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DIKELETSONG CITIZENS’ ADVICE BUREAU

Pretoria

ANNUAL REPORT

April 2013 - March 2014

Dikeletsong Citizens' Advice Bureau 357 Visagie St, Pretoria, 0002 Tel: 012 322 6630/1; Fax: 0866 755193 cabpta@gmail.com; www.cab.org.za

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REPORT FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2013 - 31 MARCH 2014

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairperson: Mrs Judy Rubin Mar 2011 – Aug 2013 Mrs Jean Richter Aug 2013 Vice Chairperson: Mrs Maxi Nürnberger Oct 2011 – Aug 2013 Mrs Louisa Thomo Aug 2013 Treasurer: Prof George McGillivray Aug 2004 – May 2013 Mr Brian Collett Jun 2013 Secretary: Mrs Lynn Jurriaanse

Members: Ms Dikeledi Chabedi Mrs Willy Rensen Mr Lucky Matseke Mrs Judy Rubin Mr Lucky Mnguni Mr Daan Schoeman Ms Boitumelo Moloto Mr Peter Skelton Mrs Maxi Nürnberger

VOLUNTARY WORKERS Chairperson Mrs Willy Rensen

Mrs Gill Collett Secretary:

Voluntary Workers Ms Ashley Burgin Mr Lucky Mnguni Mrs May Dorling Mrs Maxi Nürnberger Mrs !Heather Erasmus Mrs Willie Rensen Mr Dave Janisch Mrs Jean Richter Mrs Lynn Jurriaanse Mrs Judy Rubin Ms Amkelwa Malamlela Mrs !Estelle Shipman Ms Desia Matshele Mrs Louisa Thomo

Lotto Appointees Mr Lucky Matseke Ms Boitumelo Moloto Ms Amkelwa Malamlela (from 1 March 2014)

Student Volunteers Ms Outreach Chawane Ms Trudy Monama Ms Omphile Kotsokoane Ms Consolation Mulamavhu Ms Carol Mabena Ms Outreach Phaklawane Ms Amkelwa Malamela Ms Molebogeng Raseroka Mr Gideon Marobela Ms Molebogeng Serane Mr Thabo Moloto Ms Mmaphefo Tseka

Information Mrs Gill Collett Mr Guenther Olyschlaeger Mrs Jenny Hale Mrs Goldie Stevens Mrs Avril Meintjes

Statistics Mrs Lynn Jurriaanse

Fund Raising Prof George McGillivray Mrs Jean Richter Mrs Rose McGillivray Mrs Judy Rubin Mrs Maxi Nürnberger Mrs Lisa Zucchini LEGAL PANEL Mr Bezuidenhout Ms L du Plessis Adv D Chabedi Mr W Koekemoer Mr M Coetzee Mr D Schoeman

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ANALYSIS OF ENQUIRIES 2013/2014

EMPLOYMENT)))2946))! New) Repeat) APPEALS))))))))))))))))))9) New) Repeat)

Situations! 8! 41! Destitute! 0! 9!Wages! 125! 580! Transport! 0! 0!UIF! 29! 97! Nursing/Baby!sit! 0! 0!Pensions! 182! 1408! Befriending! 0! 0!Compensation! 26! 74! MISCELLANEOUS)))44)) ) )

Unfair!Dismissals! 78! 298! Information! 6! 38!HOUSING))))))))))))))117))) ! ! LEISURE))))))))))))))))))))) ) )

Accommodation! 6! 8! Hobbies/Sport! 0! 0!Eviction! 4! 19! Social! 0! 0!Rent/Lease! 10! 5! Travel/holidays! 0! 0!Purchase/Sale/Transfer! 3! 26! MEDICAL)))))))))))))))))))64))) ) )

Neighbours! 1! 1! Services! 3! 15!Administration! 4! 30! Disability!Pensions! 2! 33!FAMILY))))))))))))))))))))84) ! ! Mental!Health! 1! 5!Marriage/Divorce! 20! 11! Sex! 0! 0!Welfare! 2! 11! Medical!Aid/Accounts! 0! 2!Maintenance! 7! 21! Physical!Abuse! 0! 3!Children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5! 2! MUNICIPAL))))))))))))))))22) ) )

