Let me also fall into step with those who have spoken before me and express our gratitude as a province for the opportunity to come and participate in this Budget Vote in this House.
The Eastern Cape is a province with a history of having not more than 50% job opportunities, in addition to widespread poverty.]
It is under these socioeconomic conditions that the department of welfare in the Eastern Cape has to render welfare services.
Again, it is common knowledge indeed that the department of welfare in the Eastern Cape has, once more, been in the media for the past two weeks because of issues and/or problems that relate to social grants. For a province such as ours, we have to render and manage the social security payment grants, 60% of which are cheque payments, to approximately 600 000 beneficiaries. We have almost 465 officials to render that service. This, in practical terms, translates to a ratio of approximately 1 300 beneficiaries to one official without the outsourcing of the payment function. This is more than double the national norm of 500:1 with the payment of grants having been outsourced. It was interesting, indeed, to listen to the MEC from Gauteng where they have a total of about 300 000 beneficiaries.
It bears noting, therefore, that the department of welfare in the Eastern Cape utilises its in-house human resources to effect the payment of grants. As a result, each month, the social security personnel have to spend two- thirds of their time doing payments in the field, and one-third of the time being in office to do administration. This, of course, is a recipe for the ongoing accumulation of backlogs in that province. This indeed has an impact on the segregation of functions which gives rise to the high levels of fraud and mismanagement, as the same official who processes the application is responsible for payment.
Be that as it may, we pride ourselves, as the province of the Eastern Cape, on having amalgamated three administrations with six systems into one since 1994 and we believe that the outsourcing programme, which is in an advanced stage as we speak, will go a long way in addressing some of the problems. We believe that the benefit of outsourcing will relieve the social security personnel of the fieldwork that they have to do, and enable them to devote their time to the functioning as well as the administration of the social security system. We believe this will improve the service delivery levels in line with the Batho Pele principles, and will also reduce the incidence of fraud and corruption in the system itself, as well as eliminate the risk to life and limb.
I think we should again say, as the department of welfare and as the province of the Eastern Cape, that we believe the review process on the policy on disability grants will also go a long way in addressing some of the problems and/or challenges that we are faced with in that province.
The department of welfare in the Eastern Cape is faced with enormous challenges as far as fraud and corruption are concerned. The department is engaged in a number of strategies which include continuous data running, regular file audits, proper review of grants, proper reconciliation, public education, quick handling of detected fraudulent activities and, indeed, immediate disciplinary action that is taken where departmental staff are involved. But I must hasten to say that this, in many instances, is indeed a difficult programme to implement due to shortages of staff within the department.
I will now address the issue of the integration of social services: The national initiative of the bosberaad that was held towards the end of last year whose theme was the integration of social welfare services and which focused on the integration of social security into the broader social services that are rendered by the department, the professionalisation of social security and the sharing of best-practicemodels within and amongst provinces will, we believe, assist us in terms of ensuring that the integration will go a long way in rendering service to the poorest of the poor in an integrated manner. We believe the next bosberaad that will be held in September will also enhance our delivery structure and strategy programme.
With regard to poverty eradication, as the Minister and the speakers before me have indicated, in the past financial years one of the major problems that the department faced was around the management of this programme. We believe that the steps that the Minister together with his colleagues has taken, will go a long way in addressing some of the problems.
Kodwa ndiyafuna ukongeza ngelithi, thina phaya kwiphondo leMpuma Koloni siyifumanisile into yokuba, le nto yokumana sisithi xa sigxotha indlala ekhaya masisoloko sisenza amagcuntswana eeprojekti, esicinga into yokuba aza kusincedisa ekugxotheni indlala, ayisincedi nganto. Yiyo loo nto sisithi siliphondo sifuna ukushenxa siye kwinqanaba apho ... [However, I do want to add that we in the Eastern Cape realised that trying to alleviate poverty by taking up projects in dribs and drabs does not help us at all. That is the reason we say as a province that we want to move to a level where ... ]
... the project itself will ensure that it benefits the broader society rather than a group of individuals.
Again, we believe that the changes and interventions that the Minister has outlined this afternoon in this debate will enhance the poverty eradication programme to the maximum.
With regard to the impact of HIV-Aids on the welfare system, it is indeed a fact that an increase in HIV-Aids will impact on our budget as a province and, I believe, on all of us as a nation in the sense that the number of children who will be orphaned due to Aids-related death will increase and they will have to be taken care of by the Department of Welfare as the lead department. The number of women who will not be able to perform their parental function and therefore render children vulnerable to child neglect will increase. This, indeed, will increase our social assistance and social security budgets because, as we know, the needs of these children will have to be budgeted for in the intersectoral integrated plan that the Department of Welfare, together with that of Health and of Education has set up, and in the pilot projects that are in the process of being implemented in the province. This means, therefore, that the 93% of our budget that is spent on social security will indeed increase.
I then want to come to the most important aspect of the state of affairs in the province of the Eastern Cape which relates to our delivery of services. [Time expired.] [Applause.]