The Role of Thusong Community Centre in advancing development to Essay

The Role of Thusong Community Centre in advancing development to communities - Essay Example ratic government in 1994. Black and rural area residents did not have the opportunity of the urban people to receive quality government services. Principal challenge of new democratic government is to reduce the gap created by the previous government in receiving services irrespective of location of regions, status and race of people. In 1999 government introduced Multipurpose-Purpose Community Centers (MPCC) to reduce the gaps. Today, those community centers; are called Thusong Service Centers (TSC). ... These centres are established as communication development hubs based on Batho Pele values and principles, which place people first. TSC’s primary focus was on rural and underserviced communities to address their historical, social and economic factors thru access to information and citizen participation. It also included these communities’ socio-economic problems such as poverty, high unemployment, low standards of living (people living below the poverty line), poor access to basic services, remote settlement patterns, lack of access to technology and information, poor health services, insufficient education and skills and poor infrastructure (GCIS, 2001; 5). Since its introduction, TSC has undergone several changes to improve national coordination at the local level. In this regards TSC program created two phases’ activities. The phases are called first generation and second generation. According to a document released by the GCIS (2006: 7), the first generatio n phase is developed to establish one TSC in each district by December 2004. In fact, by December 2004, sixty-five centres were established that provides services to more than 700 areas not served previously. As of September 2009, countrywide 139 TSCs are established. The further roll-out of TSCs in each local municipality is a target set for 2014. In 2006, Cabinet approved the second generation Thusong Service Centres Business Plan. It describes different participants roles and responsibilities, provides guidelines on the sustainability of existing TSC, and focuses on the role of future centers. Second-generation TSC Program entails government’s commitment to build a responsive state where citizens and the