Addictions! 0! 0! Rates/Accounts! 5! 4!Missing!Persons! 1! 4! Pollution/Noise! 1! 1!FINANCIAL))))))))))))958) ! ! Services/Problems! 0! 5!Loans/Banks! 20! 141! Traffic!Dept! 1! 5!Debt! 51! 190! Regulations! 0! 0!Fraud! 10! 66! CONSUMER))))))))))))))39) ) )

Insurance/Tax! 12! 89! Advice/Information! 1! 1!Death/Wills/Estates! 52! 269! Complaints! 6! 17!Accident!Claims! 9! 49! Legislation! 1! 3!REGISTRATION))))))106) ! ! Repairs! 0! 3!Birth/Death/Marriage! 3! 22! Business! 2! 5!ID/Passport! 14! 57! OFFERS)OF)HELP))))))1) ) )

Trade!Licence! 0! 6! Volunteers! 0! 0!Residence/Asylum! 1! 3! Disposal!of!Goods! 0! 0!AGED)))))))))))))))))))))))))25) ! ! Services! 0! 1!Accommodation! 1! 5! FOREIGNERS)))))))))184)))) ) )

Pensions! 3! 14! Labour/Pensions! 21! 88!Employment! 0! 0! Asylum/ID/Permits! 6! 11!Concessions/Assistance! 0! 2! Accommodation! 4! 3!LEGAL)))))))))))))))))))))350) ! ! Legal/Police! 8! 10!Action/Advice! 44! 143! Family/Welfare! 4! 18!Court!Cases! 7! 69! Financial! 1! 10!Lawyer!Complaints! 3! 16! ) )

Police! 5! 54! NEW)CASES) 827)

Prison! 1! 2! REPEAT)CASES) 4167)

Constitution! 2! 4! TOTAL)CASE)COUNT) 4994)

EDUCATION))))))))))))45) ! ! Telephone!Cases! 1535)

Education/Training! 5! 27! Daily!Case!Average! 21)

Funding! 0! 4! ) )

Vocational!Guidance! 0! 5! Money!recovered!for!clients! R1)132)637)

Adult!Education! 0! 4! ) )

Educational!Enterprises! 0! 0! ) )

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CHAIRPERSONS’ REPORT

It! was! gratifying! to! begin! this! Financial! Year! with! good! news! to! follow! the! anxietyXshaded!months!which! dogged! the! last! Year! to! its! end.! Brian! Collett! agreed! to! take! over! the! role! of!Honorary!Treasurer!from!George!McGillivray!who!was!about!to!relocate!to!Knysna.!George!had!kept! our! ship! steady! for! the! previous! nine! years! together! with! Rose! McGillivray,! previous!Chairperson,!Project!Manager!and!Voluntary!Worker.!We!have!greatly!benefited!from!the!dual!strength!of!services!given!by!Rose!and!George,!so!their!departure!is!a!double!blow.!!We,! as! tenants! of! that! iconic! democratic! organisation! IDASA,!were! shattered! at! the! news!of!their! liquidation,!not!only!at!the!possible! loss!of!a!muchXloved!“home”!and! landlord,!but!also!the!disappearance!of! this! fine!organisation! from!which!our! continent!had!been! coached!and!developed!in!democracy!when!our!countries!were!in!search!of!guided!transformation.!IDASA’s!principal!tenant,!Lawyers!for!Human!Rights! (LHR)!took!up!a!challenge!to!purchase!this! lovely,!central!location!which!would!probably!ensure!the!continued!tenancy!of!DCAB.!We!all!knew!of!the! problematic! traffic! flow! through! the! city! centre! as! the! former! Skinner! Street,! now!Nana!Sita,!was! torn!apart! to!make!a! rapid!bus! lane.!Frequent!electricity,! telephone!and!water!cuts!made!life!difficult!and!unpredictable,!unfair!to!our!patient!clients.!!

