Before I call the next person, hon Bloem, about your point of order: I think that matter will have to be referred. The Whippery has to deal with it but actually you are not the one to judge. Thank you. I will repeat that to you after this, if you did not hear.
Ms F NAHARA (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, MECs and all members of the NCOP ...
Cha! Sihlalo weNdlu ehloniphekile mangisho ukuthi ke ngiyezwa ukuthi akumelelana lapha kodwa umkhumbi wokunethezeka ubhajwe lana emanzini kepha ngoba izikebhe zokuhlenga zibakhona. Yisikebhe sokuhlenga lesi esimi phambi kwenu. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.) [No, Chairperson of this august House, let me say I understand that no one should take someone else's blame but service delivery is stuck here; nevertheless the workers are there to help. What you see before you is the rescuer.]
I wish to concur with the Minister that indeed the issues of floods, drought, fires and disease are really affecting our country. In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, we have experienced a number of natural disasters which have claimed the lives of our people and destroyed their houses, social security documents and many other belongings. It is of vital importance that the ordinary citizens of our country are educated about issues of global warming and its consequences.
I wish to support the Minister on the issues she has raised about people living with disabilities, and the elderly. These people should be protected against abuse and be given special care. They should be provided with their basic needs and their rights, which are human rights, should be protected and respected. It is much appreciated that the Department of Social Development has delivered on its core mandate and continues to implement priorities of government.
Kuyahlupha Sihlalo uma ubona abantu abadala bengasabathandi. Umuntu angamfuni umzali wakhe ngoba esekhulile. Kuyasikhathaza ke thina njengamaLungu ePhalamende. [It is worrying, Chairperson, when you see elderly people not being loved. Somebody does not want his or her parent because he or she is now old. It worries us as Members of Parliament.]
There are challenges that do exist where people are fraudulently accessing social grants, but I also wish to state that the provincial department of social development is making its efforts in eradicating fraud and corruption.
Oxamu siyazama ukubakhipha impela noma bese baningi kodwa sizama konke okusemandleni e-KZN ukubakhipha. [Ihlombe.] [We are really trying to root out fraudsters although they are many, but we try by all means to remove them in KZN. [Applause.]]
We also support a giant step taken by the President to establish a hotline. It is working very well, and people on the ground are making use of this facility. We do get feedback from the public through our call centre, and any queries raised are followed up immediately.
Suffice it to congratulate the department for fulfilling its promise of extending the child support grant to children born before 31 December 1993 and for the envisaged further extension over the following financial year. The implementation of the equalisation of the old age pension to all eligible citizens of this country should also be seen as a milestone, as a number of males elderly will benefit from this giant step. We are indeed a caring government.
Kukhombisa ngokusobala Sihlalo ukuthi uma sikhuluma ngokuthi lo hulumeni owabantu ubona ngezenzo. [It clearly shows, Chairperson, that if we say that this government is for the people, you see this by its actions.]
We also appreciate the fact that the department has earmarked R140 million for social relief of distress, and we hope that this will be of benefit to vulnerable people and families. KwaZulu-Natal has a vast number of child- headed families who, I believe, will also benefit from this allocation, as the Minister alluded to the issue of cascading the implementation process of this programme to the provinces. We trust that the whole process will be fast-tracked so that our people on the ground will, without delay, reap the fruits of this programme.
There has been an outcry on the issue of appeals in the KwaZulu-Natal province, as the Minister has indicated in her presentation, but the constitution of the appeals tribunal is highly appreciated, and it gives us hope that this outcry will be something of the past very soon.
The hon Minister, in her speech, alluded to the comprehensive social security policy options with the aim of alleviating poverty. This system is of vital importance as it is noticeable that vulnerable people do not normally have access to life cover insurance and funeral cover. They then approach loan sharks for assistance, who in turn exploit them and charge them exorbitant or high interest rates.
Esifundazweni saKwaZulu-Natal nje sisodwa simbonile uBhungane umkhumbi wokunethezeka ... [In the province of KwaZulu-Natal alone, we have seen Bhungane [clan name] the comfort ship, ...]
... exposing some of these sharks and reporting them to the police. Singagcini ke lapho. [We are not ending there.]
He makes sure that the police also do their work, by taking further action and bringing them to book. We strongly believe that the introduction of this system will solve this problem.
The implementation of the Child Justice Act is a huge achievement and will benefit a number of children who are in conflict with the law. This legislation will protect their statutory rights and also ensure that they are rehabilitated and integrated into society. One of the problems is that you sometimes wonder whether we still have children in this country, when you see some of the things these children do on the street corners, especially at night. So, we really hope that this will be one of the solutions to that.
I really concur with the Minister that the nonprofit organisations, NPOs, are playing a crucial role in the implementation of social welfare programmes. The NPOs are a vehicle through which the department is able to reach the vulnerable people and provide them with care and support. That is why we give these organisations financial support. It is also equally important that they comply with section 38(1)(j) of the Public Finance Management Act and Treasury regulations. All NPOs that could not comply with these pieces of legislation have been assisted and are now fully complying - that is in KwaZulu-Natal. We have done our best to put them back on track.
The government and the Department of Social Development, in particular, should be congratulated for interacting with our Cuban counterparts, which has resulted in the formation and implementation of a number of projects, including the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme, which has seen a number of matriculated youth and unemployed graduates being provided with job opportunities. The programme is very effective and helps a great deal towards minimising the workload of social workers. Three hundred and forty- seven youth cadres and 61 team leader graduates have benefited from this programme in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly most of those from rural sites.
In conclusion, I wish to report to this House that the correspondence regarding the orphans identified at Falaza High School in KwaNongoma by the standing committee on social services was received, and the department is working on it. A preliminary report in this regard has been sent to the Minister's office. The provincial department will provide further details on this issue. Let me indicate that this report is also in my hands, as the chairperson of the portfolio committee, and I will be tabling to the portfolio committee when it sits. Let me also indicate that there is also another report that the department has forwarded which came through the hotline of the President, where I'm also in a position. It has been acknowledged, and the department is working on that.
Uyabona into uma iphethwe ngomama isezandleni ezinhle. Kuthiwa intandane enhle umakhothwa ngunina. [You see, if something is headed by women, it is in good hands. As the isiZulu proverb goes: An orphan who is left to be cared for by his or her mother is always taken care of.]
The province of KwaZulu-Natal supports this budget of Minister Molewa ...
... ngokukhulu ukuthokoza. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] [... with great pleasure. Thank you. [Applause.]]