Hon Chairperson, Deputy Minister of Social Development, uMama Maria Ntuli, Chairperson of the Select Committee on Social Services, members of the select committee, members of the executive council from various provinces, hon Members of Parliament, distinguished guests - especially Ms Noluthando Gosa, member of the Planning Commission - ladies and gentlemen, as we commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day today, allow me to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who passed away at the Struisbult Care Centre in Springs following a fire earlier this week, and wish those injured a speedy recovery. Events such as this should not occur and I will work with MECs and municipalities so that we improve the safety and conditions of all places of care for older persons and other people in need of care by the state and NGOs.
Today it is a great honour and privilege for me to address this august House of Parliament, the National Council of Provinces. I am fully conscious of and inspired by the historic significance of the timing of this debate on Budget Vote No 19. I rise today, on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the 16 June 1976 uprisings, and stand high on the shoulders of the youth of my time to salute you in the name of all patriotic South Africans, especially those whose sterling contributions and sacrifices have made the current political landscape in our country a reality.
Many of them laid down their lives, while countless others were maimed for life in the active duty and service of their country and people. It is thanks to them, to whom we shall forever be indebted, that we gather here today as legitimate representatives of our people, to consider my department's plans for the year under way in order to respond to the plight of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised members of our society.
Just four days ago we had dipped our banners, with our flags flying at half mast, as we mourned the passing of one of the mothers of our nation, Mama Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu. After 75 years under apartheid and 17 years under democracy, at the age of 92, Mama Sisulu cut links with life and handed the baton to those of us who remain behind to pursue the struggle for social transformation to realise the goal of a better life for all.
Today, 17 years into democracy, many of our communities continue to suffer from the devastation and ravages of apartheid, which manifest themselves in the form of poverty, inequality, unemployment and underdevelopment. The Department of Social Development's mandate, together with the responsibilities of the agencies associated with it, is founded on government's desire to extricate our people from the trappings of poverty and helplessness, to enable them to realise the benefits of the South African promise of a better life for all. As a department we remain committed to this promise and shall spare no effort to ensure that it is realised.
Our efforts in this regard are inspired by our vision of building an inclusive society, based on the principles of human solidarity, in which the happiness of children is the hallmark of our daily experience. The society of which I speak is one based on the full integration of all its members, where those who are at the dawn of life, the children, are cared for and protected; where those who are in the shadow of life, the disabled, are supported to overcome their activity limitations; and where those in the twilight of their lives, the elderly, are still meaningfully engaged in the affairs of their communities.
Given that poverty and inequality remain our biggest challenge, the social assistance programme has proved to be our most effective social policy response. This year government has allocated over R100 billion to the social assistance programme, which provides the poor with the means to meet their most basic needs. Over 15 million South Africans currently benefit from the programme.
Research shows that social grants have a hugely beneficial impact on the lives of those who receive them, as most recently indicated in a research report published by the United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef, and the Financial and Fiscal Commission. The report found that the social assistance programme reduced inequality and, in fact, reduced child poverty even at the height of the economic and financial crisis.
While the majority of beneficiaries use social grants to support their families' basic needs, there is evidence that many are using the grants as a means to seek employment or support informal economic activities. There is evidence that social grants provide more than just a safety net and that they play a catalytic role for poor people to engage in the economy.
With regard to comprehensive social security, the interdepartmental task team on social security reform has made extensive proposals for the introduction of new social insurance benefits and the total overhaul of the institutional framework within which social security is provided in South Africa. The interdepartmental task team has specifically proposed that the policy-making function for social security should be consolidated under one department. The task team has also proposed that a new social insurance fund should be created to render retirement, disability and survivor benefits to all formally employed contributors who will be mandated by government to contribute. These proposals are contained in the consolidated government document which will form the basis for consultation with the public and other stakeholders.
As part of this vision, my department has developed programmes and plans to invest in children. In pursuance of this vision, on 30 May 2011, together with other social sector departments, we launched Child Protection Week under the theme "Working Together to Protect Children". This served as a platform to mobilise the rest of society, including families, to work towards investing in the wellbeing of children. As part of this desire we unveiled an awareness campaign on early childhood development, ECD, in Tweefontein, Mpumalanga on 1 June this year on International Children's Day.
We undertook to exponentially increase the number of registered ECD centres over the next three years. The importance of registration is to enable government to provide subsidies for children from poor families, to provide project funding and to ensure the standardisation of norms and standards. As government we are aware of some of the challenges faced by the ECD sector and commit to working with civil society and other stakeholders to develop lasting solutions. This will include a review of the subsidy formula for poor children to ensure uniformity and equity.
Our vision of a society that enables children, families and communities to realise their fullest potential will be difficult to achieve at the current rate of alcohol and substance abuse in our country.
In this regard we have embarked on a campaign against alcohol and substance abuse and proposed legislative changes aimed at reducing the abuse of alcohol and other substances. This campaign is supported by evidence that illustrates the extent to which alcohol abuse, in particular, contributes to violence against women and other forms of interpersonal violence.
The proposals to reduce the negative impacts of alcohol and substance abuse were tabled and refined at the National Summit on Substance Abuse. The implementation of these proposals is overseen by an interministerial committee on substance abuse.
With respect to treating the victims of alcohol and substance abuse, we plan to establish at least one treatment facility in each province during the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period. Children need to grow up in a nurturing and secure environment that can ensure their development, protection, survival and participation in family and social life. More than just families and relatives, we need communities at large to care for needy children, especially orphans and vulnerable children. Research indicates that in addition to psychological distress resulting from the death of one or both parents, orphaned children are more vulnerable to poverty, illness and abuse.
They are at higher risk of HIV infection, malnutrition, stigma and isolation. Children orphaned and living in child-headed households have increased, adding to the number of children who are profoundly impacted on by social and economic underdevelopment. Over the next three years we will recruit and train 10 000 child and youth care workers to support children living in child-headed households, using the Isibindi Model.
This, together with the challenge of gender-based violence, among other things, essentially puts undue pressure on social workers, due to the lack of such professionals in our country. In the light of the socioeconomic problems facing South Africa, many households look to social workers to help them out of extreme poverty and vulnerability.
This requires us to increase the capacity of professionals, to help improve their livelihood. Therefore, R244 million has been allocated to support existing students and to provide for new scholarships.
While our social assistance programme remains one of the biggest poverty alleviation measures of government, the safety nets provided by such grants are not an end in themselves. We are working with economic sector departments to leverage social assistance investments so that they can yield job creation benefits.
The Department of Social Development and the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, will launch a pilot to link able-bodied caregivers of employable age to the labour market during 2011-12. The results of this pilot will be useful to finalise the draft policy framework on linking social assistance to economic opportunities. The pilot will place 1 000 beneficiaries in jobs between July 2011 and June 2012.
At our strategic planning sessions we had discussions with the Department of Trade and Industry, DTI, on a partnership wherein the DTI would look to promote purchasing co-operatives in areas where there are significant concentrations of people accessing social assistance. The aim is to encourage collective purchasing of essential goods and services, thereby reducing costs, and to stimulate the local production of such goods.
The social assistance programme has reduced the experience of hunger. This work will be complemented by other efforts of the Department of Social Development and its partners to tackle the vexing problem of food insecurity. We are working with Food Bank South Africa, which is distributing food to thousands of people on a daily basis. There are plans in place by Food Bank South Africa to move towards stimulating family and small-scale food production which will create jobs while tackling the problem of food insecurity.
Initiatives such as these will serve to complement the work of the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Rural Development and Land Reform. We are working in partnership with these departments and civil society organisations on a road map to reduce food insecurity in South Africa.
The National Development Agency, NDA, is tasked to support the work of civil society in key areas of concern to the mandate of the Department of Social Development and government. The NDA will therefore be an important partner in our efforts to promote early childhood development, through using its grants to strengthen the capacities of ECD service organisations. They will similarly support our efforts to reduce violence against women and children by providing key support to the sector addressing gender-based violence.
The NDA's five-year strategic plan positions it to become the grant-making institution for an engaged civil society in South Africa. The plan sees it raising significant resources from the state, the business sector and international donor communities so that it can support civil society to ensure that South Africa continues to have a vibrant and resilient civil society.
As the co-chair with United Nations Aids, UNAIDS, of the International Advisory Group on HIV and Aids, I was again reminded that without a robust civil society in any area of work that we do, our chances of sustained success will be limited. Given the challenge of building a strong civil society, the R161 million that will be transferred to the NDA is clearly not enough, and the agency will require more resources to deliver on its mandate. We have engaged with the private sector and other stakeholders about the important role that this agency needs to play and we hope that MPs will be equally robust in encouraging other government departments to support the work of the NDA.
In spite of the good progress made with regard to expanding the government's safety net, Sassa still has a mammoth task ahead to enhance its systems and processes for it to respond to the needs of its existing and potential beneficiaries. In the year ahead, our priority is to ensure increased access to social security services by all eligible beneficiaries. Sassa will undertake a robust overhaul of its systems to improve service delivery to its customers.
Ensuring an effective and cost-effective administration remains key to the operation of the agency. The overall administration costs for social assistance are still relatively high. This is largely due to the cost of handling and transporting cash. We are finalising the procurement of new payment providers for grant payments. This payment contract will run for five years. Through this process we will ensure the standardisation of payment processes, reduction of costs and improved validation of identity of grant recipients.
Grant administration systems are still largely operated on a manual basis. This has been a significant contributor to fraud and corruption in the social security system, delays in the turnaround times and poor record management. In this regard I am pleased to announce that for the first time since the establishment of Sassa, we have been allocated financial resources to automate our systems. Let me take advantage of this platform to express good wishes to the new CEO of Sassa, Ms Virginia Petersen, who is now responsible for driving the Sassa machinery. [Applause.]