Lotto’s!funding!for!the!year,!with!which!we!paid!our!Administrative!Officer,!was!about!to!expire!and!Caroline!Phalatse!had!already!moved!to!other!employment.!Funding!for!the!satellite!office,!Saulsville! Advice! Office! project! had! also! run! its! term! and! sadly! new! funding! had! not! been!identified,!so!we!were!grateful!when!Saulsville’s!experienced!staff,!Boitumelo!Moloto!and!Lucky!Matseke,!were!willing!to!join!the!city!office!as!volunteers.!Project!Manager!Rose!McGillivray’s!last!application!for!funding!had!been!made!in!December!2012,!and!if!successful,!we!would!be!able!to!appoint!another!Administrative!Officer.!If!unsuccessful,!we!would!endeavour!to!use!the!services! of!more! legal! or! paraXlegal! students! as! volunteers! again! thereby!offering! training! to!facilitate!their!entry!into!the!job!market.!I!had!publicised!DCAB’s!long!service!to!the!community!by! phoning! and! writing! to! more! than! 20! Pretoria! churches! of! our! founding! denominations,!appealing! for! their! interest! and! for! volunteers! to! enable! the! work! to! continue;! but! had! no!response.!!I!was!unable! to!continue!as!Chairperson!beyond!2013!so! this!attractive!opportunity!was!also!becoming!imminently!available!and!many!super!people!were!approached!to!apply.!Eventually!one,! Jean! Richter,! agreed! to! be! Chairperson! for! a! year.! The! ideal! candidate:! one! who! had!previously!been!a!keenly!active!caseXworker,!helper,!friend!and!benefactor!–!whose!daughter,!Marlise!had!served!us!well!for!a!time!as!an!Executive!Committee!member!too!!!Maxi!Nürnberger!had!served!the!Executive!well!as!Vice!Chairperson,! including!supporting!me!for!two!and!a!half!years!and!successfully!raising!large!funds,!but!now!wished!to!be!relieved:!we!were! pleased! that! Louisa! Thomo! could! fill! this! office.! Maxi! was! thanked! for! her! years! of!dependable!service,!still!continuing!in!quality!management.!!!The! aboveXmentioned! struggles! had! to! be! shared!with! our!members! and! friends!who,! not!knowing!whether!we!had!a!future,!could!not!be!blamed!for!reviewing!their!financial!support.!The!numbers!of!those!seeking!help!however,!did!not!review!their!support!for!our!services!and!these! figures! continued! to! swell,! actually! increasing! by! 1,000! cases! for! the! year.! As! usual,!much!of!our!time! is!directed!at! facilitating!payment!of!provident! fund!benefits! to! individual!security!sector!guards!who!claim!on!leaving!the!sector:!a!fairly!routine!procedure,!which!runs!relatively!smoothly!–!the!experience!factor!!Examples!of!complicated!cases!include!difficulties!

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with! Sheriffs! of! Courts!who! fail! in! their! duties! to! uplift! property! owed! to! applicants’!when!awards!are!unpaid,!or!when!no!wages!are!paid!to!victims!of!injury!at!work!as!they!await!the!outcome!of!the!Compensation!Commissioner’s!ruling,!or!even!when!the!Road!Accident!Fund!pays!R2.4!million!for!a!child!victim,!but!the!attorney!only!hands!over!R100,000!telling!us!that!the! mother! is! too! “stupid”! to! be! given! more.! Thanks! to! the! help! given! by! our! Executive!Members,! Attorney! Daan! Schoeman,! Advocate! Dikeledi! Chabedi,! attorneys! at! Lawyers! for!Human!Rights,!and!other!private!lawyers,!advisers!from!FSB,!the!PFA,!the!Law!Society,!Legal!Aid!SA,! the!University!Law!Centres,!SASSA!and!more,!we!are!confident! that! the!best!advice!possible!is!offered!to!our!clients.!!!Just! before! the! occasion! of! our! AGM,! 28! August! 2013,!we! received! the! good! news! that! the!application! for! Lotto! funding! had! been! successful.! As! a! result! we! were! able! to! appoint!Boitumelo! and! Lucky! in! a! shared! partXtime! post.! The! arrangements! for! holding! the! AGM! at!Circle! Chambers! Brooklyn! were! finalized.! The! venue! was! filled! to! capacity! for! the! meeting,!where! the! highlight! was! learning! more! about! the! Rights! of! Ordinary! South! Africans! from! a!speaker!of!stature,!Judge!Cameron:! it!was!of!special!value!to!DCAB!workers!as!his!message!is!the!reason!for!our!activity!–!our!raison!d’être.! In!his! talk! Judge!Cameron!mentioned!how!the!numbers!of!people’s! rights!had! increased!and!although!many!had!been!addressed,!many!still!remained! for! attention.!With! the! growth! of! crime! and! corruption! incidents,! even!more! dire!situations!exist!for!the!work!of!bodies!like!ours;!the!talk!really!fired!in!us!continued!conviction!for!what!we!do.!

