New national strategy aims to fast-track action to protect SA’s children

Earlier this month, Cabinet approved the NSAAC, a comprehensive framework that seeks to improve the health, safety, development and overall wellbeing of children and adolescents across the country.

Government’s newly approved National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC) has been positioned as a critical tool to address the persistent challenges facing South Africa’s most vulnerable children, as poverty, abuse and poor health outcomes continue to undermine the country’s future.

In his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa cautioned that despite notable progress since the advent of democracy, the lived realities of millions of children remain deeply troubling. Nearly half of South Africa’s children still live in poverty, while many are exposed to violence, neglect and preventable health risks.

Earlier this month, Cabinet approved the NSAAC, a comprehensive framework that seeks to improve the health, safety, development and overall wellbeing of children and adolescents across the country. The strategy will be implemented through the 5th National Plan of Action for Children (2025–2030) and is designed to align the efforts of government, business, organised labour and civil society behind a single, coordinated agenda.

“The best way to secure our country’s future is to invest in the health and well-being of its children,” President Ramaphosa said. While acknowledging the gains made since 1994 — including improvements in access to basic services, social grants and healthcare — he emphasised that progress has been uneven and insufficient to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and inequality.

Recent data from Statistics South Africa underscores the scale of the challenge. Child poverty declined from 69% in 2006 to 49% in 2023, reflecting the impact of social protection measures such as the Child Support Grant. However, children remain the most affected demographic group, with poverty rates higher than those of adults and the elderly.

The NSAAC identifies 10 national priorities that correspond with key stages of a child’s life, from early childhood development to adolescence. Special emphasis is placed on adolescents, who face growing risks related to mental health, substance abuse, violence and school dropout, as well as children with disabilities, who often experience compounded exclusion and limited access to services.

The strategy is the result of extensive consultations with government departments, civil society organisations, experts in the children’s sector and children themselves. Its core objective is to improve coordination across sectors, address policy gaps and ensure that programmes for children are better planned, funded and monitored.

President Ramaphosa highlighted early-life disadvantage as one of the most urgent concerns. Maternal undernutrition, he said, continues to affect birth outcomes, breastfeeding practices and infant immunity, setting many children on a path of poor health and limited development from birth.

Poor nutrition in early childhood has far-reaching consequences, undermining cognitive development, educational attainment and long-term economic prospects. “This domino effect must be broken,” the President said, stressing that early intervention is essential to prevent children from falling behind before they even enter the schooling system.

Crime and violence against children were also identified as a national crisis. During Child Protection Month in May, authorities reported more than 26 000 cases of child abuse and neglect in the 2024/2025 financial year, with sexual abuse accounting for the majority of reported incidents. The figures, government has acknowledged, likely represent only a fraction of actual cases, given widespread underreporting.

“The experience of children today will determine our nation’s social and economic wellbeing over the next twenty years,” President Ramaphosa warned. He noted that failure to protect children and invest in their development would have long-term consequences for social cohesion, economic growth and public safety.

As part of the new strategy, government has launched the national “Hold My Hand” campaign, aimed at galvanising society-wide action in support of children. The campaign calls on every South African to play a role, whether through parenting support, community involvement, volunteering or advocacy.

The initiative challenges citizens to imagine a future in which every child has “enough love, enough food, safety and brainpower”, arguing that collective responsibility and action could fundamentally change the country’s trajectory.

Business and organised labour have been identified as key partners in the implementation of the strategy. President Ramaphosa said the private sector’s financial resources, infrastructure and logistics networks could help strengthen under-resourced early learning and nutrition programmes. Trade unions, meanwhile, were encouraged to advocate for workplace policies that support working parents, including parental leave and flexible working arrangements.

The President also paid tribute to civil society organisations, health workers, teachers, social workers, child and youth care workers, as well as parents and grandparents, for their ongoing efforts to protect and nurture children, often in extremely challenging conditions.

“For the sake of our shared future, we must work together to ensure that our nation’s children and young people grow, thrive and are happy,” he said, calling for renewed commitment and sustained action as the country enters a new phase of implementation under the NSAAC.