In conclusion, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to Deputy Minister Ntuli, members of the Select Committee on Social Services, MECs for social development, the director-general, the special advisers as well as management and staff of the department and its agencies for their hard work and support. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, and comrades, let me first express our condolences to families of the victims who died in the fire in Springs.
South Africa has been relatively successful in the fight against poverty due to the extensive coverage of our social security programme. Close to 15 million South Africans obtain social grants from the state, and 10 million are children who receive the child support grant linked to school maintenance.
Since the ANC-led government is building a developmental and not a welfare state, the social grants should be linked to economic activities and community development to enable short-term beneficiaries to become self- supporting in the long run. Above all, let us work together in striving to banish homelessness, illiteracy, hunger and disease.
The Department of Social Development's vision and mission provide a solid starting point for the department's role in terms of early childhood care and development. The vision of the department provides for a caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitates human development and improves the quality of life for all.
The ANC-led government believes that every child has the right to the best possible start in life, and that early childhood represents the most critical phase in the life cycle of human beings. It provides a window of opportunity that, if capitalised on, will result in many positive benefits for the future of individual children, families and society as a whole.
Indeed, early childhood development, ECD, in South Africa has grown rapidly due to the rapid expansion of subsidies to this sector. The sector comprises pre-Grade R for children from zero to four years old and Grade R for children from five to six years old. ECD subsidies take two forms: subsidies by the Department of Basic Education for formal Grade R, mainly in public schools, and subsidies for community-based ECD facilities by the Department of Social Development.
That's why we say a solid, integrated approach between the departments that play a key role in the establishment and operations of the ECD facilities and the development of a child is critical. Lending a hand to those communities that have taken the initiative to provide a much-needed service such as ECD is necessary. This can be achieved by means of support as far as the required resources, training needs and proper accommodation for those facilities are concerned.
Alcohol and drug abuse are twin scourges that impact negatively on all aspects of South African society. The ANC-led government has an interministerial committee to develop and implement a campaign to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug abuse.
Statistics suggest that the use of drugs such as ecstasy is more common among young persons than among older persons. Solvent use is also higher among young people. Patients in specialised treatment centres whose primary substance of abuse is alcohol turn out to be older than those whose primary substance of abuse is dagga or Mandrax. Among school-going youth, alcohol use appears to increase with age in both males and females.
Now a new danger has cropped up. Aids medication is suddenly sought after as a recreational drug. Whoonga is the name of the mixture of antiretroviral medicines and marijuana. Use of this new narcotic has spread within the past year and is rife in some provinces.
When we go to communities, it is also very disturbing to learn and hear about school children who drink alcohol during school hours or go to class drunk. It is also very sad to learn and hear about some of our children today who go to school high due to the drugs they use and end up involved in criminal activities at school. It is very worrying to learn and hear today that some parents who sell food to our schoolchildren put drugs into the vetkoeke. It is also a cause for concern to learn and hear today about drug traffickers selling drugs on school premises. In celebrating Youth Month we need to go all out and fight the scourge of drug and alcohol abuse for the sake of our beloved country and our children. We also welcome strides taken by the Minister and the Deputy Minister to drastically reduce this problem.
I would like to remind this House that last year two women were arrested for allegedly defrauding the SA Social Security Agency, known as Sassa, of about R4 million in Msane, KwaZulu-Natal. One of the women was believed to be the wife of an IFP councillor in the area.
A key national achievement has been the establishment of a progressive legal framework and the elaboration of policies that protect children and guarantee their right to social services. The new Children's Act, which brings South African law in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is one of the major legislative reforms poised to make a real difference to the lives of children.
Other recent legislative reforms include the Sexual Offences Act, which is inclusive of the wide range of crimes that commonly occur against children. There is the Child Justice Act, which establishes a separate criminal justice system for children in conflict with the law. Together these laws form the foundation of a comprehensive child protection framework.
To elaborate on the issue of grants, as this Council we have a huge responsibility to ensure that all grants issued to a beneficiary are used exactly for the intended purpose. The ANC-led government is a caring government and sometimes reports that we get from our constituencies are disturbing and a cause for concern. It has become common to learn that some recipients who are mothers do not really feed or take care of their children. This means that the intended purpose, which is to bring up the baby properly and take care of medical and other important needs of the baby, is not met.
When the NCOP visited the Free State last year in November, we heard horror stories about elderly women who are robbed, raped and harassed for their pension. The security of these important senior citizens is a priority.
I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts made by the department, through the Ministry, to drastically reduce the fraudulent activities that used to happen around the disability grants.
The profession of social work in South Africa is not the most attractive job to the youth today. Consequently, there are not enough qualified workers. The social acceptance of severe corporal punishment, child labour, early marriage and sexual exploitation undermines the ANC-led government's efforts to protect children. Many families face severe challenges in protecting and caring for their children.
On the one hand, South Africa has inherited a legacy of violence, extreme inequality and social dislocation. This has translated into many social ills in the day-to-day lives of children, such as high levels of domestic violence, substance abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Therefore, the increase of social workers is another important priority for the department - we also appreciate that.
On the other hand, the country's huge HIV burden has resulted in a high number of orphans. Many children are deprived of the care of their biological parents. Most of these children are placed in the care of extended families already under stress due to the impact of the pandemic. Childhoods are stolen as children take on adult roles as caregivers of ill parents or of siblings in child-headed households.
The National Development Agency, NDA, has just appointed its new board. There are huge expectations of this team of men and women. We believe that the challenges faced by a number of communities around the establishment of projects, resources, training, accommodation and sustainability of these projects will be history from now onwards. We call on the members of the board to speed up interventional measures to address these challenges so that we contribute to the reduction of poverty and joblessness, and contribute to the local economy. We support the suggestion of building a strong relationship between the department and private sector to solicit funding for this agency.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasise the fact that the burden of caring for orphans and vulnerable children deprived of parental care has created a crisis in the alternative care system. The children of our country, in whatever shade of colour they happen to be born, deserve the right to adequate and sensitive care by society. They must develop in an atmosphere free of homelessness, malnutrition, harassment of any kind, and violence. I would like to support the department's budget. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, members and guests, I was shocked and very sad when I heard on Monday that elderly people had died in a fire in the Struisbult Care Centre. You know, nobody must die in circumstances like those, especially not elderly people who had done their best to help build a South Africa in which we can all live and share the fruits of the land. I want to ask the Department of Social Development to bring the safety and security of all our centres - centres for children, women, youth, older persons and people with disabilities - on par with the requirements so that this will never again happen in our lives. The DA wants to convey its deepest sympathy to all the families and others who have lost a loved one in this tragic incident. Rest assured that God is a caring God; He will always nurture you with His love and mercy.
The Department of Social Development's budget increased at an annual rate of 12,6% to R95,9 billion in the 2010-11 budget year. This increase was mainly due to the increase of the social assistance programme transfers, which is 93,2% of the 2010-11 budget. We must also bear in mind that the department will also receive additional allocations of about R6 billion in the 2011-12 budget year, according to the estimates of Treasury. If one calculates these amounts, one realises that this department will be responsible and accountable for a lot of money. They must have a hands-on approach to the monitoring and evaluation of the expenditure of the money because the funds were mostly transfers to other institutions. This department must establish a reliable IT system to implement a credible and effective monitoring and evaluation programme to track the spending of the money.
A total of 13,85 million social assistance grants are allocated in the 2010- 11 budget year. This programme is a multimillionaires' business. It is shocking to see that some councillors and officials are loan sharks and shebeen owners and that they actually prey on the grants of beneficiaries to become stinking rich.
The question to ask is whether government gets value for money. Do we reach our goal of alleviating poverty? Do we really assist the vulnerable to uplift their life and prevent hunger and give them the opportunity to gain support for themselves? Yes, we do assist a small number in reaching this goal but definitely not the bigger number. Social security fails the vulnerable because the ills in our community are not addressed effectively. We do not clamp down on these loan sharks and shebeens and do not act against those beneficiaries who misuse and abuse these grants.
The addressing of the disparities in the pension grants of men and women is long overdue. It is much appreciated that we have finally reached the point where we are eliminating this problem.
It is of great concern to see that R57,5 million was actually unnecessary expenditure on what I call luxury items. The department said this was "efficiency savings". It is actually corrective savings and undue expenditure. Greater focus must be placed on all the different programmes to stamp out such luxury expenditure, as we have experienced.
The protection of the vulnerable does not lie in the creation of grants. Yes, we must have a safety net for those in need, but we should not create a culture of dependency for the poor. We must rather create opportunities for employment. Out of a population of 50 million, 13,1 million South Africans are employed. Only two out of five persons of working age are employed. This is 40%, compared to Brazil's 65%, China's 71% and India's 55%. Over 9 million jobs must be created by the economy over the next 10 years. Unemployment is a ticking time bomb.
Expenditure on social assistance increased from R62,5 million in 2007-08 to R89,5 million in 2010-11. Almost 15 million people in South Africa qualify for social assistance, compared to 12 million in 2010-11. This increase in social assistance grants is a huge burden on the fiscus. It is not sustainable and the creation of employment is the only solution.
As it is responsible for the social fibre of our communities, it is paramount that this department should play an important role in seeing to it that all the departments and sectors in the economy do their duty to achieve the goal of greater employment.
It is good to see that the number of early childhood development, ECD, centres increased to 16 250 and the number of children in these centres to 770 657. The quality of future generations depends on the success we achieve in investing in our children. We must make sure that we have a quality education system in place and that we support all aspects of the ECD programme, not only the increase in numbers. A focused and effective ECD system is required from all the departments and role-players in this sector. This will also help to address the problems with the quality of education provided in the foundation and primary phases in our schools.
