Commissioner for Children, Western Cape and activist with a passion for the realisation of children’s rights is recognised as being a leader and an exemplar of a Women at the Helm

A life lived on purpose

Christina is the embodiment of a life lived with a clear purpose; hers is to promote and protect children’s rights, interests and needs. She has had this clarity of purpose since the start of her career and whether at the grassroots level or alongside the government and has never stopped advocating for children and building systems that ensure their inclusion. This is a complicated undertaking in a society as complex and fractured as South Africa’s is. Still, she has not wavered and is dedicated to acting as a bridge, guiding children into a world shaped and governed by adults.

Christina’s career journey reflects her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of children in South Africa. Starting as a librarian focused on children’s literacy and play, she became aware of the importance of child wellbeing, access to resources, and safe community spaces. This experience laid the groundwork for her current role, where she oversees the Western Cape Departments of Education, Social Development, Health and Wellness as well as Cultural Affairs and Sport as first Commissioner for Children in the history of South Africa.

In her subsequent roles in youth development, Christina emphasised the critical role of early childhood development, advocating for systems that empower all children, regardless of their backgrounds, to participate in society actively.

What about when structures fail?

While much of her focus has been on building structures to support children in their right to a safe and happy childhood, there are many times when the systems and structures fail children. In her role as the Executive Director of Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN), she was instrumental in promoting alternatives when families, communities and systems had failed children. She and her team built child violence prevention practice models in this role. The Children Are Precious Project, piloted in Lavender Hill and Groendal, Franschhoek, provided children with options to raise their voices and self-advocate through music and art.

Nothing about us, without us

Christina’s work is about more than just child protection rights and the systems and structures required to do this; it is about recognising their autonomy rights and their right to participate in all decisions affecting their lives. To do this, it is important that whatever is done on behalf of children is informed by their views and context and also communicated in a way that is accessible to them. A prime example of this was the decision as the Commissioner on the National Planning Commission (NPC) of the Government of South Africa to produce the Children’s National Development Plan to enhance adults’ understanding of the children’s view of the development planning priorities. Undaunted by the complexities of including children in the feedback and planning process for the NDP, Christina was instrumental in conducting workshops with children from all nine provinces in 2017-2018 to ensure their perspectives were highlighted. 

There can be no better demonstration of Christina’s insistence that children are heard than that an entire series of workshops were held with especially vulnerable children – those in prisons, in state care and children with disabilities in special schools — on a recommendation received from a child in the February 2017 stakeholders’ meeting, that she not only focus on happy children. Christina walks the talk.

Acknowledgement and appreciation

For the last four years, had been the Commissioner for Children in the Western Cape and it is in this role, with its broad reach and impact, that she has come into her own as this bridge between children and the world of adults. In this role, she oversees the social cluster departments in the Western Cape Government and others working with children. She has established a Child Government Monitors forum so children can self-advocate for child-friendly and child-centred governance with key decision-makers on local, provincial, national, regional and international levels. Children are her key advisors about how she must exercise her mandate daily. She listens to civil society organisations, researchers, and the general public about the character of childhoods that we aspire to create in the future.  

Nana Davies, a founding partner at Southern Hemisphere, sees Christina as a dynamic, creative and inspirational leader.”

Nana nominated Christina as the perfect embodiment of the work that the Southern Hemisphere values in social justice and said this about why she had put Christina forward:

“Christina has worked relentlessly to protect children and to ensure their engagement in decisions affecting them. This is crucial in social justice work, as including beneficiaries always leads to the best outcomes.”

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