Hon Chairperson, on my oversight visit to a rural police station, I found a great number of people deregistering fraudulent child support grants, thus responding to the Minister's call against fraud and corruption. Hon Minister, wherever you go, you leave an imprint of honesty, integrity and hard work. [Applause.]
Those who pretend that nothing has been done are walking in the dark and will therefore never seek the light or our democracy. They will subsequently take nothing to their constituencies that endure hardship, while they play to the gallery.
Social development and economic opportunities cannot be viewed as a success when only the privileged receive help whilst the broad suffering masses continue to suffer.
Given the injustices, inequalities and particularly the brain drain the apartheid regime, honestly, Minister, your department is involved in a demanding exercise and you have a mammoth task indeed.
I have approached the Minister regarding some of the social ills in KwaZulu- Natal. The MF applauds you for your swift response in coming out to see for yourself and implementing measures to show that those who were threatened are currently experiencing delivery and improvement.
Hon Minister, we must acknowledge the scourge of teenage pregnancy, drugs, alcohol abuse, etc, which must be combated. Resources must be directed to bring relief. We must include every sector of society and faith-based organisations that can play a pivotal role in fighting these evils.
However, they are dependent for the day-to-day activities and the sustenance of their organisations on donations. We must help them in order for them to help us. They can all do excellent work in our society. The Zion Christian Church's, ZCC's, impact is a formidable one. The Hindi Shiksha Sang, the Hindu Maha Sabha, the Muslim and Christian organisations can all play a powerful role.
Just look at the Gift of the Givers, which started off small. Today, it is internationally acclaimed, living up to the Batho Pele principles.
The Minister is doing her bit, and criticism will always be there. The country is too big, and our institutions are too little. We need to reach out through education to build the kind of society that we all want. We are dealing with people who cannot read and write; they were being suppressed by the apartheid regime. We need to make our social institutions, organs of democracy and social justice accessible to the general public.
Minister, all your efforts are laudable. Social grant beneficiaries must be assisted. The department should look at schemes like the small home-based institutions and take heed of government's procurement plan so that they can become self-sufficient. This will teach them to supplement their income and become little entrepreneurs with little effort.
We must also look at the widows and widowers grants, because these people end up with no source of income.
The MF calls for a complete audit of programmes to analyse their success rate. This will speak to the challenges of social workers' funding, for community-based organisations, nongovernmental organisations, early childhood development, daycare centres, etc.
I have found the Minister's doors to be open. The MF will support the budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]