Hon Chairperson, Members of Parliament and guests, it is of the utmost importance for the IFP to honour and support women, particularly those that are raising the next generation. Thus, the IFP believes that this department carries one of the most important national mandates.
I was disappointed recently when the hon Minister responded to one of my questions in the House by simply reminding me that the IFP is not in power, as though the IFP has no stake in the success of our country. We believe that the failures of our government are the failures for all of South Africa. We do not wish to see our country fail. When we participate in these debates, we do so to be constructive. I hope that my input today will be regarded as such.
Since its inception, this department has been under scrutiny. Serious damage has been done by the ample evidence of corruption, nepotism and other transgressions. We are thankful that the Minister instituted an investigation into this. One hopes that the department, now seized with its turnaround strategy, can rise from the ashes and finally start to deliver on its core mandate. Yet this seems to be unlikely. As our chairperson mentioned, inflation has outstripped this department's nominal budget increase, leaving the department with less money than it had before.
While the IFP decries the lack of funding, we also decry the manner in which it, at times, is utilised. Parliament's own research unit revealed that the department has overspent since its inception on travelling, venues and compensation of employees. Forty-eight staff members earn a salary of R1 million per annum - that is 48 staff members out of a full staff complement of 149. In other words, one third of the staff of this department earn an average of R1 million a year.
This is an anomaly in government departments and begs the question why these staff members are so handsomely rewarded when they have failed to meet a number of their targets in the past financial year. The question probably has a number of answers. But one answer lies again in Parliament's five-year expenditure report, which reveals that the department appointed staff outside the approved establishment and available budget. While those facts are known, there also seems to be an oversupply of chief directors, directors and deputy directors, but very few staff in the core programmes. Surely, this situation is untenable?
Let me restate that I see no harm in sending smaller delegations to the United Nations to save on travelling costs. While we must participate in international platforms, this department's severely limited resources demand that we channel funding where it is most needed: the critically underfunded core programmes. Taxpayer money cannot be spent with impunity. Administration costs consume the lion's share of this budget, leaving the core programmes to share only R106 million. This is small change compared to what other departments have at their disposal. In fact, to put this into perspective: This is almost the same amount of money the Department of Communications spent on one event, the now infamous ICT Indaba. This really calls into question whether any of these programmes on women's, children's and disabled persons' rights can really achieve any success with the small change they have been given.
Violence against women and children, especially against our elderly and our children, is the most appalling human rights violation and perhaps the most pervasive in our country. Incidents of violence have continued to increase in 2013, signalling that measures to protect women and children are not effective. We, therefore, welcome the launch of the National Council Against Gender-based Violence. However, without powers of implementation, this council might become yet another talkshop.
If this council does get off the ground, the IFP believes it should be tasked with ending the second round of victimisation faced by victims of rape and abuse. Often when victims come forward, they incur further abuse at police stations, in our courts and at our medical facilities. This deterrent is the very reason for our shockingly low conviction rate amongst perpetrators. Urgent intervention is required. The funding crisis faced by many NGOs remains a cause for concern. This department must champion a solution, because these organisations are a vital link in our fight, on behalf of the most vulnerable sectors of our society, against abuse. We cannot fight this battle without them.
Our hon Minister has also acknowledged that she does not have the requisite skills within her department. Clearly, a skills audit must be expedited to ensure that this department can move forward with the appropriately skilled and visionary talent. Low staff morale and critical vacancies also need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
The glaring lack of support from a variety of government departments for this department is also inexcusable. The mammoth task of looking after the most vulnerable sectors of our society cannot be performed by the hon Xingwana and her team alone. It is shameful, to say the least, to see that there are many state departments that are oblivious of their roles and responsibilities when it comes to complying with many UN conventions South Africa has signed. We need a new approach in this regard.
It is time to answer the persistent question raised by many commentators as to whether this department can still play its envisaged role, considering the challenges. The answer lies in creating a leaner, meaner, more effective department that can deliver on its core mandate. We acknowledge, hon Minister, and we thank you for the good work that you have done. But we can and must do more. Women, children and people with disabilities still bear the brunt of social and economic challenges. This is unacceptable. The buck stops here with each one of us, this department and with you, hon Minister. So let us keep pursuing the empowerment of women, of children and of people with disabilities, because it is our collective duty to do so. Let us vigorously drive this pursuit until we see success. I thank you. [Applause.]