Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister and my family in the gallery, there are many communities and people in our country who are trapped in poverty and who are very vulnerable. Without assistance from the state, these people would struggle to survive, let alone escape their lives of poverty. So, the work of this department is very important as it has a great impact on the lives of the most vulnerable citizens of our country.
The department has an array of grants available for those who need them. The problem, however, lies in the fact that there are still many people who don't know about the grants and how to go about accessing them. The dissemination of information is therefore very important, and this is an area the department needs to improve on if it is to reach more people. Many potential recipients are either illiterate or do not have access to this information, and this must be borne in mind when attempting to reach them.
The human resources of the department and its agencies are probably the most important assets that they have. They deal directly with the recipients of grants and are therefore in a perfect position to assist with the dissemination of information as well as with the identification of obstacles that are preventing them from delivering an efficient service. Also related to the issue of social grants is the problem of fraudulent claims, especially by public servants. The previous Minister did try to address this problem and we hope that the new administration will intensify these efforts until all such corruption is wiped out.
There were major flaws with the distribution of food parcels and vouchers, which were meant to assist the poor during times of extremely high food prices. There was no logic in the way that these were distributed and many people who really needed them did not receive them. The department must conduct a review of this operation and of the way in which it was administered so that the same mistakes are not repeated in the future.
In order to promote efficiency and to provide a better service, there must be increased co-ordination between this department and other departments, such as Health and Home Affairs, which also deal with social issues and impact directly on the lives of the people.
While the IFP does believe in the provision of grants, it is important that a culture of dependency is not created and that self-sufficiency and self- help are promoted. The IFP supports this Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]