Thank you Deputy Chairperson, Honourable Deputy Chairperson, Honourable Members, fellow South Africans, Minister, South Africa's population is estimated to have increased to 57,73 million in 2018, of whom a great percentage are youth and the proportion of elderly persons aged 60 and older is also steadily increasing. 30.4 million people, are living in poverty, 43.5% of children are living below the median income per capita and 41.7% of our female population live below lower- bound poverty lines compared
to 38.2% of their male counterparts. Added to this, school drop outs, incarcerations, the high HIV and Aids prevalence, substance abuse, unemployment and violence against women is of great concern as it affects mostly our youth.
l believe that we are all in agreement that the country is facing a crisis of epic proportions in terms of the ever-increasing rates of poverty and that we are nowhere near alleviating these high levels of poverty, unemployment, inequality and other social ills in our country. As a result of the above it is estimated that social grants will grow to 18.1 million beneficiaries by the end of March 2022. Social assistance is currently budgeted for at R175 billion for 2019/2020 and this includes grants for old age, war veterans, disability, foster care, care dependency, child support, grant-in- aid and social relief of distress. While it is commendable that we look after our vulnerable in society, it is extremely concerning that so many people depend on these social grants and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel in terms of sustainable jobs in South Africa.
For many South Africans the South African Social Security Agency, SASSA, grant means the difference between putting food on the table and going hungry, yet over the years there has been many technical
glitches which have hit many recipients of the grant. While the transition from Cash Payment Services, CPS, to the South Africa Post Office has been implemented, it is not without problems. Many recipients have complained about the distances to post offices, especially those that leave in rural areas, where taxi fare is expensive, and many have no choice but to make use of such services. Where shops have been identified in certain areas to assist with payments, their charges have been extremely high, and many people cannot afford to pay the levy that the shops charge.
Further to this dilemma is the delay in appointing enough doctors to evaluate the disability grants, and this has meant that many disabled people are without grants for months at a time waiting to be attended to by a doctor. Where is the dignity in this type of treatment? Added to these problems are loans sharks who often prey on the vulnerable and hold on to recipient's cards, cards that are duplicated and money drawn by scammers, SASSA officers that are robbed at gunpoint and many more issues plaguing the grant system and often leaving recipients without money.
A solution would be to grow the economy and create jobs. Without sustainable work you cannot experience real dignity. Without a job you become reliant on the state's grants, or on remittances from
family members. Without a job you live at the mercy of others, and that is not real freedom, that is not an existence worthy of human dignity. Minister, added to the social ills of joblessness is substance abuse, which has a ripple effect to other community and social ills such as crime and gangsterism. I would like to focus on substance abuse centres and the appointment of social workers. In the Northern Cape, the long-awaited drug rehabilitation centre has opened its doors, but because of red tape many desperate addicts have to date, not been placed. There have been numerous complaints of people from outside the province being placed in the facility, while there is a waiting list for patients within the province.
The centre is also not adequately staffed or furnished. The people of the Northern Cape have been waiting for this centre for than 10 years and it still seems as though no help is forthcoming. As the country battles with drug and alcohol abuse, thousands of social work graduates trained at a huge state expense are languishing at home without work. The number of these unemployed youth, who should be absorbed by the Department of Social Development, was approximately 8600 last year when 4 840 social work students with bursaries from the department complete their studies. Social workers render an important service to vulnerable communities. Women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly, who are abused,
at risk, abandoned or neglected, are dependent on specialised social work professionals who can dedicate enough time to provide comprehensive support, which is currently impossible given the current shortages and extensive demand in our communities.
The Department must address the current shortages and placements as a matter of urgency if it is ever going to adequately address the issues facing South Africa's vulnerable citizens. After more than two decades of democracy, South Africa is still struggling with poverty, inequality, unemployment and hunger and while the policies of the Department of Social Development are commendable, it seems that there is a distinct inability to implement these policies. The DA has the following solutions: To increase the child grant to the food poverty line as an initial increase, we have already proposed amendments in Parliament to the Appropriations Bill to make this a reality, but the proposal was opposed by the ANC. Ensure a 100% uptake of the child grant from birth to maximise its positive impact by allowing pregnant moms to complete the bulk of the administrative requirements for the child grant before birth so that when the baby is born, the grant is simply activated. Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to the misuse of the child grant by parents or guardians by increasing the number of social workers servicing families and ensuring that they assist with social grant abuse cases at
magistrate's courts; and improving staffing and resourcing of magistrates courts where people can apply to have child support and foster grants either transferred to the person taking care of the child or alternatively have the grant converted to vouchers.
Minister, the Department of Social Development has a duty to the citizens of this country to ensure food security, alleviate poverty and provide social assistance to the vulnerable in our society. The department has been battling to achieve these goals with many households still not enjoying food security or receiving the necessary social assistance. We will continue to closely monitor the performance plans of the department and strive to work together to achieve its goals of alleviating poverty, inequality and unemployment in our country. Thank you