Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, and comrades, let me first express our condolences to families of the victims who died in the fire in Springs.
South Africa has been relatively successful in the fight against poverty due to the extensive coverage of our social security programme. Close to 15 million South Africans obtain social grants from the state, and 10 million are children who receive the child support grant linked to school maintenance.
Since the ANC-led government is building a developmental and not a welfare state, the social grants should be linked to economic activities and community development to enable short-term beneficiaries to become self- supporting in the long run. Above all, let us work together in striving to banish homelessness, illiteracy, hunger and disease.
The Department of Social Development's vision and mission provide a solid starting point for the department's role in terms of early childhood care and development. The vision of the department provides for a caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitates human development and improves the quality of life for all.
The ANC-led government believes that every child has the right to the best possible start in life, and that early childhood represents the most critical phase in the life cycle of human beings. It provides a window of opportunity that, if capitalised on, will result in many positive benefits for the future of individual children, families and society as a whole.
Indeed, early childhood development, ECD, in South Africa has grown rapidly due to the rapid expansion of subsidies to this sector. The sector comprises pre-Grade R for children from zero to four years old and Grade R for children from five to six years old. ECD subsidies take two forms: subsidies by the Department of Basic Education for formal Grade R, mainly in public schools, and subsidies for community-based ECD facilities by the Department of Social Development.
That's why we say a solid, integrated approach between the departments that play a key role in the establishment and operations of the ECD facilities and the development of a child is critical. Lending a hand to those communities that have taken the initiative to provide a much-needed service such as ECD is necessary. This can be achieved by means of support as far as the required resources, training needs and proper accommodation for those facilities are concerned.
Alcohol and drug abuse are twin scourges that impact negatively on all aspects of South African society. The ANC-led government has an interministerial committee to develop and implement a campaign to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug abuse.
Statistics suggest that the use of drugs such as ecstasy is more common among young persons than among older persons. Solvent use is also higher among young people. Patients in specialised treatment centres whose primary substance of abuse is alcohol turn out to be older than those whose primary substance of abuse is dagga or Mandrax. Among school-going youth, alcohol use appears to increase with age in both males and females.
Now a new danger has cropped up. Aids medication is suddenly sought after as a recreational drug. Whoonga is the name of the mixture of antiretroviral medicines and marijuana. Use of this new narcotic has spread within the past year and is rife in some provinces.
When we go to communities, it is also very disturbing to learn and hear about school children who drink alcohol during school hours or go to class drunk. It is also very sad to learn and hear about some of our children today who go to school high due to the drugs they use and end up involved in criminal activities at school. It is very worrying to learn and hear today that some parents who sell food to our schoolchildren put drugs into the vetkoeke. It is also a cause for concern to learn and hear today about drug traffickers selling drugs on school premises. In celebrating Youth Month we need to go all out and fight the scourge of drug and alcohol abuse for the sake of our beloved country and our children. We also welcome strides taken by the Minister and the Deputy Minister to drastically reduce this problem.
I would like to remind this House that last year two women were arrested for allegedly defrauding the SA Social Security Agency, known as Sassa, of about R4 million in Msane, KwaZulu-Natal. One of the women was believed to be the wife of an IFP councillor in the area.
A key national achievement has been the establishment of a progressive legal framework and the elaboration of policies that protect children and guarantee their right to social services. The new Children's Act, which brings South African law in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is one of the major legislative reforms poised to make a real difference to the lives of children.
Other recent legislative reforms include the Sexual Offences Act, which is inclusive of the wide range of crimes that commonly occur against children. There is the Child Justice Act, which establishes a separate criminal justice system for children in conflict with the law. Together these laws form the foundation of a comprehensive child protection framework.
To elaborate on the issue of grants, as this Council we have a huge responsibility to ensure that all grants issued to a beneficiary are used exactly for the intended purpose. The ANC-led government is a caring government and sometimes reports that we get from our constituencies are disturbing and a cause for concern. It has become common to learn that some recipients who are mothers do not really feed or take care of their children. This means that the intended purpose, which is to bring up the baby properly and take care of medical and other important needs of the baby, is not met.
When the NCOP visited the Free State last year in November, we heard horror stories about elderly women who are robbed, raped and harassed for their pension. The security of these important senior citizens is a priority.
I would like to express my appreciation for the efforts made by the department, through the Ministry, to drastically reduce the fraudulent activities that used to happen around the disability grants.
The profession of social work in South Africa is not the most attractive job to the youth today. Consequently, there are not enough qualified workers. The social acceptance of severe corporal punishment, child labour, early marriage and sexual exploitation undermines the ANC-led government's efforts to protect children. Many families face severe challenges in protecting and caring for their children.
On the one hand, South Africa has inherited a legacy of violence, extreme inequality and social dislocation. This has translated into many social ills in the day-to-day lives of children, such as high levels of domestic violence, substance abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Therefore, the increase of social workers is another important priority for the department - we also appreciate that.
On the other hand, the country's huge HIV burden has resulted in a high number of orphans. Many children are deprived of the care of their biological parents. Most of these children are placed in the care of extended families already under stress due to the impact of the pandemic. Childhoods are stolen as children take on adult roles as caregivers of ill parents or of siblings in child-headed households.
The National Development Agency, NDA, has just appointed its new board. There are huge expectations of this team of men and women. We believe that the challenges faced by a number of communities around the establishment of projects, resources, training, accommodation and sustainability of these projects will be history from now onwards. We call on the members of the board to speed up interventional measures to address these challenges so that we contribute to the reduction of poverty and joblessness, and contribute to the local economy. We support the suggestion of building a strong relationship between the department and private sector to solicit funding for this agency.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasise the fact that the burden of caring for orphans and vulnerable children deprived of parental care has created a crisis in the alternative care system. The children of our country, in whatever shade of colour they happen to be born, deserve the right to adequate and sensitive care by society. They must develop in an atmosphere free of homelessness, malnutrition, harassment of any kind, and violence. I would like to support the department's budget. Thank you very much. [Applause.]