Chairperson, allow me to greet the hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon chairperson of the portfolio committee, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and also the MEC from my province, Nonkosi Mvana. Let me start by thanking the chairperson and members of the portfolio committee for giving me the opportunity to participate in this Budget Vote.
At this juncture, it is important for us to look back and make a thorough assessment of where we have come from. At this juncture, we must be both proud and disappointed. We must be proud of the rural slopes and townships we have reached, and proud of the portion of hope we have introduced to the impoverished and darkest areas of our new South Africa. At the same time, we must be disappointed that we did not reach all the families we intended to reach, either because of individuals corrupting our system for self- benefit or as a result of governmental setbacks and complications.
Still, when one weighs our pride in our successes against the weight of our disappointments, the scale of social injustice tells us that we are on the right course. Our accomplishments display that we are busy transforming our society into a united, democratic South Africa.
Intetho yam bendiyilungise ngesiXhosa nesiNgesi, kodwa ngenxa yokuchukumiseka zizinto ezithethiweyo apha ngaphambili, ndicinga ukuba kwakundibhudisa kakhulu ukuthetha ngesiNgesi kuphela. Ndifuna nje ukukhumbuza abantu - kuba intetho yam ikakhulu ingenxaxheba ethatyathwe ngurhulumente ophetheyo ekondleni abantwana - asele belibele, abathetha ngemigca eyenziwa ngurhulumenete we-ANC. Ikhona ingoma yamaXhosa ethi: "Ngabula wen' unethemba liyatshon' ilanga." Laa ngoma iyathetha emaXhoseni, ithi ikhona into oza kuyifumana ukutshona kwelanga.
Ukuma kwabaya bantwana kula migca kuthetha ukuba likhona ithemba; ikhona into abaza kuyifumana. Njengokuba ebantwini le migca isisono, kwabaya bantu baphaya ezilalini ithetha ukuba bangema kulaa migca, baza kulala betyile. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[I have prepared my speech in isiXhosa and English, but having been disturbed by what has been said in the previous speeches, I think speaking only in English will limit me quite a lot and thus not drive my point home satisfactorily.
I just want to remind people that my speech is mostly about the role the government has played in supporting children. Maybe those people have forgotten and now they are talking about the queues made by the ANC government. There is a Xhosa song that goes, "Ngabula wen' unethemba liyatshon'ilanga." That song has a meaning to the amaXhosa nation; it says there's something you will get after sunset.
For those children standing in the queue means that there is hope and that they will get something. Just as standing in the queue is a sin to others, to those in the rural areas it means they will have food. [Applause.]]
I want to remind you that the government prior to 1994 introduced the State Maintenance Grant, which was paid to low-income, single parents with a maximum of two children up to the age of 18. The beneficiaries of this grant would be unmarried or separated mothers, widows - like me - or guardians living with a child, on condition that the spouse is either in prison, or in a drug treatment centre for more than six months.
Le mali ibingafunyanwa ngabantu abamnyama. Itsho le nto. Ibisiya kubantu abamhlophe, kumaNdiya nakubantu bebala. Nalapho ke bekungathi kuba ungumntu webala okanye umNndiya uza kufumana imali elingana neyabamhlophe. Ibingalingani neyabantu abamhlophe. Ibishiyana nge-7,5 yeepesenti, nto leyo ithetha ukuba kudala sicinezelwe.
Zezi ngxaki ke ezi athe walwa nazo lo rhulumente akuthatha iintambo ngowe- 1994. Kukho into endiyiqonda ngoku selendiguga ukuba abanomgogwana sasibanikwa boorhulumente beBophuthatswana, Venda neCiskei babethetha ukuba ayizikubakho le migca. Babethetha ukuba nina bantu bamnyama siza kunigcina apho kwezo ndawo. Anizi kufumana nto. Kukho imigca nje namhlanje, kungenxa yokuba ithemba likhona. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Umntu ebengayifumani le mali yabantwana ngenxa yobuhlanga bakhe. Ndiqinisekile ukuba abantu abalapha abafundileyo bayazibuza namhlanje ukuba: Ndide ndize kuma kule ndawo ndibe nesidanga ndifunde njani? Ngoba zazingekho ngaloo maxesha iimali ezazabelwa abantwana. Zazihamba ngokuba ungumntu omhlophe okanye omnyama na. Ngoko ke ngenxa yokuba abantu abamnyama babecinezelwe, babengasifumani isibonelelo semali yabantwana.