Addressing drug abuse and the problems with the moral fibre of our communities is actually a huge challenge. Too many young people are openly smoking oka pipes in public and people are quiet about this new behaviour. We must come out very strongly and speak out against this phenomenon, because it feeds the use of drugs and contributes to the fall of the next generation.
The social cohesion of our community and among people is extremely important. We must therefore focus our endeavours more intensively on our programmes in order to achieve effective outcomes. I thank you. [Applause.]
Sekela-sihlalo wale Ndlu, ndivumele ndibulise kuMphathiswa, uMama uDlamini, noSekela-Mphathiswa, abaPhathiswa bonke, amalungu onke ale Ndlu yoWiso-mthetho, nabo bathunyiweyo ngolu suku lwanamhlanje. Ndikwabulela ndikhahlele kuSihlalo engekho.
Ndinovuyo, imincili neqhayiya ngokuba kule Ndlu endandikhe ndaba lilungu layo. Ndandikhe ndeza apha ndingusihlalo wekomiti, ndeza ndinguMphathiswa weSebe lezeMpilo, ndaphinda ndeza ndinguMphathiswa weSebe lezeNdlela neMisebenzi yoLuntu. Namhlanje ndiza ndinguMphathiswa weSebe lezoPhuhliso loLuntu. Ndisuka kwelaa phondo loxolo, iphondo elihle kakhulu.
Xa ndiza kuthi thaca le ngxelo yam namhlanje, mandiwaqinisekise amalungu ukuba le ntetho aza kuyifumana phaya ezi-ofisini zawo. Phaya kwela phondo leMpuma Koloni siye saqinisekisa ukuba kulo nyaka-mali senza iinguqu endicinga ukuba bezifanele ukwenziwa ukuze uphuhliso loluntu lungabonwa njengenkqubo ejongene neli sebe kuphela. Uphuhliso lufanele ukuba lube yinkqubo efaka onke amasebe kuba kaloku eli Sebe loPhuhliso loLuntu libizwa ngokuba lisebe elingu-10111 phaya ekhayeni; singabokuqala ukufika, singabokugqibela ukuhamba. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Ndivumele ndithi, njengoko sisenza olu manyano lophuhliso loluntu, asisebenzi sodwa sisebenza nawo onke amasebe. Ubungqina baloo nto kukuba sinayo i-integrated service model ejongene nokuba kutshintshwe isebe ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Deputy Chairperson of this House, allow me to greet the hon Minister, Mrs Dlamini, and the hon Deputy Minister, all the hon Ministers, all hon members of this House and delegates today. I also thank and salute the Chairperson in absentia.
I am happy, excited and proud to be in this House of which I was a member. I once came here when I was the chairperson of the committee, and then again when I was the MEC for Health, and later as the MEC for transport and public works. Today I come as the MEC for social development. I am from that province of peace, a very beautiful province.
As I am going to table my report today, let me assure the hon members that they will get this report in their offices. In the province of the Eastern Cape we have ensured that during this financial year we will effect changes that I think were supposed to have been made, so that social development is not seen as a programme that is focusing on this department only. Development is supposed to be a programme that includes all the departments, because back home the Department of social development is called 10111; we are the first to arrive and the last to depart. [Applause.]
Let me say as we are doing this integrated social development, we are not working alone - we are working with all the departments. The evidence thereof is that we have the integrated service model which focuses on change in this department ...]
... towards engaging people fully in their own process of leaning towards growth.
Kaloku abantu bakowethu banazo iimpawu zolwazi lwemveli. Akunyanzelekanga ukuba bafundiswe yonke into. Sibaqala kule nto bayaziyo siye nabo kwizinto abangazaziyo kuba abafuni kukakazwa ingathi abakwazi ukuzicingela. Obu buchule bethu ke buncedisa ekubeni sizifumane ezo zakhono zabo. Okwesibini, siyaqinisekisa ukuba abantu bakuthi bayaxhaswa kwimizamo yonke abayenzayo, sisebenzela ukuba kuphuhle iphondo eli. Okwesithathu, siyaqinisekisa ukuba uhlahlo-lwabiwo-mali lukekelela kwiimpula zikalujaca ezingenanto; asinazintloni zokwenza loo nto, asifihlisi, singaceli mvume nakubani na kuba abantu bakuthi bakhe abaxhamla ixesha elide.
Kulo nyaka-mali nantsi imigomo esiza kuthi sicangcathe kuyo. Owokuqala yi- Development social welfare. Siza kuqinisekisa ukuba bonke abantu abasesichengeni bafumana ingqwalasela ezinzileyo kwaye nabantwana bakhathalelwe. Yiyo loo nto amakhaya angama-32 akhoyo phaya agcine abantwana abasuka kwiindawo ngeendawo siza kuqhubeka nokuwanika imali. Ewe ke kambe asinto iqhelekileyo kwaNtu into yokuba udibane nabantwana ekuthiwa abanamakhaya, kodwa ngenxa yokuphelelwa bubuntu udibana nabo bengenamakhaya. Sinoxanduva lokuba masiqinisekise ukuba banendawo abahleli kuzo. Siyibekele ecaleni imali ezizigidi ezingama-206, ukuqinisekisa into yokuba bathi nakwezo ndawo bagcinwe kuzo bakwazi ukufumana uthando, inkxaso kunye nokukhathalelwa.
Kuhle ukuba ndichaze ukhona Mphathiswa, Mama uDlamini, ukuba izolo elinye, ngeCawe nangoMvulo, thina phaya kwiphondo siye sabamba inkomfa yokuqala engazange yakhona. Besibize abantwana basesitalatweni ukuze sive kubo ukuba zeziphi iingcebiso esinokuzisebenzisa ukuze basuke esitalatweni. Kaloku uninzi lwethu singamalungu ahleli kule Ndlu, xa sibabona besiza sivala iifestile, sibe singayazi ukuba bafuna ukuthini na, singazazi neemeko ezibabeke esitalatweni.
Ndihlaba ikhwelo lokuba nivule iifestile ze nibamamele xa becela kuba basuswe ziimeko ezahlukeneyo emakhaya. Masibanikeni uthando ngoba nabo abathandi ukuhlala esitalatweni.
Sithe xa besiphaya samisela iqhinga eliyindibanisela lephondo, naleyo ikopi siza kuyithumela kumalungu eNdlu ukuze nibone ukuba abantwana ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Our people have indigenous knowledge. They do not need to be taught everything. We should start with the knowledge they have and proceed to things that they do not know, because they don't want to be spoon-fed as if they cannot think for themselves. Our strategy helps us to get their skills. Secondly, we ensure that our people are supported in all their efforts; we do that to develop our province. Thirdly, we ensure that the budget benefits especially the disadvantaged who have nothing; we are not ashamed to do that, we do not hide it, we are not asking for permission from anyone because our people have not benefited for a long time.
These are the challenges that we will be dealing with during this financial year. The first is the development of social welfare. We will make sure that we pay undivided attention to all the vulnerable people and that children receive the necessary care. That is why we will continue to provide financial support to the 32 children's homes that are looking after children who come from different areas. Yes, it is unusual in an African culture to find homeless children, but because of the lack of ubuntu you find that they are homeless. We have a responsibility to ensure that they have places to stay. We have put aside R206 million to make sure that even in those homes where they are kept they are loved, supported and looked after.
It is good to address this issue in your presence hon Minister, Mrs Dlamini. Two days ago, on Sunday and on Monday, we held the first conference on street kids in the province. We called street kids so that they could advise us on what we need to do in order to get them off the streets. Most of us, the members in this House, close our windows when we see them coming towards us, but we do not know what they want to say, and we do not know what circumstances have led them to be on the streets.
I appeal to you to open the window and to listen to them when they beg, because they left their homes as a result of their circumstances. Let's give them love, because they don't like to live on the streets.
During that conference we established a provincial integrated strategy; we will send that copy to the hon members of the House as well so that you can see with regard to children ...]
... who are living and working on the streets ...
... siza kuncedisana njani nabo ukuze basuke esitalatweni. Eyona migomo sijongene nayo phaya kukuqinisekisa ukuba umcimbi wabo ... [... how we are going to help them so that they leave the streets. The main challenge that we are facing is to make sure that their matter...]
... is multisectoral in nature, and therefore it needs all of us to ensure ...
... iinkonzo esizenzayo ziyamanyana zibasuse kwingozi yokuhlala esitalatweni. Phofu mandiyichaze into yokuba bayakufuna nokwaluka kuba badala, kwaye ke kufuneka bezenzile izinto zabo zobuntu. Abanye babo bebengenazo nezazisi. Izolwelinye sibenzele ukuze nabo bazive bengabantu boMzantsi Afrika. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Xa ndingqinelana nale nto ibithethwa ngohloniphekileyo uRasmeni yokuba oonontlalontle banqongophele, thina silisebe sithathe isigqibo sokuba sibaqeqeshe oonontlalontle ngale mali siyabelwa ngamalungu ahloniphekileyo. Kulo nyaka kuphela besikhupha amakrwala amatsha kraca oonontlalontle abangama-307, esiye sabathatha bangena emsebenzini njengenxalenye yokuphawula inyanga yolutsha. Baqalile ke ngomhla wokuqala. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Ngokubhekisele kumcimbi we-HIV ne-Aids othi ushiye iinkedama, thina siyaqinisekisa ukuba siyibeke bucala imali ukulungiselela ezo nkedama zifuna ukukhathalelwa nokuncediswa sithi, mali leyo abathi xa beyibiza abantu abathetha isiNgesi yi-Orphans and Vulnerable Children, OVC. Sinabo abantwana abaxhamlayo abangama-28 520 esiqinisekisa ukuba bafumana ukuhoywa njengoko kufanele. Kuye kwabonakala ukuba abantwana abaninzi abakwazi ukuya esikolweni saze saqalisa inkqubo yokuba sibandakanye isebe eli ekungeneni ezikolweni.