Judy Rubin Chairperson (Report: April 2013 – August 2013) Judy!has! captured!our! year! so!well.!When! I! agreed! to! take!over! from!her,! I! knew! that!her!knowledge!and!wholehearted!dedication!to!DCAB!would!be!difficult!to!match,!but! I!had!the!assurance!that!she!would!guide!and!assist!me!as!Chairperson;!also!that!I!would!be!working!in!a!team!of!experienced,!willing!people.!!!!DCAB!was!running!well!using!procedures!that,!though!old,!carefully!recorded!and!stored!our!case!files.!However,!computerisation!was!necessary!in!order!to!make!our!work!more!efficient.!Moving!from!index!cards!to!an!electronic!version!of!our!client!names!index!has!reduced!the!case!workers’! administrative! load!while!making! this! information!easier! to! retrieve.! The! fact!that!nine!workers!attended!handsXon!computer!training!is!a!reflection!of!their!willingness!to!learn!new!skills.!!The! installation! of! an! ADSL! line! with! a! wifi! router! that! gives! all! three! desks! simultaneous!access! to! the! internet! has! allowed!us! to! search! for! information! and!use! email,! saving! both!time!and!money.! !While!most!of!our!business! is!now!done!electronically,!more!can!be!done!for!us!to!benefit!from!the!information!age.!!!Our!transition!to!wifi!had!its!difficulties.!!Suddenly!we!were!faced!with!a!massive!R28000!bill!from! Vox! Telecoms! for! unexplained! data! use.! An! appeal! to! their! Executive! Head,! Dederick!Venter,!was!graciously!granted!and!the!money!refunded,!due!to!our!being!a!NPO.!!Glen!Methodist!Church!asked!us!to!offer!our!services!in!their!Pastoral!Care!Centre.!The!Centre!is! open! to! the! public! and! conveniently! located! for! people! living! in! Pretoria! East,! an! area!encompassing!informal!settlements!and!retirement!homes.!A!DCAB!desk!at!the!Centre,!could!

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assist!people!unable!to!get!to!our!Visagie!Street!office,!while!drawing!new!volunteers!from!the!community.!!Our!case!handling!expertise!was!strengthened!by!a!number!of!lectures!and!workshops!where!we!learnt!more!about!mediation,!listening!skills,!the!CCMA!and!our!Constitution.!That!in!each!case!the!training!was!offered!virtually!free!of!charge,!is!evidence!of!the!goodwill!held!towards!DCAB.!!While!Citizens’!advice!bureaux!across!the!country!have!closed!due!to!lack!of!funding,!we!have!remained! fully!operational.!On!an!extraordinary!small!budget!of!around!R200!000!per!year,!we!dealt!with!nearly!5000!cases!and!managed!to!recover!money!and!assets!for!our!clients!in!multiples!of!what!it!costs!to!provide!this!service.!!To!quote!from!an!evaluation!of!DCAB!written!by!Judge!Cameron:!

