Final Adopted IDP - KZN Development Planning

Women
The Community Survey conducted in 2007 indicates that 53% of the population within
the Ulundi Municipality is female. Issues related to gender equity have not been tackled
by the Municipality either internally in terms of the implementation of employment
equity initiatives nor externally as regards the representation of women in the various
community participation forums established by the Municipality. Part of the
responsibility allocated to the HIV / AIDS coordinator employed by the Municipality is
ensuring that gender matters are addressed as a matter of priority by and within the
structure of the Municipality.
Youth
The age breakdown reflected in the Community Survey conducted in 2007 indicates that
40.8% of the total population within the Ulundi Municipality are under the age of 15
while 13% of the population falls within the age group of 15 years to 19 years of age. In
total, therefore, 53.8% of the population in the Municipality is under the age of 20.
Consequently, it is imperative that attention be paid to the youth within the community –
a number of sport and cultural programmes have been implemented by the Municipality
while provincial departments such as the Department of Social Development has funded
a number of youth related programmes. The establishment of a forum dealing with
Youth Affairs and which brings together all of the role players and stakeholders dealing
with the youth is needed and the Municipality, in the person of the HIV / AIDS
coordinator, will take the lead in facilitating its establishment.
The Office of the Mayor has launched a project focused on the youth called Project for
Change. This intervention is designed to create a sustainable programme for childheaded
households, children from single parent families, children raised by
grandparents, and orphans. Specifically the objectives of the Project for Change are:
To capacitate children from single parent families, child-headed households,
children raised by grandparents and orphans with educational and skills
development programmes in an attempt to reduce social ills;
To break the cycle of poverty by involving youth in the community through the
establishment of the Youth Forum;
To encourage the participation of the youth in social responsibility programmes
(for example the flagship programme and the youth ambassador programme in
terms of Sakuma Sakhe);
The creation of employmen and the upliftment of rural communities; and
To mitigate the impact of HIV / AIDS
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