Kulo nyaka-mali sikuwo besizibekele ukuba siza kunika abantwana abangama- 4 800 impahla yesikolo. Kodwa ke, ngenxa yobuzaza bokungaphangeli kwabantu nentlupheko, sidlule kulama-4 800 sanika abantwana abangama-10 200 impahla yesikolo - ndimi apha ngalo mzuzu ndithetha inyani ndikuKrestu. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Asiyompahla yesikolo kuphela. Siyiqondile into yokuba abantwana abangamantombazana bafikisa ngokukhawuleza babe bengenazo izikhuseli ngoko ke le mpahla yesikolo ihamba namalaphu ococeko kunye nokutya. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Abagxeki bethu ke bathe sisebenzela iivoti. Kukho iivoti zingekho, siza kubanika abantwana impahla yesikolo. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Njengoko eli sebe linoxanduva lokujongana nophuhliso lwabantu abakhubazekileyo, abantwana, ulutsha, oomama nabantu abadala, sifuna ukucela ukuba mabangasizelwa abantu abakhubazekileyo. Le nto iqala apha kuthi ngokuthi xa ezalwa umntwana kuthiwe ungumntwana kaqgirha. Loo nto yenza ukuba umntwana angabisakwazi ukuzenzela nto. Thina, sisebenza ne- Disabled People South Africa, siyaqinisekisa ukuba kukho imali ebekwe bucala yokubaphuhlisa. Abo bangakwazi kuphuhliseka ngenxa yokukhubazeka okungaphaya bade bangakwazi ukuzenzela izinto sibabeke kumakhaya aliqela. Loo makhaya achaziwe apha kwaye neenkcukacha-manani zikhona, amalungu aza kuzifumana.
Ngokumayela nokukhathalela abantu abadala, mandichaze ukuba sinawo amakhaya abantu abadala angama-54 ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[... that the services that we render are integrated and that we move them away from the danger of living on the streets. In fact, let me point out that they want to go to initiation school because they are old enough and they have to do their rituals. Some of them don't have identity documents. During the conference we applied for their identity documents so that they can be proud South African citizens. [Applause.]
I support what has been said by hon Rasmeni about the shortage of social workers. As the department we have decided to spend the money that the hon members have allocated to us to train social workers. This year alone we have 307 brand new social workers who have just graduated, whom we have employed as part of celebrating youth month. They commenced duties on the 1st. [Applause.]
On the issue of HIV/Aids, which causes many children to become orphans, we have ensured that we set aside money to take care of those orphans who need care and help, and this financial support is called the orphans and vulnerable children's grant, or OVC by the English speakers. We have 28 520 children who are beneficiaries and we make sure that they are cared for properly. It has been noticed that most of these children are unable to attend school and we initiated the process of involving this department to help register them at various schools.
During this financial year we had planned to give uniforms to 4 800 children. We exceeded 4 800 and gave uniforms to 10 200 children who are affected by unemployment and poverty - I am standing here today at this moment speaking the truth in Jesus Christ. [Applause.] We did not deliver uniforms only. We realised that girls reach puberty earlier and that they have no control over it and have no means to manage their menstruation so these uniforms are accompanied by sanitary towels and food. [Applause.] Our critics say that we are campaigning for votes. Votes or no votes, we will give them uniforms. [Applause.]
As this department has the responsibility to improve the lives of people with disabilities, children, the youth, women and the aged, we urge everyone not to pity people with disabilities. This begins with us saying a child who is born with a disability is a doctor's child. This makes the child unable to do things on her or his own. We work with Disabled People South Africa, and we have ensured that there is money set aside to improve their lives. Those with severe disabilities who cannot do anything on their own have been placed in various homes for disabled people. The hon members will find the list and details of those homes with the statistics.
With regard to care for the aged, I must mention that we have 54 ...]
... old age homes that we are funding as the department. Ukanti siyaqinisekisa ukuba siza kuqhubeka ngokunika inkxaso-mali kwiinkonzo ezingama-235 zabantu abadala abafika kusasa bagoduke emalanga.
Undoqo wokuqala wesiseko sesizwe ngamakhaya azinzileyo. Siwabonile ke amakhaya eqhekekile. Xa eqhekeka amakhaya achaphazela abantwana naye wonke umntu obandakanyekayo. Yiloo nto ke sithe xa sibona obu bugxwayiba sikubo saqinisekisa ukuba siyawaxhasa amaziko okunceda amakhaya ali-15 kuzo zonke eza ngingqi zaphaya ekhaya, kuba kuthatha isizwe sonke ukukhulisa umntwana. Kuthatha isizwe ukwakha uqoqosho; kuthatha isizwe ukuphuhlisa uluntu. Yiloo nto sisithi makhe sizibhence tanci sikhangele ukuba seside sibe namakhaya aqhekekileyo nje, kuthethwe ngamakhaya akhokelwa ngabantwana nabazali abangabanye kwenzeke ntoni esizweni.
Asimanga nje kuloo nto, siye sahamba umgama ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[We are certain that we will continue funding 235 old age services for those who come in the morning and leave in the evening.
The foundation of the country is stable families. We have seen families disintegrate. When families disintegrate it affects the children and everyone involved. That is why, when we realised the difficulties that we have, we made sure that we support 15 welfare centres in all the regions back home, because it takes a nation to raise a child. It takes a nation to develop the economy. It takes a nation to develop society. That is why we say let's first look at ourselves and find out what has happened to the nation that has led to families disintegrating. We talk about childheaded families and single-parent families.
We didn't stop there, we went to the extent ...]
Hon member, can you conclude, please.
Sihambe umgama wokuthi sityikitye isivumelwano kunye neenkonzo zalapha eMzantsi Afrika, iBhunga leeNkonzo, ukuze nazo iinkonzo zithabathe inxaxheba kunye neNdlu yeeNkokheli zeMveli. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): We went to the extent of signing a contract with the SA Council of Churches so that the various denominations also participate in activities with the House of Traditional Leaders.]
I must also say that for youth development we have set aside money, but we have already employed 420 auxiliary community development practitioners, ACDPs, who are going to be our frontline officers in different wards. Out of our target of 1 000, we have already employed 420.
Simvile uMongameli esithi masibaqeshe abantu sidale imisebenzi. Owu, undiphazamisile Sihlalo! [Kwahlekwa.]
Kumcimbi wokulwa neziyobisi ...
USEKELA-SIHLALO WEBHUNGA LAMAPHONDO LESIZWE (Nks T C Memela): Lixesha mtakabawo ...
Kungenxa yokuba asiboni, Sihlalo, ukuba ulibona phi eli xesha, kodwa ke ndiyagqibezela ke, Sihlalo.
Iindawo zentselo siye saqaphela ukuba zininzi ukogqitha iindawo zenkonzo, yiloo nto sinamaphulo okulwa neziyobisi khon' ukuze abantu basinde.
Indlala thina asiyijongi emaphepheni okanye kumnathazwe. Siyayazi indlala. Siziimveliso zendlala, yiloo nto sibeke imali bucala ye-sustainable livelihood. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[We heard the hon President saying let's create job opportunities and employ people. Oh, hon Chairperson you have disturbed me! [Laughter.]
As far as fighting drug abuse is concerned ...
... Time is up, my sister ...
It is because we don't see the clock, but I'm concluding, Chairperson.
We discovered that there are more taverns than churches. That is why we have campaigns to fight drug abuse so that people can be safe.
We don't read about hunger in the newspapers or on the Internet. We have first-hand experience of hunger. We are the products of hunger, and that's why we have set aside money for sustainable livelihoods. [Applause.]]
As I conclude ... [Time expired.]
I have a point of order, Madam Chair.
Hon Feldman, I've already asked the hon member to sit down, so you are out of order. Thank you.
Sihlalo, nam mandizeke emzekweni ngokudlulisa uvelwano kubantu abatshe kwiziko lokugcina abantu abakhubazekileyo nabadala. Sithi "akuhlanga lungehlanga", iintsapho zabo mazilale ngenxeba. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Ms D Z RANTHO: Chair, let me also offer my condolences in respect of the people who were burnt at the old age and disabled centre. We offer our deepest sympathy; may their families accept what has happened as fate.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, hon Deputy Minister, Maria Ntuli, hon members, MECs, comrades and distinguished guests, I rise to express the ANC's support for the Social Development Budget Vote. We say this because the Department of Social Development is at the core of our commitment to building a caring government that responds to the needs of our people.
This Budget Vote is an expression of the ANC government's commitment to move decisively in ensuring that all our people have a better life and that those whose lives suffered immense neglect under apartheid also get a chance to enjoy the opportunities and benefits of freedom in our country.
Though the 2009 recession brought significant setbacks in economic performance and employment, the 2010 development indicators issued by The Presidency show steady improvements over the past decade in most of the 10 categories measured. There is, for example, mixed progress in the alleviation of poverty and inequality. Real income and poverty headcount indicators show an improvement in the living standards of the poor, explained in part by rising social grant transfers. The percentage of the population below the poverty line of R283 per month per person fell from 38% in 2000 to 22% in 2008. Inequality between black and white South Africans has narrowed, but overall inequality remains high and may have widened.
In the face of persistent high unemployment and difficult economic conditions, the social security system continues to play a crucial role, providing income support for retrenched workers and helping to alleviate poverty. Social security promotes inclusion by ensuring that people who are unable to work, either permanently or temporarily, remain active in their communities. It is part of the social wage, which includes access to housing, transport, sanitation, health services and basic infrastructure.