“More! importantly! are! its! unquantifiable! achievements! –! the! pensions! secured,!the! redundancy! payments! received,! the! identity! documents! or! unemployment!insurance!documents!obtained!and!generally,!an!assertion,! through!the!practical!help! they! receive! at! the! CAB,! of! the! dignity! and! power! of! the! unresourced! and!vulnerable!people!who!turn!to!it.”!!

I!attribute!our!success!in!this!regard!to!the!dedicated!volunteers!who!give!their!time!tirelessly!and! ingenuously.!They!enjoy!doing!this!work!and!find!that!helping!our!clients!enriches!their!lives.!!Our! funding! from! the! Lotto! is! running! out! and! we! are! attempting! to! obtain! funding! from!various!corporate!funders.!Fortunately!the!private!donations!we!receive!will!keep!us!going!in!the! interim.! I!wish!to!thank!all!our!members!and!donors!for!their!generous!contributions!to!our!funds.!We!will!continue!to!spend!their!money!wisely!and!as!effectively!as!we!have!done!in!the!past.!!In!conclusion,!I!quote!from!a!former!volunteer!and!board!member!who!puts!the!work!we!do!into!context:!

“In! my! work! in! civil! society! in! southern! Africa,! I! have! not! come! across! an!organisation!that!makes!such!an!impact!on!a!wide!array!of!social!issues,!with!such!a!small!amount!of!financial!resources!and!staff.!!Recent! analyses! of! the! state! of! civil! society! in! South! Africa! have! noted! the!increased!professionalization!of!the!NGO!sector,!the!bankruptcy!and!disbandment!of! once! robust! nonXprofit! institutions,! and! the! withdrawal! of! funding! from!grassroots! organisations! such! as! advice! offices! and! other! service! organisations.!These!are!worrying!signs!as!a!robust!democracy!in!South!Africa!is!dependent!on!a!vibrant! and!wellXfunctioning! civil! society.!Organisations! like! the!DCAB,! the! Black!Sash!and!other!advice!offices!are!vital!conduits! to!access! to! justice! for! the!poor,!the! illiterate!and! the!marginalised.! Yet! it!would!appear! that! the! current! funding!landscape!is!threatening!the!existence!of!these!democracyXsupporting!institutions!and!thus,!ultimately,!limiting!services!to!people!who!need!them!the!most.!!

The!DCAB! renders!an! important! service!and! its! impact! should!be! continued!and!strengthened.”!

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!Finally, though not strictly within our report compass, Judy and I must record with utmost sadness the recent death of George McGillivray. His passing is a sad loss to all his friends and loved ones, and those who knew him and valued his leadership and guidance.)

Jean)Richter Chairperson (Report: September 2013 to current)

VOLUNTARY)WORKERS)CHAIRPERSON’S)REPORT)

For!all!the!newXcomers!in!our!organization!I!would!like!to!tell!you!something!about!the!history!of!DCAB,!Pretoria;!a!history!we!are!all!very!proud!of.!The!Dikeletsong!Citizens’!Advice!Bureau,!Pretoria!was! established! in! 1967! by!ministers! from! the! Anglican,! Presbyterian! and! Catholic!Churches! to! help! the! poor! and! needy! of! Pretoria! at! the! time! when! the! apartheid! regime!prevented!access!to!services!for!the!majority!of!South!Africa’s!population.!It!operated!under!the!name!Citizens’!Advice!Bureau!and!its!offices!were!situated!in!St!Albans!Cathedral,!Pretoria!until! December! 2007! when! we! moved! to! our! current! premises.! The! workers! in! the!organization!are!dedicated!and!committed!volunteers,! trainees,!outXreach!workers!and! Law!students! from!UNISA! and! Pretoria! TUT.! Criteria! that! are! required! to! be! a! volunteer! in! the!organization! are! firstly! compassion! and! tolerance! towards! the! less! fortunate! in! the!community,!and!also!maturity,!interest!in!community!work!and!a!caring!attitude.!In!the!year!2013/2014!we! had! 827! new! cases! and! 4167! repeat! cases! –! telephone! cases! 1535;! a! daily!average!of!21!cases.!Since!we!are!open!only!four!hours!per!day!with!three!volunteers!the!case!load! is! quite! high.! I! am! happy! to! mention! that! since! last! year’s! very! successful! AGM! we!obtained! three! new! volunteers,! Estelle! Shipman,! Heather! Erasmus,! and! Jenny! Hale.! Other!newcomers!were!Ashley!Burgin!an!American!Citizen!and!Kate!Hunter!who!was!trained!in!CAB!work!in!England,!both!joined!us!as!voluntary!workers.!The!students!come!and!go!during!the!year!but!contribute!enormously!to!our!organization.!They!fit!in,!are!eager!to!learn!and!have!a!good!rapport!with!our!clients.!I!won’t!forget!our!“research!team”;!without!them!we!wouldn’t!be! able! to! function.! With! Jean! Richter! our! new! Executive! chairperson! we! learned! new!computer!skills!or!updated!our!existing!computer!skills!(we!are!never!too!old!to!learn!).!Once!again!thank!you!to!everyone!who!contributed!to!our!organization;!it!is!your!contributions!that!give!us!the!good!name!we!have.!! Willy!Rensen!Chairperson)voluntary)workers)

