Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Ministers who are here and hon members, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister on her new position.
There are those who know nothing about it, have never experienced it, and will never experience it, but are in charge of it! I am speaking about poverty. South Africa is characterised by two distinct problems; inequality and poverty.
I would like to warn the Minister not to take the officials' word that all is well in the department. She will have to go out into the provinces and districts to see for herself if all is really well, in order to avoid embarrassment.
In the OR Tambo region in the Eastern Cape, for instance, there have been power outages at Lusikisiki College, where about seven departments are accommodated, including the Department of Social Development, DSD, and the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, which did not function properly for five months.
The War on Poverty campaign, of linking grants to sustainable livelihoods, does not seem to be making any difference. We believe the entrepreneurship in an activist state holds the best promise of fighting poverty. We also believe that providing a combination of financial and training support, with a built-in exit strategy and positive outputs in respect of training, will be of vital importance.
A University of Johannesburg study has found that 61% of disabled South Africans are living in poverty, without access to government disability grants. Many disabled people interviewed did not know about the disability grant or how to apply for it. We urge Sassa to accelerate the implementation of the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme, ICROP, especially in rural areas at all times, including campaigns for information-sharing with those particular communities. More funds need to be allocated for the maintenance of the mobile trucks that provide services especially to rural communities.
Chairperson, other disabled people cited red tape and poor treatment by officials, and as a result they do not make use of grants. Some disabled people are disqualified and do not appeal to the tribunal because of a lack of information. We would like to urge the department to fast-track the process of redefining disability. We believe 61% represents the number of disabled people who have fallen between the cracks.
The shortage of social workers has been a challenge for many years. We applaud those who work tirelessly for the poor and vulnerable in order to change their lives, but we advise the Minister to allocate more available social workers to the rural areas so as to identify the needs and see the suffering of our people in their homes and communities. In some instances vulnerable people like the disabled are raped, abused emotionally and physically, killed and ill-treated. Sometimes the perpetrators are never arrested, reported or convicted.
Let us take the case of Nozazi Notyhawe of Ngqeleni, a disabled young woman who is one of such vulnerable people. She has been neglected by her mother and siblings, and raped and impregnated by unknown people. She has been left to literally rot in a stinking hut she shares with a brood of chickens. Community members have been aware of this abuse, but have never reported it to either the DSD or the police.
We would like to suggest the appointment of community development practitioners in all areas to disseminate information and also to address the problems of the people with the department at the local service area level. Awareness campaigns will also assist in information dissemination.
I would like to express a word of appreciation to the social worker and their area manager at Ngqeleni Local Service Area, Miss Nompozolo, for their co-operation when I went there to rescue this young woman, and to Miss Levi for taking Nozazi to a home, Ithemba, in Mthatha. They deserve a performance bonus, hon Minister! I request the Minister to intervene so that the perpetrators are arrested, and the police must work hand in hand with the DSD to put an end to this cruelty of raping innocent, vulnerable, disabled people as if they are their victims.
It pains us to note that 753 539 children are accessing early childhood programmes at 443 545 early childhood development centres, but only 17 062 of these centres are registered. We would suggest that registration of the nonprofit organisations, NPOs, as ECD service providers has to be improved.
Cope proposes that assistance be given to NPOs operating ECD centres in the form of intensive training and mentorship. The ECD is also vulnerable to corruption. Cope would also like to propose that the department put in place sharpened monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of the National Development Agency and Sassa programmes and outcomes.
We believe that a review of the means test is urgently needed, because it perpetuates the inequalities. Working married women with unemployed spouses and children are disadvantaged. Lack of full, accurate information puts people at a disadvantage, and some are even embarrassed. People out there think that once one turns 60 years old and older, one automatically qualifies for an old age grant.
Cope would like to express its utter dismay regarding the R234 024 million allocated to administration. Sassa is in many areas squatting in the department's facilities. People visiting these offices are exposed to harsh weather conditions. Cope is of the view that social grants have turned citizens, who should be holding government accountable, into supplicants and recipients ...