Official reply: 19/04/11
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION 09/2011
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
Date of publication on internal question paper: 10 February 2011
Internal question paper no: 1
Ms N P Gcume (Cope) to ask the Minister of Social Development:
Whether her department has developed any policies and mechanisms to prevent
a lifelong dependency on state grants; if not, why not; if so, what are the
relevant details?
NW9E
REPLY:
Yes,
First the issue of âlifelong dependency on state grantsâ and what this
means exactly has to be clarified. The DSD Social Assistance Programme has
two main grants in terms of numbers, namely the Child Support Grant (CSG)
and the Old Age Pension (OAP). The CSG is paid to children between ages 0-
18 years. The number of recipients of the CSG at the end of January 2011
was 10.16 million children. This represents 69.5% of all social grants
under the Social Assistance Programme. The OAP is paid to older persons
above 60 years. The number of recipients of the OAP at the end of January
2011 was 2.63 million older persons. This represents 18.04% of all social
grants under the Social Assistance Programme. Therefore, 87.54 % of current
social grants are paid to children below 18 years and older persons above
60 years.
The main grants in terms of numbers under the Social Assistance Programme
cannot be paid to any single individual âlifelongâ i.e. for the rest of
their lives. The exceptions are the Disability Grant and the Foster Care
Grant.
The Permanent Disability Grant is by definition for persons who are not
able to enter the labour market and support themselves.
Regulations for both the Temporary Disability Grant (total of 243,093
recipients at end January 2011) and the Foster Care Grant (total of 478,984
recipients at end January 2011) require that the recipients are subjected
to periodic review to evaluate primarily their circumstance and economic
status thus eliminating continued receipt of this grant in cases where the
circumstances of the beneficiaries have improved.
A profile of caregivers of children who are in receipt of the Child Support
Grant shows that they are unemployed (households without any worker), have
low levels of educational attainment and lack the skills that can allow
them to enter and participate in the labour market.
Therefore, the issue of âlifelong dependency on state grantsâ has to
understood in the economic, labour market and social context of South
African society. South is characterised by high levels of poverty, high
levels of unemployment and the phenomenon of working poor (i.e. people who
have jobs but remain poor because of low wages). South Africa has the
highest income inequality in the world. In South Africa the richest 10 per
cent of the population commanding 51 per cent of national household income
with the poorest 40% of the population accounting for less than 7% of total
household income and the poorest 20% of the population accounting for less
than 1.5% of income. These figures include income from social grants.
Within this context, government-wide policies and mechanisms to prevent
lifelong dependency on social grants require addressing the issues of
quality education and training with skills to enter the world of work for
those who receive grants mainly on behalf of their children.
The Department of Social Development has a number of policies and
mechanisms aimed at enhancing skills and contributing to household income
so that households and communities can become self reliant.
⢠Under Community Development the Department trains and provides
employment through Community Development Practitioners and the Masupa
Tsela Youth Pioneer Programme.
⢠The Social Sector Expanded Public Works Programme trains and provides
employment through the Home and Community Based Care Workers and ECD
Practitioners.
⢠Developmental Welfare Services provide training for Social Workers,
Auxillary Social Workers and Child and Youth Care Workers.