facilities such as this one”.

As from April 2022 all ECD functions will be shifted to Department of Education from Department of Social Development, thereby streamlining educational efforts and residing them in one Department.

As MEC handed over the keys to the board members of the centre, she pleaded with community members to safeguard the facility.

“We are handing over this facility to you as the community and I plead with everyone to protect this facility even though the department will provide security. I urge every member of the public in this area to become a security of this facility as this belongs to the you and your children”, she said.

Her counterpart MEC of Infrastructure Development in Gauteng, Tasneem Motara, speaking at same event, said it took twenty-four months to complete the project as the provincial government invested just over R18 000 000 to the community of Impumelelo where they were able to provide four hundred and twenty-four Extended Public Work Programme (EPWP) job opportunities throughout the duration.

She added that the project was able to hire ten subcontractors and four of them were the locals.

Local resident, 57 year-old Thoko Skhosana, said they are excited as a community to receive a facility of this nature in Devon adding that it is the first of its kind in their area and committed the community to protecting it from vandalism.