In addition to its traditional role of providing citizens with a safety net, social security must also work hand in hand with policies to create jobs and raise the standards of employment, especially in rural areas. To this extent, we need to examine more closely the role that the department plays in the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. We must educate our people on how to acquire information on poverty alleviation projects and programmes.
President Jacob Zuma announced in his 2011 state of the nation address that government's Position Paper on Social Security Reform is expected to be released this year for discussion. Issues to be dealt with include the funding and nature of the National Social Security Fund, how the private sector occupational and retirement funds will fit into the entire system, and the possible regulatory structures.
To provide timely assistance for those in need and to fulfil the longer- term objectives, South Africa's social security institutions need to become more efficient, ensure the effective use of funds and provide better service. As part of the broader reforms under way, the consolidation over time of administrative arrangements for social security is proposed. The aim is to ensure that workers' contributions are not consumed by separate bureaucracies or drained by operational inefficiencies. Establishing co- ordinated policy-making across these entities will help to make their programmes more effective.
The Department of Social Development's expenditure increased from R67,2 billion in 2007-08, to R95,9 billion in 2010-11, mainly as a result of an increase in the National Social Assistance Programme's transfers, which is approximately 93,2% of the department's budget in 2010-11. The transfers increased due to lowering the qualifying age for men to access the old age grant and extending the child support grant to all children under the age of 15 years.
Over the medium term, expenditure is expected to increase to R122 billion, mainly due to the extension of the child support grant to all children under 18. The department has a total establishment of 696 posts, all of which are funded. The administration programme has 339 employees, which constitutes 48% of the total establishment of the department.
At 93% the National Social Assistance Programme has taken up the largest portion of the department's budget. It will expand the social assistance safety net by phasing in, over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period, the extension of the child support grant to eligible children under the age of 18 years, and moving towards aligning the income threshold of the old age grant to the tax payment threshold through implementing an adjustment to the means test for the old age and disability grants in 2011- 12, hon De Villiers.
Over the MTEF period, expenditure is projected to increase to R114 billion in 2013-14. The increase is mainly due to the lowering of the qualifying age for the old age grant for men from 65 to 60 and to extending the qualifying age for the child support grant to 18 for children born after 31 December 1993.
The social security policy and administration programme's spending focus over the MTEF period will be on eradicating the appeals backlogs and ensuring that all pre-litigation appeal matters are processed and effectively responded to in order to avoid adverse court orders and litigation costs. Other key expenditure items in this programme include the social grants administration and social fraud investigation functions performed by the SA Social Security Agency.
The spending over the MTEF period in the welfare services policy development and implementation support programme will focus on increasing the supply of social workers to meet the demand for welfare services by providing full scholarships to social work students. The Eastern Cape has already guided us. The allocation for social work scholarships remains the largest expenditure item in this programme. At 54%, expenditure is projected to increase to R503,8 million over the MTEF period.
There are now almost 15 million people receiving social grants in South Africa, which is more than a quarter of the population and over six times the number of grant beneficiaries in 1998. Social assistance will contribute R97,6 billion to household income in 2011-12, representing a substantial and enduring programme of poverty alleviation.
Although income support makes a tangible difference to households with little or no income, along with in-kind transfers, fee waivers, subsidies and other benefits that form part of the social wage, South Africans rightly want a faster pace of development and social progress. Though much has been done since 1994 to extend public services and dismantle barriers from the past, there is widespread frustration that poverty persists, inequality remains high, and transformation is sluggish. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, Minister, I welcome the opportunity to comment on the issues currently impacting on social development services in the Western Cape. In general, we can say that the national and provincial departments of social development enjoy a good working relationship in the Western Cape, and we welcome this. It is in the interests of the public, particularly the more vulnerable members of society, that different spheres of government work together to provide a social safety net that is as effective as possible.
The provinces and their nongovernmental organisation, NGO, partners have benefited from the progressive pieces of legislation introduced at national level in recent years, like the new Children's Act and the Child Justice Act. The Western Cape has done well in realising the intentions of the new children's legislation and has succeeded in reducing the number of children awaiting trial in prison to under 30 at any given time, setting the benchmark nationally. This province has, in fact, been a sterling example of living in the spirit of these Acts.
The Older Persons Act is now also in place, and we welcome the enlightened move by the national government towards community-based care for older persons. The training and job creation that goes along with it also speaks directly to poverty alleviation.
We welcome the fact that the national department has adopted a national policy to regulate and guide the provision of funding to NGOs, following the Western Cape's own introduction of such a policy. This is the sharing of ideas that the premier has referred to as one of the major benefits of having different parties in power in different parts of the country.
The next step in making a success out of the new legislative and policy developments at national level is for National Treasury and the national Department of Social Development to focus on meeting the resource requirements generated by these pieces of legislation. We must avoid the risk that the new laws become de facto unenforceable because they are not backed up by resources. This would undermine the credibility of the national and provincial social development departments and their laws.
Another area that needs attention from the national Department of Social Development is the finalisation of norms and standards for social development. This progress has been drawn out for too long. It is creating planning problems for NGOs and provinces and complicating registration processes.
NGOs want to know when they will have to update their business process and service delivery methods to meet the new norms and standards. We are very unhappy with the uncertainty that this creates. The new norms and standards will also help provinces with performance management of NGO and non-NGO projects and facilities, but they have been left hanging by the ongoing delays from national government.
In the Western Cape we are particularly concerned about the delays in norms and standards and regulations around the new Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act of 2008. This province is faced with a substance abuse crisis and the Department of Social Development has increased its budget allocation to drug treatment and prevention programmes by 50% in the past two years.
The new Act will further strengthen the department's service quality in this field by providing clearer standards and regulation for treatment and related programmes. It will also overhaul the criminal justice system's approach to handling drug offenders and help reduce the massive backlogs that have developed by broadening diversion options. It's been three years since Parliament approved the Act, but we are still waiting for the department to complete the regulations that would allow it to come into force. This must be addressed urgently.
Similarly, we would like to see more attention from national government on setting clear standards for early childhood development, ECD, facilities. In the Western Cape we have seen a clear need to expand ECD facilities, with proper programmes for children in their care. We need both quantity and quality. The national Department of Social Development needs to focus on expanding educational and cognitive development programmes in ECD facilities and making these programmes the norm.
In terms of poverty alleviation policies and programmes, we still have a long way to go. The national government needs to rethink its approach to social grants. In South Africa today we have roughly 5 million registered taxpayers and nearly three times as many grant recipients - a situation that is clearly not sustainable.
National government has to create the economic climate for the private sector to be able to create jobs. It is only through the creation of gainful employment that you would lift people out of the trap of poverty. Direct grants always carry the risk of keeping recipients dependent on the state, or of becoming political patronage to keep voters loyal to the party in power.
The citizens of this country need to be empowered in order to become financially self-sufficient and make a meaningful contribution to the economy. The Department of Social Development has a valuable role to play in helping to provide support services where individuals, families and communities face challenges that they cannot overcome on their own. But it doesn't have infinite resources, and we should never lose sight of this fact. [Applause.]
Ms F NAHARA (KwaZulu-Natal): Madam Chair, hon Minister Dlamini, hon Deputy Minister Ntuli, Ministers present here, MECs, it is an honour for me to participate in this debate on the Budget Vote for the Department of Social Development, which deals mainly with the poor and vulnerable people in our country.
What the Minister has presented to us here in her speech tallies with what His Excellency President Jacob Zuma said in his state of the nation address:
Since we are building a developmental and not a welfare state, the social grants will be linked to economic activity and community development, to enable short-term beneficiaries to become self-supporting in the long run.
In line with the commitment of the KZN premier, the department of social development in KZN has reported to the portfolio committee on the various initiatives that the department has undertaken. I will talk about only two of them that are very close to my heart. They have indicated that they will scale up the creation of employment opportunities in the province through the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, and other initiatives reported. One of them that is close to my heart, as I have mentioned, is caring for vulnerable groups, including caring for children through the ECD services, which are serving more children in the rural areas.
The department has opened more centres, or is supporting more centres, mainly in the rural areas, where children can now go to day-care centres and preschools. One must indicate that the importance of these ECD is not only for rural areas. The day before yesterday I was driving from Pietermaritzburg to Durban when a grandmother was talking on the radio about a four-year-old child who was raped at a crche in Umlazi. This is how crucially important these ECD centres are and the department has taken the initiative to support them financially and otherwise. These are our children ...
Izingane zethu ezincane lezi othola ukuthi ziba wuvanzi emgaqweni. [These are our young children who are found loitering in the streets.]
These ECDs will then address this.
The second one is the care service for the elderly. Members will recall that our MEC Shevu, in his visit to pay points, discovered a huge number of loan sharks who go to the elderly and tell them about insurance that they must subscribe to. At the end of the day ...
... uma sebeshonile laba bantu ... [... once these people have passed away ...]
...these insurance people will have a number of excuses ...
... bathi imali ayisekho nokunye nokunye. [... saying that the money is no longer available and so forth.]
There are many excuses. As the committee, Minister, we were wondering whether there was a way for there to be legislation or policy to regulate the relationship between elderly people and these institutions? After all, if these things are not regulated, they will go on ...
...bekhwahla abantu bakithi nje, bedlelwa izimali yimishwalense ongeke wathola ngisho amakheli ayo nokuthi ngeyaphi. [... defrauding our people. Our people are being ripped off by these insurance companies whose location you can't even find.]
At the end of the day, these grannies go home with R500 less, which has been taken by these people - let alone the loan sharks who come and tell them that they will give them groceries and then they can pay at the end of month. I don't even want to talk about that...
...ngoba ngokunye ukungcola nje okwenziwa kubantu abadala [... because it is another form of corruption directed at our elderly]. As you have correctly indicated, today is the international day against elder abuse.
