Thank you, Madam Speaker, the reply is as follows. The Working for Water and Working on Fire programmes are the main poverty alleviation programmes administered by my department.
The key objectives of the Working for Water programme are to increase our water availability, to make land more productive and to improve ecosystems by removing alien invasive species. Working for Water provides employment and training opportunities to over 29 000 people, 56% of whom are women, 45% youth and just below 2% are people living with disabilities. The majority of the people who are employed by the programme are poor and mostly from the marginalised groups.
The Working on Fire programme, on the other hand, is aimed at preventing wild fires and combating them when they do occur. This programme draws its workforce from the poorest of the poor, focusing on marginalised groups, including by race, gender and disability. It provides employment and training opportunities to over 1 500 people 28% of whom are women, 95% youth and just below 2% are people with disabilities.
Now, both of these programmes form part of our Expanded Public Works Programme, which was established for poverty relief and skills development. This is a co-ordinated focus by government to try to secure as many work opportunities and training for the unemployed as possible, while still achieving the outputs and outcomes of the specific initiatives. We therefore require people who come into both programmes to exit after a period of time to make way for new people. What we have done over the years is that the programme has adapted to allow for a learnership engagement with the contractors and their work teams to ensure that their exit is accompanied with the necessary skills that will allow them to be able to get employment from the formal economy.
Employees in these programmes are given skills both in the areas in which they work, in terms of fire, the plants and the clearing as well as through training initiatives which are run by these programmes. In partnership with the Department of Labour and the relevant Setas, training is given to the employees. Skills that would be acquired by people in this programme would be, for instance, a vast knowledge of our plants and how to identify invasive alien species. They would obviously be trained in firefighting, chain-saw operating, working with wood, advanced four-by-four driving as well as business and entrepreneurial development support and marketing skills, amongst other things.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you, hon Minister. Indeed, hon Minister, the programme was started particularly for poverty alleviation. However, have we not arrived at a point at which we can say that the skills that have been acquired in both the Working for Water and the Working for Fire programmes are now required, not on ad hoc basis but on a permanent one?
With regard to these valuable skills that these young men and women have acquired in both these programmes, have we not arrived at a point at which we can say that in addition to creating work and alleviating poverty, these skills are now needed on a permanent basis in South Africa?
We particularly need to augment our water resources on a daily basis in South Africa, and therefore have a more ongoing programme on clearing alien invasion, and fires have now also become a permanent feature in our country. So these skills too are required on a more permanent basis. I would like to know whether the exit strategies couldn't take this into consideration. Thank you.
Thank you, hon member, and thank you, Madam Speaker. It is correct to say that if you look at the potential of the programme, the ease with which people enter the programme, and its impact on people's lives, then it would be in our interests to make sure that the programme expands.
However, this is how it was started and we are currently discussing how we can expand the programme to ensure that more and more people, particularly in the rural areas, get absorbed, because it is true that whilst some of the people who get trained and acquire new skills in the programmes particularly in the Working for Water programme, not all of them are absorbed in formal employment and not all of them are able to start businesses that I will be talking about later on.
Some of those that haven't been absorbed may require to continue with the programme. So the hon member is correct to say that with climate change and the extent and intensity of fires that we are experiencing, we may need even more firefighters. Therefore the Working on Fire programme could arguably be ready for an increase in budget. We are working on that, but hon member thank you.
Thank you very much, hon Speaker. Minister, last month, August 2007, South Africa experienced disaster: veld fires destroyed forests, farms, properties and killed animals costing government millions of rand in damage. Minister, are the 1 799 Working on Fire workers enough to prevent, fight and contain fire wherever it occurs countrywide? At the end of this programme, have you negotiated with municipalities to employ them to retain the skills acquired to render further service? If not, why? Thank you.
Thank you, hon member. Of course, the number of people working in the Working on Fire programme can never be enough to contain and fight fires. We must remember that the programme competes with other programmes for funding. However, we must say that results show - and even the people on the ground would say - that if it was not for this programme, the devastation of the recent fires would have been much greater than it was.
This group Working on Fire works with municipalities. There are fire brigades in every locality. Landowners are encouraged to join fire protection associations, so they are working with them and with fire brigades as well as with the municipalities themselves - their own disaster management committees. So we are working closely with them. When you talk about employees in the Working on Fire programme, most of them are young.
As you can imagine, fighting fires requires you to be fast in what you are doing. They are highly trained and disciplined. You need all of those things in this programme. So they get that training. Because of that, they are very attractive to security companies, and municipalities are also taking them over to do their own fire fighting and prevention. They are also able to start their own businesses.
We are now talking to landowners to use these people. Once they have done the work that they are doing for us, they must use them to create firebreaks, to educate and to create awareness. So, yes, we are talking to all the partners that we are required to talk to. However, our aim would really be to increase the extent of the programme in such a way that we are able to work faster and have more people on the ground. That, of course, requires more funding. Thank you.
Hon Speaker, the hon Minister has answered me in her response now. Thank you.
Allegations in media reports regarding conviction for theft
254. Mr M Waters (DA) asked the Minister of Health:
(1) Whether, in light of the allegations in recent media reports, she had been convicted of theft in 1976 or thereabouts while employed at the Athlone Hospital in Botswana; if so,
(2) whether she disclosed this information to the President when she was informed of his decision to appoint her to this portfolio; if not, why not; if so, what was his response?