Chairperson, hon Members of Parliament, comrades and friends, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for the opportunity to address the NCOP on the occasion of the Third Reading of the Social Assistance Amendment Bill.
This Bill is part of the ANC government's efforts to build a caring society. It also bears witness to our ongoing work in ensuring the progressive realisation of the constitutional right of access to social assistance. The Ministry of Social Development has stated before that our social assistance programme is witness to the ANC government and our society's way of putting the values of social solidarity into practice.
With these small but important resources that we are providing to older persons, parents with young children, people with disabilities and others, they are able to buy the bare necessities, primarily food for themselves, their families and their children. This provides the indigent with a measure of dignity, as they feel that they are part of society.
For as long as our society remains one of the most unequal in the world, with high levels of structural unemployment and accompanying social exclusion, it will continue to state unequivocally that the ANC government, as the leader of our social transformation agenda, will through state instruments lead in our efforts to mitigate the worst impacts of poverty and unemployment. It will also implement programmes aimed at reducing inequalities.
We are often confronted with comments and suggestions that our social assistance programme is unsustainable. Yet research has indicated that our cash transfer programme has been the key intervention in reducing the Gini coefficient, which is the measure of inequality. This is an important point, as international research has proved that unequal societies perform less well economically and socially than societies that are generally more equal.
Brazil has until recently been the most unequal society in the world. But a rapid escalation of their social assistance programme, known as Bolsa Familia, has resulted in an unprecedented reduction in their inequality rate. The reduction in inequality spurred on economic growth, increased the number of jobs created and generally contributed to a more cohesive society in Brazil.
With the deepening of our own social assistance programme, we are on a similar path. Therefore, it is time that we change the discourse here in Parliament and in society. Our new discourse should focus on the unsustainability of inequality in our country, as this is the key inhibitor of real economic growth and progress towards a more stable and cohesive society.
That means your questions to us should focus on what our progress is towards building a comprehensive social security system that will, over time, facilitate a more socially inclusive South Africa.
Chairperson, for us to extend our social assistance programme, we need to improve on how we administer it. The Social Assistance Amendment Bill therefore sought to do three things: firstly, to introduce a new definition for disability; secondly, to provide a mechanism for the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, to review its decisions when a beneficiary is not satisfied with the outcome; and thirdly, to enhance the appeals process.
Coming to the issue of the definition of disability, which is a key area of leakage in the system, we are deeply concerned about the fact that every cent lost due to bad administration, fraud and corruption in our system diverts resources from those in our society that need them most. The nonreporting of an increase in a beneficiary's income constitutes an area of fraud and leakage too. Corrupt officials and government employees have over the last five years felt the retribution of government as the Special Investigating Unit and courts have dispensed justice for their wrongdoing. We once again call on all members of our society to work with us in dealing with leakage, fraud and corruption in the grants system.
Disability targeting presents a key challenge in any social security system. In our case, we lack a common assessment tool for disability. This results in errors of inclusion and exclusion in the administration of disability grants. Effective targeting for the disability grant requires the reliable and objective implementation of a uniform disability assessment tool. The passing of this particular amendment will enable us to make a distinction between permanent and temporary disability, and people with chronic illnesses.
The debates in the Portfolio Committee on Social Development on this aspect of the initial Bill were vigorous. After much constructive deliberation the committee felt that whilst this aspect of the Bill was noble, with good intentions, it might lead to unintended consequences, such as the exclusion of people with chronic conditions. The Department of Health indicated to the portfolio committee that it was not ready to implement the new disability assessment. It outlined challenges it has in developing a comprehensive response in assisting people with chronic illnesses and indicated that it would require more time.
Chairperson, based on the fact that as government we will not be able to provide adequately for chronically ill people, who may be removed from the system, and based on a new approach to defining disability, the portfolio committee felt strongly that the provision regarding the definition of disability should be referred back to Cabinet for further deliberations. We will, together with the Department of Health, work towards an appropriate response in addressing the needs of those suffering from chronic conditions.
The right to fair administrative action is a basic human right. The Constitution guarantees that administrative action must be reasonable, lawful and procedurally fair. It also makes provision that applicants for social grants have the right to request reasons for administrative action that affects them negatively.
The Social Assistance Amendment Bill facilitates a process wherein social grant applicants and beneficiaries are treated with fairness, dignity and respect. It makes provision for applicants and beneficiaries to request Sassa to review its decisions in order to expedite the resolution of disputes and avert unnecessary and costly litigation. The Bill also makes provision for applicants and beneficiaries to appeal against a decision of the agency, and for the appointment of an independent tribunal, in a manner to be prescribed by regulations.
Tribunals are a key part of the administrative justice process and make it possible for applicants and beneficiaries to present their grievances and, if there are merits to their claims, to obtain simple and speedy resolutions to their cases.
I am indeed pleased that, as elected representatives of our people, and recognising its critical importance for the poor and vulnerable members of our society, we have put our political differences aside and adopted this important piece of legislation. Notwithstanding its size, this Bill will impact positively on the lives of many of our most deserving citizens. It aims to ensure that our government fulfils its constitutional obligation in terms of section 27 of the Constitution.
The final product, the Bill we have before us, bears testimony to the robustness of the legislation-making process in this country. Aside from the extensive public consultation processes, the portfolio committee was rigorous in its examination of the implications of the Bill in its original format. It also asked for informative inputs from advocacy groups in civil society.
The select committee too, led by Comrade Nomonde Rasmeni, undertook public consultation processes which provided platforms for the electorate throughout the country in order to engage with the contents of the Bill. The collective wisdom that emerged from these processes is gratifying and testifies to the enduring democratic spirit prevailing in this young democracy. I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the select committee, and indeed civil society, for their inputs, which served to improve this Bill. That is what a robust policy-making process should do.
We should be heartened by the fact that we have such an open system, and perhaps bear in mind that we should not always have to resort to shrill and alarming ways of proposing or opposing policy ideas in the public domain. The debate regarding the protection of information Bill and the proposed media tribunal is a case in point, but I shall not digress and speak on that matter now. What we are assured of is that we have a democratically elected ANC government and a robust decision-making system to ensure that we make decisions for the collective good of all South Africans.
In conclusion, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the officials of the Departments of Social Development and Health for their hard work on this Bill.
Finally, I thank members of the House who have contributed to the debate at various stages. Chairperson, I support the passing of this Bill by the NCOP. [Applause.]