Siyacela mam'uNgqongqoshe, mhlawumbe neKhabinethi ukuthi ake kube khona ubulungiswa la kubantu abadala. [We are appealing to the Minister or the Cabinet to ensure justice for our elderly.]
These people deserve to be buried or to be taken care of with dignity.
Another initiative that the department has taken is the rebuilding of an old age home at Nkandla. I don't have the words to describe how the rebuilding of that home has helped the elderly in that area. It seems as if we have somehow lost track, whereby ... ...uma sebegugile ogogo bethu siyabalahla. [... when our grandmothers are old we desert them].
You can't imagine how many people have now come to join the centre at that old-age home in that rural area. I also want to thank the Minister for her help, which contributed greatly to the building of that home for senior citizens. Minister, your support of the department in KZN has been really great.
The other thing that I have noticed, and which I picked up in your speech, Minister, is support in the form of scholarships for students. I can't overemphasise the importance of this. We have been questioning why this was stopped by your department because if there is anything we need in this country it is social workers, more than anything else. Maybe that will help us address the problems of our vulnerable groups even better.
Comrade Majodina spoke about street kids. This is also one of our province's problems. While we now have 10 fully operational one-stop centres in KZN, most of them are in the rural areas. This is to try and address the issue of bringing government services closer to the people, so that our people are exploited less by people who transport them to such services - even just to go and get an ID - and force them to pay so much money ...
...ukusuka eNkandla eya eShowe eyothatha umazisi. [... from Nkandla to Eshowe to get an ID].
These institutions have reduced the vulnerability of our people in the rural areas, where government services are not present. So, as the committee, we want to say we also appreciate the help that businesspeople in KZN have rendered during the difficult times of the floods but also to house poor children and orphans that we discover over time as we go about taking the legislature to the people. We have discovered many of these issues - that there are child-headed households - and the business community of KZN has played a very important and good role by offering help, like building houses or even taking some of these kids back to school.
Suffice it to say that as KZN we support the budget of the Minister because we believe the monies made available to this department are going to halve the problems of our people in this country as a developmental state.
Sibonge kakhulu ukuxhaswa nguNgqongqoshe nePhini likaNgqongqoshe ezikhathi eziningi uma sinemisebenzi yokulethwa kwezinsiza kubantu. [Thank you very much for the support we received from the Minister and the Deputy Minister in many instances where we had to render some service to the people.]
While other people may think that it was just electioneering, I want to state quite clearly in this House that we mean business. We are going to still deliver. We are still going to look after our children who are left alone for the many reasons that my colleagues have already indicated and we will continue to work with you, Minister, with your department and with other departments as well. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister Bathabile Dlamini, Deputy Minister Mme MaNtuli, colleagues from different provinces, Members of this Parliament, the National Council of Provinces, director- general, distinguished guests, whenever one speaks about social development, what immediately comes to mind is the eradication of poverty, hunger and underdevelopment and the elimination of various social ills that continue to plague our communities.
In this regard, it is important that at all levels of our society we build an enduring and lasting partnership with our social partners to ensure that development is a vision that we are committed to and that we will tackle the urgent challenges that have been identified by the Minister during her budget presentation, which I am here to support.
Our commitment to providing comprehensive and integrated social development services to our people is unshakable. However, we have identified the shortage of social and development workers as a serious challenge that can cause us to fail. In this regard, in Limpopo province, we have allocated bursaries to 939 deserving learners to pursue a qualification in the above- mentioned professions. We are proud to say that 374 of the bursary holders have been placed in the department with effect from 1 April. We can only hope that the remaining students will pass and come and deal with the challenges that we are faced with.
As we continue to implement our programmes, the department has assisted poverty-stricken families, particularly children, to come and train and be candidates for auxiliary social work services. We are doing this to make sure that we build capacity for government to be able to provide social services to our people. This financial year we have enlisted a total of 250 auxiliary social service candidates as part of our contribution to job creation and the fight against poverty and hunger.
We are aware that the buzz word is sustainability when it comes to interventions to propel our people out of poverty. The poor require sustainable relief. In this regard, as opposed to funding projects aimlessly, in Limpopo we have identified several potential projects that could grow into serious players, particularly in the local economy, as candidates for becoming balanced social relief and sustainability projects.
Our plans are at an advanced stage and discussions are going on with the Department of Economic Development to assist these projects to be enlisted and established as co-operatives.
On the other hand, we are having discussions with various government institutions, such as the Department of Basic Education, the SA Police Service and the Department of Correctional Services, asking them to procure goods and services from these projects, with the Department of Health as an anchor department. There is no reason why we cannot purchase bread from local bakeries, or buy vegetables from social-relief gardens and chicken from poultry houses which are just around the corner, as these projects are funded by the Department of Social Development.
Most importantly, there are very many seamstresses to whom the department has given sewing machines and these seamstresses and their machines are idling and being underutilised. The Department of Health, as an anchor department, will make sure that those women use their machines to mend linen from various hospitals. The Department of Social Development has also made a commitment that, seeing as we are busy buying uniforms for various schools, we will buy from these women.
We will not win the war against poverty unless we tackle the social ills that face our society head-on. The challenge of teenage pregnancy is real and continues to be a strain, particularly on social services to our people. Hon members will remember that a few months ago Mavalani High School near Giyani in Limpopo made headlines for the not-so-good reason of having 57 learners pregnant in February.
Reasons for this eventuality are many and varied - from economic reasons to peer pressure and family pressure, to name but a few. We believe that the department has made inroads in working with the community to make sure that we deal with this scourge. Together with the Departments of Basic Education and Health we are making serious inroads to ensure that some of the challenges are being tackled.
Our interventions include, but are not limited to, the provision of social work services to different schools in the area; the implementation of school health; and strengthening advocacy and launching campaigns in relation to drugs, alcohol and substance abuse. We are also planning our mini drug summit for the month of July.
When we were interacting with learners and young women in that particular area, some of them raised the issue that some people see them as very vulnerable and take advantage of them. Some of them indicated that they bunk school at least once a month because they are unable to buy sanitary towels, and that this sometimes leads to them being abused. In this regard we have mobilised our communities and companies to donate to the programme that we are running, together with several municipalities, to distribute sanitary towels to the needy, so that our young women and girls are able to go to school every day of the month.
We have also embarked on the roll-out of a massive school uniform project in all our districts, as we remain convinced that education is a precondition for a nation to develop.
The funding of nongovernmental and nonprofit organisations remains a challenge and a great concern as we are unable to fund even those organisations that are doing a great job in our rural communities. The processes and procedures make it difficult for new role-players to enter the market. If this continues we will forever be found guilty of perpetuating inequality by allowing the established and organised institutions to benefit at the expense of the new role-players who are found in the rural and marginalised communities. To illustrate this point, perhaps one should borrow from Jeffrey Sachs who, in his book entitled The End of Poverty, argues that "the key to ending extreme poverty is to get the poorest of the poor to get their foot on the ladder of development".
We have an obligation not only to provide counselling and debriefing services to the victims of crime but also to build infrastructure in respect of victim empowerment centres. Although strides have been made in our province in providing counselling and debriefing services, a lot still needs to be done in terms of the establishment and building of victim empowerment centres. I am pleased to announce that this year we will be building two victim empowerment centres in the districts of Sekhukhune and Vhembe. However, there are still huge needs when it comes to addressing these challenges, and our women continue to suffer abuse and humiliation.
We are indeed challenged in Limpopo: We have only four shelters and a total of 82 victim empowerment centres in our province. In the Government Gazette of January the premier of the province delinked the department of health from social development. We are very grateful for this, because we are now focusing on the department of social development as a stand-alone and will be able to live up to the ideal of making sure that social development issues are taken care of. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, hon Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, MECs for social development, chairperson of the select committee, the director-general, the CEOs of the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, and the National Development Agency, NDA, representatives of civil society, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to send condolences to the families of those who died in Springs on the East Rand this week. May God assist them to overcome this tragedy.
On 18 May this year the people of our country overwhelmingly decided that the movement that has historically been at the forefront of the struggle for liberation should continue to build a caring society, with the goal of a better life for all. Mindful that the month of June has a special place in the history of our country, as Minister Dlamini said earlier, it is with a commitment to serve that we table Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development before this august House today.
When we commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 16 June Soweto student uprising tomorrow, we have to remember that we owe the youth of this country a historical debt. In memory of the youth who were killed that day and at other times during the years of struggle, we commit ourselves to better the lives of our young women and men.
Ladies and gentlemen, it was also in the month of June in 1955 that the Freedom Charter was launched. Despite many people laying claim to this event, it was the progressive forces in the country at the time, led by the ANC, who were responsible for the birth of the Freedom Charter. That is a historical fact.
The rights of all people, but especially the vulnerable, were a salient feature of the Freedom Charter. These rights have been reinforced in the Constitution of our country. Our people come first in all government development programmes. Each and every member of our society is cherished equally, which is exactly what our Constitution demands. We remain aware that the socioeconomic challenges facing us are not just figures on paper but the livelihoods and wellbeing of every single citizen, family and community.
The mandate of the Department of Social Development is to ensure effective protection against vulnerability by creating an enabling environment for the provision of a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable development service. Community development holds the key to people's full participation in development initiatives and to the improvement of conditions for their survival and social progress through sustainable development.
To this end, during this financial year we will embark on a nationwide campaign of taking the Department of Social Development to communities. This campaign seeks to create greater public awareness of the department's services and programmes. It is our intention to reach the most vulnerable communities to inform them of the services offered by the department and its entities. The NDA and Sassa will be key partners in this campaign. I have to thank Minister Dlamini for her support for this campaign, which was approved by the social development Minmec. We look forward to working together with provincial departments and hon members of this House in rolling out this programme.
