We also condemn the abuse of older persons, particularly sexual violence against grannies by men in their own families and communities. This behaviour has been reported in desolate and rural communities that were neglected and became a breeding ground for perverse behaviour.
As a result, the ANC-led government has pledged to build police stations, hospitals, human settlements, roads and businesses in order to establish decent and sustainable communities where women and the elderly are safe and secure. Through its commitment to social cohesion and building a sense of belonging the Older Persons Act places an obligation on the Department of Social Development to lead the vision of the ANC by providing care and related services to the elderly in our society.
As with all budgets meant for social transformation, more resources always need to be allocated to the department to address the changing scope of society and the increasing responsibility carried by the department. As parliamentarians, we have gone a long way in guiding the implementation of legislation whilst raising awareness in the provinces about the interventions provided by the provinces. [Interjections.] Our senior citizens clubs, services centres and active ageing programmes are in place and working well in the provinces.
Sibonga asiphezi kuhulumeni oholwa ngumbutho wabantu uKhongolose. Izwi labantu bethu abadala liyezwakala futhi kufanele liqhubeke lizwakale. Isithunzi sabo sibuyile futhi kufanele siqhubeke sisigcine. Kwezinye izifundazwe uhulumeni kaKhongolose uhlalise iPhalamende labantu abadala lapho khona bethole ithuba lokukhuluma noMongameli wezwe ngqo bexoxa ngezinto ezithinta bona ezimpilweni zabo nezifiso abanazo ngezimpilo zabo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[We are forever grateful to the ANC-led government of the people. The voice of our elderly people is being heard and it must continue to be heard. They have their integrity back and we must continue to preserve it. In other provinces the ANC-led government has formed the Senior Citizen's Parliament where they get an opportunity to speak directly to the President about issues that affect them and about everything that they wish for in their lives.]
The department has for the past two years, in collaboration with the SA Older Persons' Forum, organised a senior citizens conference where 1500 citizens from all the provinces participated and shared about issues that affect them with the Minister.
The President has announced the establishment of the Older Persons' Desk at the Presidency and in all Offices of Premiers in the provinces. The required resources and personnel, as well as the budget, will be made available for this task.
On the question of early childhood development, Tata Mandela said, and I quote: "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." We know historically that children, particularly black children, were not supported by the state because of stereotypical beliefs about the African culture, ubuntu and community spirit, forgetting the deprivation and the squalor that people were forced to live in. Hence, the apartheid government refused to invest in infrastructure for any vulnerable groups that were African.
This is why the ANC has sought to broaden the definition of ECD to include support for parenting and special needs children, among others. This is because we understand that there are serious human development challenges in poor, rural and urban communities. Through developing a new ECD policy framework, the Department of Social Development will be able to address the barriers to children's development.
When we come to the subject of gender-based violence, the ANC has made a name for itself as one of the most progressive in this domain. We have vowed in our 53rd national conference resolutions to discourage and outlaw practices that are oppressive and abusive towards women.
Across all racial and cultural groups, women are the ones who are forced to leave their homes because of gender-based violence. The 24-hour helpline services provided by the Department of Social Development will raise the number of violent incidents reported by women, and it will provide a practical intervention to deal with a problem that was exacerbated by the historical lack of infrastructure and services for long before our democracy. The Social Development budget is one which is also going to cover many other infrastructure projects, particularly those that will go towards the fight against substance abuse. President Jacob Zuma did a wonderful thing by promulgating the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act. This makes prevention of substance abuse a priority and advocates the establishment of state treatment facilities in each province. This is unprecedented considering that there are now more rehabilitation efforts in the country under the ANC than ever before. Programmes like Ke Moja, a drug awareness campaign, loveLife and others have assisted the education and awareness-raising profile of the department.
The programme is successfully implemented in provinces such as the Northern Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo. There were between 5 400 and 50 000 NGOs that were involved. Without deviating from the excellent programmes initiated by the ANC, gender-based violence is a symptom of a deeply divided society, one which reflects the patriarchal nature of that society. Other sectors of society still do not follow the lead of the ANC, which condemns violence against women.
In conclusion, Chairperson, the ANC has been able to demonstrate through the Department of Social Development the institutional building blocks for equality and social cohesion that are in place in South Africa. I thank you. [Applause.]