Madam Chairperson, hon Minister and colleagues, in his budget speech in April this year, the Minister for Welfare and Population Development indicated that the challenge of Government during this term of office would be to consolidate the policy gains of the past five years into concrete programmatic changes, and I quote:
... so that the ordinary citizens especially those who experience the worst forms of poverty, can begin to see the evidence of real change in their daily lives.
He then went on to identify the national priorities that need to be addressed during the present term of Government in order to achieve this. We, in the Free State, fully endorse what the hon the Minister stated, and have accepted his invitation to join him in the implementation and monitoring of these national priorities so that we can help make a difference in the lives of the most needy and disadvantaged people in the Free State. I will highlight only some of the concrete steps that we have undertaken in the Free State to implement the national priorities which the Minister referred to in his speech. On the implementation of an integrated poverty eradication strategy, the Free State is experiencing high levels of poverty, especially in rural areas. Our own poverty eradication strategy indicates that the poverty level in our province stands at 63%, while Qwaqwa has the highest at 88%.
Poor households are characterised by a lack of wage income as a result of unemployment or low wages. Census '96 has shown that the workforce in the Free State is the lowest paid in the country and this in itself keeps those rural areas trapped in poverty.
Individuals are unable to take full advantage of the few amenities to which they have access. From 1997 to 1999 funds to the value of R16 million were allocated for social development, and the primary focus was on poverty eradication through economic, human and social development.
The province will continue with a number of different developmental programmes for promoting self-employment, income generation and the acquisition of skills. Other Government departments and NGOs are contributing towards skills development, for example the Department of Labour, training institutions, etc. Funds have been set aside to promote the sustainability of projects.
With regard to social security, the Free State will continue to provide social assistance benefits to our most vulnerable citizens. It is our intention to increase the number of children benefiting from the child support grants by 60 000 this financial year.
The reregistration of our beneficiaries that commenced in 1997 will be completed by this month. It is important to reiterate the point that the reregistration process is not, and was never, aimed at removing legitimate grant beneficiaries from the system. It was, and remains, a deliberate programme to eradicate fraud and corruption from our system. As we complete this process we will continue addressing complaints and enquiries by those wrongly removed from the system.
With regard to violence against women and children, the province will continue training volunteers to offer effective survivor-support services to victims of domestic violence. There is an increasing need for shelters for abused women in the province. We are looking into the establishment of emergency safety centres during this financial year. There is already a shelter established in Bloemfontein, and two others are planned for the southern and northern Free State respectively.
With regard to HIV-Aids, the province has committed itself to making certain that the service we are rendering to children extends to those infected and affected by HIV-Aids. Firstly, during this financial year we are implementing our comprehensive LSE programme, which is a prevention programme through the promotion of positive values, lifestyles and behaviour. Secondly, we are strengthening the capacity of the individual, family and communities to provide for the care, protection and development of persons infected and affected by HIV-Aids. Aids co-ordinators have been appointed in all our districts. Thirdly, in collaboration with the Department of Health, we have designed, as a pilot project, home-based and community-based care with regard to HIV-Aids. Fourthly, the rise of HIV- Aids threatens the growth of the population of this country and the province. The population unit has been tasked to look into the programme on HIV-Aids, with specific reference to population development.
Regarding the issue of young people in trouble with the law, children and young people in conflict with the law will continue to receive services in the province. We have a privately run, modern, securecare centre in Kroonstad, and we will be opening a second securecare centre which will be combined with the one-stop youth justice services in the province. [Interjections.] Sorry, Minister, sorry! [Laughter.]
With regard to redesigning services for people with disabilities, the fragmented nature of the service delivery system for people with disabilities often leads to a lack of effective referral to other sectors. This means that social welfare has to deal with education, employment, transport and housing-related issues.
Changing the way people regard disability, from purely health and welfare issues to primary human rights and development issues, has significant implications for the principles, objectives and goals of the existing welfare services. The welfare services, as currently rendered by NGOs, need to be redesigned to facilitate independence in society rather than dependence on welfare services.
To this effect, we have facilitated the establishment of the disability desk in the office of the premier. Agreements have been reached with NGOs that render services on our behalf to people with disabilities to orientate the personnel of the department to be disability-sensitive in community development processes. The department will integrate the development of support services for persons with disabilities in communities, as stipulated by the White Paper on an Integrated National Disability Strategy. We will, in collaboration with other departments, attend to the development of children with disabilities.
The province is in the process of designing a diversion programme for people with temporary disabilities who have been taken off the social security system. This prevents dependency and ensures social integration of people with disabilities.
As I said earlier, I have highlighted only a few of our present programmes in the Free State which are in line with national priorities. In conclusion, we commit ourselves to continuing to find innovative ways of addressing community needs. We will continue to make sure that we mobilise for a caring society. [Applause.]