Programmes under community development, such as sustainable livelihood, emphasise self-reliance and people's participation in their own social and economic development. We will intensify efforts to facilitate the implementation of policies, guidelines, and norms and standards to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of community development services and programmes.
Recognising that employment is vital to people's livelihoods and knowing that it is young people who make up the greatest number of the unemployed, President Zuma declared 2011 a year of job creation. In line with this priority, the department will work closely with local government to facilitate employment opportunities through the community work programmes. We will also focus on the recruitment and training of a cadre of community development practitioners at local level to enable our people to access the fruits of democracy.
To this end the process of standardisation of the training of community development practitioners has been completed with the production and registration of a four-year Bachelor of Community Development degree. I am also pleased to report that the National Community Development Policy Framework has been developed and will be finalised during the course of this financial year.
In keeping with the theme of Youth Month: "Youth Action for Economic Freedom in our Lifetime", we will endeavour to provide training and employment opportunities to young people through the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme. We will continue to work in collaboration with the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, and other partners in the sector to create opportunities for young people. Nonprofit organisations are an important partner in the provision of social services. The department is responsible for the administration of the Nonprofit Organisations Act, which seeks to create an environment in which NPOs can flourish. During the 2010-11 financial year the departmental records show that of the total number of 10 542 NPOs, 97% were voluntary associations, 2% were section 21 companies, and the remaining 1% were trusts.
We have improved our services to nonprofit organisations. Registration times have decreased. All nine provinces have been assisted with structures for the support of registration of NPOs and we have developed funding guidelines. In the course of this financial year we will pilot the NPO online registration and compliance monitoring system. Provinces have set up structures to register and monitor NPO compliance. This is in order to bring services closer to where they are needed and to cut down on the expenses involved in having to travel to Pretoria for registration. We urge members to encourage communities to register their NPOs, not only to access funding but also to operate with a sense of integrity.
During this financial year we will redouble our efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV and Aids on families and communities through the implementation of the home community-based care and prevention programmes. This includes the roll-out of community conversations as part of our contribution to the national strategy on HIV and Aids, TB and malaria. We will also continue to work together with lovelife to implement HIV and Aids prevention, focusing on behaviour-change programmes.
Other priorities include the training of 63 community capacity enhancement facilitators; building the management skills capacity of 50 community organisations as part of the capacity-building programme; facilitating the training of 100 organisations, including early childhood development centres on HIV and Aids management; and rolling out a manual and computerised home community-based care data capturing system. The system is currently being utilised in the following provinces: North West, KwaZulu- Natal, Limpopo and the Northern Cape.
Another priority is implementing an agreement between the department and the German Development Bank focusing on innovation and the construction of community centres as well as skills development programmes for child-headed households.
The department will host the sixth annual Population Association of South Africa conference from 6 to 8 July 2011. The conference seeks to raise awareness of population-related issues and their role in development, especially in the Southern African region. The department will also host various activities of Partners in Population and Development, PPD, including the Partners Country Co-ordinators meeting, the international conference on population dynamics, climate change and sustainable development, as well as the 16th annual board meeting from 31 October to 3 November 2011. The PPD is an intergovernmental organisation of 25 developing countries dedicated to the promotion and strengthening of South African co-operation in population and development. I know that we can and will contribute substantially to the successful organisation and outcome of these upcoming global events.
We are acutely aware that the challenges that lie before us, as outlined in the National Planning Commission's Diagnostic Overview report released early this month, are great. On more than one occasion the people of this country have shown that we can overcome what often seem like insurmountable challenges.
I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our partners and numerous organisations for their tireless efforts in addressing the needs of vulnerable South Africans. I would like to thank the Minister for her leadership. I would like to express a special word of thanks to the director-general, the CEOs of Sassa and the NDA and all staff of the department.
Budget Vote 19 is a commitment to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of our society. I would ask that you support the budget. Ke a leboga. [Thank you.]
Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, MECs, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, let me take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate all the good wishes and condolences expressed by the Minister, Deputy Minister and members on the disaster that befell the Gauteng province. I will personally convey these good wishes to the premier, the MEC for health and all the affected families, as well as to the patients who are still in hospital.
In the interest of time - this presentation is fairly long - I will skip some of the paragraphs but consider them as having been read. Also, let me join the members who have supported the Minister's budget by echoing their sentiments in support of it.
On the strengthening of early childhood development, as a developmental state, we acknowledge that our children are our country's most precious asset and the foundation for building a caring and prosperous nation. We also acknowledge that in order for them to grow and reach their full potential, children need an environment in which they can play and learn, explore and love, build friendships, be loved and cared for.
There is no doubt that access to early childhood development services is still very uneven as a result of our shameful apartheid system. However, we have made considerable progress in phasing in Grade R at public schools in the province, but we still need to do more in order to redress past imbalances in early childhood development.
Home-based early childhood development centres, which account for a large percentage of enrolments, are a concern in terms of quality of services, which include health and safety. The expansion of early childhood development services is therefore crucial for the holistic development of our children. As stated earlier, in the past Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period we constructed 15 new early childhood development centres as part of the 20 priority projects.
In order to demonstrate that the expansion of early childhood services remains one of our critical priority areas, we have prioritised the registration and funding of all early childhood development centres. This includes the registration of facilities that were partially registered.
In the 2011-12 financial year we will fund 1 183 early childhood development centres in Gauteng, benefiting 66 244 children. You will see the breakdown of the centres in the six regions of Gauteng as you read the presentation. All these early childhood development centres are located in the historically disadvantaged communities.
Regarding services for children in conflict with the law, the promulgation of the Child Justice Act of 2010 has given us an opportunity to expand diversion programmes and home-based care programmes. In line with this Act we are responsible for the assessment of all arrested children by probation officers within 48 hours. All arrested children must be assessed before their first court appearance. By December 2010, 3 337 children who were in conflict with the law had been assessed.
We will also improve the monitoring and evaluation of probation programmes for children and adults. This includes expanding social crime prevention and awareness programmes and strengthening after-care programmes for families of children in conflict with the law.
Regarding the prevention and reduction of substance abuse, we cannot underestimate the untold damage that is being visited on communities, families and individuals by the scourge of substance abuse. Our collaboration with provincial substance abuse fora and local drug action committees has helped us to determine the magnitude of the problem, identify hotspots and target the groups who are most vulnerable to addiction. This has been achieved through community-based research, where door-to-door contact featured strongly. That is why we have finalised an integrated substance abuse strategy that will improve the effectiveness of service delivery and reduce the incidence of substance abuse. To this end we will increase the availability and improve the accessibility of inpatient and outpatient treatment centres by making use of our clinics.
In partnership with the Department of Economic Development and municipalities we have consulted on the awarding of liquor licences. Consultation meetings with relevant sectors were also held and a database compiled of identified shebeens located in close proximity to early childhood development centres and schools.
Early intervention and rehabilitation services are also being implemented at community health centres and clinics. We will establish eight more local drug action committees in Katlehong, KwaThema, Diepsloot, Alexandra, Olievenhoutbosch, Bronkhorstspruit, Enkangala in Sedibeng, and particularly Midvaal.
Our experience has taught us that the participation of boys and men in programmes that seek to reduce violence against women and children goes a long way towards reducing such violence. In the 2011-12 financial year a total of 2 140 men and boys will participate in gender-based violence prevention programmes. We will therefore strengthen our partnership with men's organisations. We will continue to fund existing shelters for women who are victims of domestic violence. Madam Chair, I actually did not mention that I was now talking on the topic of the prevention and reduction of violence against women and children.
Services to older persons remain central to our programmes. We will therefore continue to advocate for and jealously protect the rights of older persons and promote their safety. Regarding security and health care, some older persons, especially those living alone in townships, are isolated and neglected. Hence we have reprioritised our financial resources in favour of organisations that render services among the historically disadvantaged elderly people. Those organisations will receive government funding which, we hope, will demonstrate a significant shift in alignment with new priorities. To this end we have reviewed the funding criteria for old age homes. We have prioritised those homes with poor infrastructure and those that are heavily dependent on the department for funding. We will not waver in our commitment to deracialising old age homes.
Regarding services to persons with disabilities, we will continue to fund programmes for persons with disabilities. We will give special attention to protective workshops, for which funding will be extended to 10 additional facilities. Partnerships will be strengthened with the Departments of Trade and Industry and of Labour to assist with expertise in terms of business and skills development. Capacity-building and monitoring of services rendered to persons with disabilities shall remain a priority to ensure that quality services are rendered.
Regarding youth development, the exclusion of young people from the labour market, coupled with poverty, substance abuse, crime and violence, all point to the need to intervene strategically to ensure that we improve the socioeconomic conditions of the youth in Gauteng. We will continue to provide training opportunities to young people in order for them to become entrepreneurs. This year 250 young people will be enlisted for the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme, while 2 650 young people will also benefit from training in electrical, plumbing, computer, carpentry and business skills. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister, let me first greet our old people who are sitting in the gallery today. I must say that were it not for their commitment, perseverance and determination to fight the brutal forces of apartheid, we would not be sitting here today.
It is worth noting that a major achievement in the post-1994 period has been the securing of constitutional safeguards for the right to social security and social assistance for people who are in need. The Deputy President announced in the antipoverty conference late last year that he believed South Africa could eradicate poverty in a period of not more than 20 years. The question is: Are we winning the war against poverty? The answer may be yes and no. The fact is that South Africa is a 45:55 society. It has one of the most unequal income distributions in the world. More wealth has to be created to roll back poverty from 45:55 to 30:70 by 2014.
However, the challenge for government is to offer the poor an immediate safety net. The promise of a better life and smarter and faster service delivery must never be a smoke screen. As South Africa held local government elections last month, the nation has been inundated by a wave of social unrest. Although each case appears isolated and tied to specific local government grievances, the proliferation of protests after the elections must surely spook the government.