Ndifuna ukunaba ndithi ke ngenxa yoko ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Africans or blacks never received this money. It was given only to whites, Indians and Coloureds. Even though Indians and Coloureds qualified for the State Maintenance Grant, they were given far less than what white people were getting. The difference was 7,5%, which means that discrimination comes a long way.
It is problems such as these that this government had to deal with when it assumed power in 1994. I only realised now that the Bantustans or rather homelands, such as Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei, meant that there will be no queues like these. These homelands served as reserve areas for African people who were receiving no services at all. Today the reason that there are queues is because there is hope. [Applause.]
People were deprived of this grant based on racial prejudices. I am quite sure that educated people here are wondering how they managed to achieve such qualifications without financial assistance. There were no grants allocated to children back then. The State Maintenance Grants were issued according to racial classifications. African people were oppressed and therefore excluded from the Child Support Grant.
I want to go further by saying ...]
... since the birth of democracy in 1994, the priority of our government, under the leadership of the ruling party, the ANC, has been to reform our social security system by replacing the State Maintenance Grant with a new child support grant.
Social assistance, which was introduced in 1998, is an income in the form of a grant provided to the vulnerable, poor and destitute. It provides for those who were previously uncounted and unimportant, as well as those whose voices were muted by the colour of their skin. As a result of the ANC's commitment to change, South Africans can now be counted and supported in their struggle against poverty.
Esi sibonelelo, namhlanje sibonwa ngabanye ngokuba senza ukuba inani labantwana abamithayo lande. Ndifuna ukuthi yinto engekhoyo leyo, kwaye ayizi kuyeka i-ANC ukunika abantwana isibonelelo ngenxa yokuba kusithiwa kuyamithwa. Kudala kwamithwa, kwakumithwa nakurhulumente ongaphambili. Akuqalwa ngoku ukumithwa. [Kwahlekwa.]
Ndifuna nokuthi, ukuba singathi sisonke singamalungu ale Ndlu, kweliya cala nakweli cala, sithenge umatshini ukukhawulelana nezi zigidi kuthiwa ziyebiwa kurhulumente. Uthi uMam' uGcume bathi xa befuna isibonelelo kubuzwe ukuba ootata baphi na. Ukuba singagqiba sonke kule Ndlu ukuba sithenge umatshini ekuzakufakwa kuwo indoda nganye ukuze usixelele ukuba indoda leyo inabantwana abangaphi aph' emhlabeni. [Kwahlekwa.] Isizathu kukuba umntu akasoze angabuzwa ukuba uphi na utata womntwana. Urhulumente akazi kusuka anike umntu imali engakhange abuze ukuba uphi na utata womntwana, ngoba lo mntwana akenziwanga ngumoya, wenziwe ngutata. Ngoko ke kuyanyanzeleka ukuba kubuzwe ukuba uphi na utata wakhe. [Kwahlekwa.]
Ukuba kungenzeka sikwazi ukuwuthenga lo matshini, kungongeka izigidi zeerandi, ngoba loo matshini ungasixelele ukuba abanye ootata balapha phakathi kwethu, bayarhola. [Kwahlekwa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[According to other people, the grant is a reason for the increase in the number of teenage pregnancies. I do not agree with that view, and the ANC will not stop this programme because people are claiming that the rate of teenage pregnancies is escalating. There were teenage pregnancies even during the previous governments. This is not new. [Laughter.]
I also want to mention that we can all agree as Members of this august House, on this side and that side, to buy a machine in order to address these millions that are stolen from the government. Mrs Gcume says that when they apply for a grant they are asked about the whereabouts of the fathers. If only we in this House can agree on putting each man on a machine to detect how many children he has fathered. [Laughter.] Applicants must be asked about the whereabouts of their children's fathers. Our government cannot just give away money without asking about the father because the father is responsible for that child. Therefore we must ask about the details of the father. [Laughter.]
If we can buy such a machine we can save a lot, because it will tell us that some fathers are among us and are on the payroll. [Laughter.]]
The adoption of the South African Social Security Act and the Social Assistance Act, Act 13 of 2004, paved the way for the establishment of the South African Social Security Agency, Sassa, which would streamline the largely fragmented payment and administration of social grants.
Ndiyayithanda mna into yokuba umntu azixele ukuba unabo abantwana, ngoba loo nto ithetha ukuba uyabondla. Aba bangaxelwayo ngaba bondliwa ngurhulumente, abanye babantu abangabaxeliyo balapha kuthi. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[I like it when someone declares all his children because that means he is supporting them. Those that are not declared are being supported by government. Some who do not declare are amongst us.]