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MEMBERS)

ANNUAL))MEMBERS)

Mrs M Arni Adv D Chabedi Dr A de Jesus Mrs M de Winter Mrs GM Collett Mr BH Collett Prof R Finlayson Ms T Henkel Mrs J Hopking Mrs L Jurriaanse Ms J Kearney Prof & Mrs J Lambert Dr GME Leisner Dr P Lor Dr A Louw Mr O Masuku

Mr N Matseke Mrs A Meintjes Mrs J Meintjes Ms B Moloto Adv & Mrs JF Mullins Mrs G Nicholson Mrs W Rensen Mrs MJ Rubin Prof SA Snyman Mrs G Stevens Mrs L Thomo Mrs E Toens Ms G Udal Mrs S van der Westhuizen Dr V van Staden Mrs L Zucchini

Note: This list only includes those members who paid subscriptions during the course of the 2013/14 financial year.

LIFE MEMBERS Mr C Bebington Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria Mrs IR Carrick Mrs L Chalmers Christian Brothers College Mr D de Beer Mrs H Denk Mrs P Dennis Franciscan Community Mr & Mrs R Hazzard Holy Cross Convent Community Dr RF Ingle LCM Hospital Community Leyds Congregational Church Mrs L Moolman

Mr H Moor Prof & Mrs KT Nürnberger Mrs J Richter Dr M Richter Mr & Mrs PJ Roux Mr HBH Scott St John Vianney Community St Paulus Klooster Community Mrs L Stanton Mr & Mrs K Tait Mrs M Terblanche Mr HJC Twyford Dr MJ van der Linde Dr & Mrs AAB Williams Prof JA Wolfaard)

HONORARY MEMBERS Rev D Narraway))

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DONATIONS

Individuals Mrs P Arni Mrs A Meintjes Mr & Mrs CP Blignault Mrs J Meintjes Mrs Y Bulling Adv & Mrs JF Mullins Adv D Chabedi Mr G Nicholson Mr M Coetzee Mrs WG Rensen Mr & Mrs BH Collett Dr M Richter Dr ASM de Jesus Dr & Mrs OH Rubin Mrs M de Winter Mrs PE Ryan Mrs P Dennis Mrs J Serfontein Prof R Finlayson Mrs Amalia Snyman Mrs D Gani Prof SA Snyman Ms T Henkel Mrs MG Stevens Ms J Hopking Mr PJA Swart Dr RF Ingle Mrs L Thomo Mrs Lynn Jurriaanse Mrs E Toens Mrs Joan Kearney Mrs G Udal Prof & Mrs J Lambert Mr CJ van der Walt Mr GME Leisner Mrs SJ van der Westhuizen Dr & Mrs P Lor Dr V van Staden Dr A Louw Mrs L Zucchini Mr O Masuku

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Churches St Wilfrid’s Anglican Church St Francis Anglican Church

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Organisations National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund Investec Tuesday Forum

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