Earlier this year the Minister of Social Development revealed that by March 2011 social grant beneficiaries had increased to approximately 14 million. This is 30% of the country's population, according to the South African Institute of Race Relations. Social grants are one of government's strategies to alleviate poverty.
Our country now has a significant budgetary deficit. Its tax base is 16%, while the unemployment rate of 15- to 24-year-olds is about 51%. Unemployment is the highest in African women, at 63%. The overall unemployment, including discouraged job seekers, stands at 37%. Of poor individuals, 59,3% are rural dwellers. Living conditions in this country are deteriorating. The crime rate is not decreasing. [Interjections.] Women in Springvalley, a farm outside Stilfontein in the North West, are selling their bodies for R10 because of desperation and hunger. And 45% of all female-headed households live below the lower-bound poverty line, compared to only 25% of male-headed households. [Interjections.]
The female-headed households are also ravaged by children using drugs. Mothers are breaking down and killing their own drug-addicted daughters and sons. They roam the streets at night, looking for their children in hospitals and other places. The number of drug addicts requiring treatment has increased by 34%, according to the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, SANCA.
Dis 'n skande! [That is a disgrace!]
Mr S H Plaatjie: In the Western Cape ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Thank you, hon House Chair. It is interesting to hear the hon Plaatjie talking about the increase in crime today, just two years after he crossed over from the ANC to Cope. Crime was there before 2009 or 2008, when he crossed over from the ANC to Cope. Prostitution was there. It hasn't just started now that we have this new administration. That is just a fallacy and misleads this House and the people who are affected.
I would also like to pay tribute and express my condolences to the families of the 12 people who perished after a fire broke out two days ago at the care centre and hospice for the elderly and mentally disturbed at Struisbult in Springs, Gauteng. I also thank those heroes who rose to the occasion to help and rescue other inmates from the blazing fire.
Hon De Villiers, this home was accredited during the apartheid era. The Gauteng government inherited it and continued subsidising it. The point here is that we need to check whether the safety and security measures in care centres, homes and shelters are being adhered to or not. This, then, calls for more monitoring mechanisms, as this fire follows another one which occurred in Gauteng in 2010. We need recourse and should be able to deregister those homes or care centres that do not adhere to the security and safety measures.
Normally, care centres, shelters and homes house vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities and children. The outcome that government has set, which says that all people in South Africa should feel safe through the creation of an environment that enables the protection and promotion of older and vulnerable persons, has to be adhered to at all costs in all government-funded nongovernmental organisations and nonprofit organisations, so that events of this nature do not happen again.
Regarding the safety of and a friendly society for children, I call for monitoring measures to be in place as the budget shows an increase of 10% in the number of children accessing alternative care services. I would like to mention a case from my constituency. A child-headed family of six at Vlakfontein in Gauteng was helped by the community to obtain alternative care service. Only four children were taken. A 6-year-old and a 16-year-old were left in the family house, which is an RDP house located in a wetland area. Whenever there are heavy rains, they swim in that house. The community there needs assistance.
Once the budget for building the capacity for NGOs and NPOs has been increased there have to be clear and transparent criteria and development programmes focusing on the former marginalised communities or emerging NGOs and NPOs in rural areas and in townships such as Atlantis, Gugulethu and Lusikisiki, so that the "nots" benefit, instead of the "haves" benefiting more.
We also have to be clear on what measures are put in place for NGOs and NPOs that are assisted and funded by government, but who then do a somersault and organise against the very government that is assisting them. They become an antigovernment platform, especially in the Western Cape.
The challenge of the shortage of social workers is a national crisis that needs to be addressed. We therefore need a recruitment strategy that links with the Department of Basic Education to inspire learners to take up the career of social work as they progress to the tertiary education level by telling them up front that there are bursaries to that effect. In his state of the nation address the President emphasised the role of social development in skills enhancement. Social work as a profession should be included on the list of critical and scarce professions.
The Lotto board has to have an education programme and a marketing strategy that allows them to communicate how they decide on the programmes they fund and what the criteria are for individuals, NGOs and NPOs to qualify. These can serve to guide disadvantaged communities in particular. It cannot be right when Lotto funds, which are supposed to assist the needy and support our fight against poverty, go to support concerts and ping-pong games.
A few months ago we learned with the utmost shame of the report that the lottery had given over R4 million to sponsor the Johannesburg concert of soul band Earth, Wind and Fire and that R8 million had been given to tennis, while the NGOs that play a key role in assisting the needy, such as children, homeless people and old age homes, suffer. The increasing lack of funding and the diversion of funds away from community-based organisations have negative effects on South Africa's struggle to eradicate poverty.
In the Western Cape we saw how NGOs that were predominantly assisting our people in the townships had their funding stopped or heavily reduced. We saw how, in some instances, the funding of NGOs was used as an election ploy by the DA to mobilise in the coloured communities. [Interjections.]
In conclusion?
On adequacy and equity, this ANC-led government inherited the high level of unemployment from the apartheid regime ...
That was the National Party!
... so it is a fallacy that the opposition should cry foul and agitate the community to revolt against the government because of the high level of unemployment. [Interjections.]
As far as adequacy is concerned, the 2011 Budget acknowledges that the people want action, jobs and growth now. A new common purpose must be built so that all the talents, skills and resources to tackle the socioeconomic challenges can be used to improve their own lives and communities. It also acknowledges that South Africa needs the New Growth Path and that the key challenges are job creation, poverty reduction and faster economic growth, that the capacity of the economy needs to be expanded to grow sustainably, and that growth must be more labour-absorbing.
The ANC, as the champion of the poorest of the poor ... [Interjections.] ... has made provision for the phased extension of the child support grant up to the child's 18th birthday, while the state old age pension and the disability grant also increase. More than 8 million South Africans receive over 15 million social grant benefits depicted as follows: 10 million grants are for child benefits; 2,5 million grants are benefits for older persons; and 1,3 million grants are for people with disabilities.
In conclusion, this Budget Vote's focus is consistent with the ANC's policy priorities. It recognises the growing levels of poverty and unemployment and the changing needs of the majority of South Africans. It further recognises that since 1994 the democratic breakthrough government, through the budget of this department, has provided immense ...
Please sit down.
I am wrapping up. You are not the Chairperson. Chairperson, the ANC supports Budget Vote 19 - Social Development. [Time expired.]
House Chairperson, firstly I would like to thank members for their contribution and for the support that we get from the provinces as far as work is concerned. On a lighter note, it is only clients who know where the numbers of sex workers are increasing. [Laughter.]
HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear! [Applause.]
Social Development, at its core, has a mandate to design and implement social protection policies. This includes the provision of social assistance to those who qualify, and this is dictated by the Constitution. So, I think we must clearly point out here that providing social assistance to those who are in need and who qualify is not a choice or discretionary for us. We are duty-bound to do this - legally and constitutionally. We are saying this is the right of our people, and we are not going to turn our backs on our people, because ... [Applause.] ... what we are experiencing today is the result of the past.
HON MEMBERS: Oh, yes.
The National Party, yes.
Yes, it was the National Party ... [Interjections.] ... but do you know what? We are happy that the National Party ...
Order, hon members.
... has been able to recognise, acknowledge and apologise for the past. [Interjections.] They are not hiding. [Interjections.]
Then why are you putting them on trial?
Hon members, you are out of order. [Interjections.]
They are not hiding under the democracy that they have not implemented. [Interjections.] Let me not get into this. It is going to disturb me. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
Another matter we would like to raise is that we are concerned about the fact that parents start applying for the grant when the children are two years old. Colleagues, the demand for social assistance will only diminish when we have a society and economy that is able to create jobs and absorb labour. I think we tried to mention in our inputs that this is what we are going to start doing. We are also going to have a pilot study. Our investment in early childhood development, ECD, is proof that we do not want to create a dependent society, because this is not a short-term issue. It is long term, it needs our effort and it will be based on a robust economy.
Something else we want to say is that the United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef, has shown that social grants are self-targeting and they tend to reach people who require them. This is empirical evidence from people who have done research. Some of the things that people are saying are based on face value. For instance, some of us here are praising Brazil. Brazil gives a quarter of its people social assistance, so it is not like Brazil is not giving out social assistance. That is why Brazil has been able to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and that is why that country is well known for being able to fight poverty. One of the programmes they are using is social assistance. So, I think we should stop using words like "unsustainable" and "dependency" without evidence. Let us be sure of what we are saying.
On the issue of whoonga, some research has been done and it has been discovered that whoonga is mostly made from something different, not from antiretrovirals, ARVs. Yes, there is something that people are doing to mix ARVs and Rattex and other things. But whoonga is heroin. It is something that is mixed predominantly with heroin, which is also wrong, of course.
Something else we want to support you in is that there cannot be a developmental state without appropriate social policy initiatives. We need to have very strong social policy initiatives so that we are able to support our vulnerable people. That is why we are saying South Africa is a developmental state. We are also looking into the issues of comprehensive social security, which includes national health insurance.
With regard to appeals, we had an estimated backlog of 17 000 cases as at 31 May 2011. We are going to be able to finalise the backlog by 30 December 2011. We are going to be able to do that throughout this year. I have the statistics and the breakdown of cases that we have been able to deal with, including those that involve government officials - not only social development officials. When I talk about government, I mean from national, provincial and even local government level. There are people who have agreed to pay, or who have acknowledged their debts. Out of those, 5 000 are public servants. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, I am rising on a point of clarity. I wonder who the client is, the one who "knows"? Can the Minister clarify that? [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
You will have to write to the Minister. The time for this debate is over. [Interjections.] Debate concluded.