Chairperson, before I make my contribution to this very important debate, I must indicate to you, the hon the Chairperson of the NCOP and the Whippery that it is not out of disrespect that I address this House dressed in a T-shirt. It is merely my small contribution in support of the 2006 bid committee as they interact with the Fifa delegation which is arriving in our country today. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and members, it is rather sad that a day after celebrating a very successful International Women's Day, we gather in this House to discuss the matter of unspent moneys meant to have been channelled to the poor, the majority of whom are women and children. Our President, Comrade Thabo Mbeki, recently drew our attention to the fact that we are living in a country of stark contradictions, that of humiliating poverty of the majority coexisting with the unashamed wealth of a minority. All of us present here today come from provinces where we stare poverty in the face on a daily basis.
I am not going to dwell very much on the figures in terms of what was spent and what was not spent, because I think the Minister made it quite clear to us. Rather, I want to focus on good governance and service delivery. At the opening of the Gauteng legislature in February 2000, our premier said the following:
The overwhelming mandate we received both in 1994 and 1999, was based on the conviction of our people that we know their anguishes. They know that we are part of them the same way that they are part of us, hence our continued commitment to ensure a better life for all our people. This forms the foundation of our existence as a government, and we will spare no effort in the fight against poverty which is so pervasive in this society.
Two of the most prominent commitments Government holds dear are, firstly, accountable, clean and good governance and, secondly, quality service delivery. In helping Government make good on these commitments, we have to rely on a good Public Service, a Public Service that is committed to the ethic of Batho Pele.
However, we have to face the unfortunate reality that we inherited a largely dysfunctional Public Service, and coupled with that, a bureaucracy that is very user-unfriendly. According to newspaper reports, many NGOs and CBOs dealing with poverty alleviation have knocked on the door of the Department of Welfare for financial assistance. Needless to say, they were unsuccessful.
An ex-colleague of mine in the Gauteng legislature applied for funding for a project of a group of homeless women over two years ago, and only received a response on the proposal submitted about a month ago. She was fortunate to have received a positive response. But unfortunately, when she presented herself to the provincial department of welfare, on the very next day after receiving this response, the cheque was already stale. It was dated five months before.
I am relating this incident to illustrate two things: firstly, the amount of time it takes to process requests for funding and, secondly, the inefficient channels of communication between the service provider, in this case the department, and the client, in this case the people. The withholding of resources or failure to provide service of any kind by a government department amounts to maladministration and corruption. Unfortunately, there is no diplomatic way of putting this.
Without apportioning blame to any particular individual or individuals, we will, as representatives of the public out there, ask the Minister, as the political head, to respond to some of the following questions, not necessarily here and now, but if the Minister can, he is welcome to do so. Nevertheless, we will call the Minister to another select committee meeting where he can probably go into detail on some of the questions raised.
Firstly, what are the procedures and guidelines in place for accessing funds for poverty alleviation? Secondly, how user-friendly are these guidelines and procedures? Thirdly, how many poverty alleviation programmes are currently funded by Government - on this one we need a provincial breakdown. Fourthly, why have these moneys earmarked for one of the most vulnerable sectors in society not reached them?
As an ANC collective in Parliament, we will not tolerate a situation where any individual or individuals retard the process of transformation in any way, especially not when it involves the livelihood of the poorest of the poor.
In 1996 the Department of Welfare declared war on poverty. I would like to make some recommendations to the Minister as commander-in-chief of this war and his department for consideration.
My recommendations are, firstly, to develop a strategic interdepartmental approach to be applied when funding poverty alleviation programmes; secondly, to develop efficient, user-friendly and accountable guidelines and procedures in relation to the disbursement of these funds; thirdly, in conjunction with the Department of the Public Service and Administration, to reorganise the Public Service so that it can more effectively meet the priorities of social delivery; and, last but not least, to develop a morality within the department in the handling of public resources.
In conclusion, our slogan of ``creating a better life for all'' will amount to zero if we do not provide the kind of leadership that is necessary to meet our objectives, as formally pledged in April 1994. [Applause.]