As a result of these reforms and interventions, we have noticed a huge growth in the number of beneficiaries.
Le mali inikwa abantwana yenze ukuba bande abantwana ezikolweni. Ezikolweni abantwana bafumana imfundo esisiseko esimahla nokuba bakwazi ukukhawulelana nendlala. [This child support grant has increased the enrolment of children in schools. Children receive free basic education so that they are able to fight poverty.]
The growth I'm talking about has seen the number of beneficiaries increase from fewer than 3 million in 1997, to 13,8 million in 2010. The increase in the number of beneficiaries has been coupled with an increase in the budget. The expenditure on social security has increased from R23,6 billion in 1997-98 to a projected R89 billion for 2010-11.
Andifuni ukuhlala phantsi ndingayicacisanga into eyenziwe nguMongameli wethu yokwandisa uHlahlo-lwabiwo Mali ukuze kunyuswe iminyaka yabantwana abafumana izibonelelo iye kuma kubantwana abaneminyaka eli-18. Le nto yenze ithemba kakhulu kubantu bethu. Siyabulela kuMongameli nakuzo zonke iinkokeli ze-ANC. Sibulela ngenkxaso abayinike abantwana kunye nenguqu abayenzileyo kubomi babo. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Izinto esithe sabona ukuba mazenzeke ebantwaneni azikhange zisenze ukuba singaboni ukuba sinazo iingxaki. Sinazo iingxaki mam' uGcume. Iingxaki esinazo zezokuba kwabona aba bantu baqeshiweyo bayamosha, kuba kaloku xa kucelwa izicelo zemisebenzi umntu akabhali ukuba ulisela kuso. Ngoko ke sijonga isicelo, simqeshe umntu, kanti uza kumosha lo rhulumente.
Into ebuhlungu ke kukuba xa lo rhulumente sele emoshiwe ngumntwana womntu, loo mntu uzakuthi yi-ANC, kanti abaya bantu bamoshayo abangomalungu e-ANC bonke. Loo nto ithetha ukuba sineengxaki ekufuneka silwe nazo.
Enye yezi ngxaki sithetha ngazo yeyokuba kukho abantwana abafumana izibonelelo bengengobalapha eMzantsi Afrika. Ithi ke loo nto, sonke thina silapha kufuneka sisebenzisane neSebe lezoPhuhliso loLuntu, ngoba alikwazi ukuyilwa lilodwa le ngxaki. ISebe lezoPhuhliso loLuntu kufuneka libonisene neSebe lemiCimbi yezeKhaya ukulwa ezingxaki. Asiyo ngxaki yeSebe lezoPhuhliso loLuntu leyo. Into endithanda ukuthi gqabagqaba ndiyithethe yeyokuba kwizinto athe wazenza urhulumente we-ANC, ezingaphezulu kwesizame ukuzenza thina, sisibonelelo esithe senza inguqu. Kaloku umntwana olala engatyanga akakwazi ukumamela esikolweni, uyeke nje into yokuba kusithiwa ... Siyaluxhasa uHlahlo-lwabiwo Mali. [Kwaphela Ixesha.] [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Before I finish, I would like to explain why the President increased the budget so that the age for those who receive the child support grant is extended to 18 years. This has raised hope in our people. We commend the President and the entire leadership of the ANC for their support and positive change that has been brought to the children's lives. [Applause.]]
Things that we decided needed to be done for people did not make us forget about the challenges we are facing. Indeed we do have challenges, Mrs Gcume. The challenges we are faced with are corrupt officials who do not indicate in their CV's that they are thieves, and we employ the person based on the information given in the CV only to find that the person will mismanage this government's funds.
What concerns us is that people will say the ANC is corrupt and not the person who has committed such a crime. Not all people employed by the department are members of the ANC. That means we have challenges that we need to tackle.
Another challenge is beneficiaries of the child support grant who are foreign children. This means that all of us here need to work together with the Department of Social Development because it can never win this battle alone. The Department of Social Development needs to work together with the Department of Home Affairs to address these challenges. This is not just the problem of the Department of Social Development.
What I would like to highlight as regards the achievements of the ANC government, which is more than what we tried to achieve, is the grant that made a change. A hungry child cannot listen in the classroom, irrespective of ... We support the budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]