Agb Voorsitter, daar is 'n gesegde wat lui: "'n Regering wat nie na sy kinders, oumense en die behoeftiges in die gemeenskap kan omsien nie, is nie werd om te regeer nie."
Net so onverantwoordelik as wat dit is om die weerloses aan hul lot oor te laat, net so onverantwoordelik en kortsigtig is dit om 'n kultuur van totale afhanklikheid van die staat daar te stel. Wat ek onverskoonbaar en onvergeeflik vind, en wat my in der waarheid met afsku vervul, is hoe hierdie weerloosheid en hopelose afhanklikheid deur die regerende party gedurende verkiesingstyd uitgebuit word om stemme te werf.
Dit is so seker soos "amen" in die kerk dat die volgende kospakkies weer oor twee jaar, net voor die munisipale verkiesings, uitgedeel sal word. Wat 'n gewetenlose uitbuiting van die weerloses in ons land! Dit is iets waaroor die ANC regtig hul koppe in skaamte moet laat sak.
Die R500 miljoen wat verlede jaar deur ons agb minister Skweyiya vrygestel is om onder ons nege provinsies verdeel te word, was inderdaad goeie buit vir die afgelope verkiesing. My kiesafdeling - Witzenberg - is 'n seisoenale gebied, waarin bykans die helfte van die 48 000 inwoners aan erge armoede gekoppel is. En hulle kon net lippe aflek vir hierdie "freebie". Dit sou nogal interessant wees om te weet hoe hierdie verdeling deur provinsies aangewend is, Minister. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Ms H LAMOELA: Hon Chairperson, there is a saying that goes: "A government that does not care for its children, the elderly and the needy in society, is not worthy to govern."
Just as irresponsible as it is to leave the defenceless to their fate, it is likewise irresponsible and short-sighted to create a culture of total dependence on the state. What I find inexcusable and unforgivable, and what in truth horrifies me, is how this defencelessness and utter dependence are exploited by the ruling party during elections to canvass for votes.
What is as certain as "amen" in church is that the next distribution of food parcels will be in two years time, just before the municipal elections. What unscrupulous exploitation of the defenceless in our country! This is really something about which the ANC should hang its head in shame.
The R500 million that was released by our hon Minister Skweyiya last year to be distributed among our nine provinces was in fact excellent loot for the recent election. My constituency - Witzenberg - is a seasonal area, where almost half of the 48 000 residents are subjected to abject poverty. And they could only lick their lips for this "freebie". It would be rather interesting to know how this distribution was applied by the provinces, Minister.]
A self-reliant society is not dependent on hand-outs, but uses opportunities offered to maximise the benefits.
Ten spyte van baie uitdagings, het die departement tog probeer om die grondwetlike regte van kinders en minderbevoorregtes te beskerm en uit te leef - deur kindertoelae, ander toelae en pensioene.
Tekorte aan personeel, vakante poste en fondse kelder egter dienslewering, en aansoeke om kindertoelae in die Wes-Kaap alleen is tussen 2 000 en 3 000 per maand. Wagperiodes is enigiets tussen 21 dae en drie maande en binnekort is ons weer spoedig terug na wagperiodes van maande lank.
Wat het van die edele voorneme "Walk in, Walk out" geword, waar aansoeke veronderstel was om slegs 'n dag te neem, sou alle nodige dokumentasie in plek wees? (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[In spite of the many challenges, the department did try to protect and promote the constitutional rights of children and the under-privileged - through grants for children, other grants and pensions.
However, staff shortages, vacant posts and a lack of funds are hampering service delivery and between 2 000 and 3 000 applications for child grants are lodged per month in the Western Cape alone. The waiting period is anywhere between 21 days and three months and before long we will be back to waiting periods that last for months.
What became of the noble intention to "Walk in, Walk out", where, should all the documentation be in place, applications were only supposed to take a day?]
At present, 13 million South African citizens are living on social grants. That is about 25% of our population. Migration to provinces, especially the Western Cape, impacts heavily on our budgets, and I would suggest that funds from provinces follow those that migrate to other provinces.
The department relies heavily on social workers to identify needy children and channel support to them, but the shortage of social workers is so great that this is an unworkable solution. A costing exercise for the Children's Act in 2007 already revealed that if the Act were to be properly implemented, there would be a 97% shortfall in the number of social workers required. [Interjections.] Our government thus needs to initiate a campaign to improve working conditions, pay and perceptions about social work as a career.
Tans is my grootste kommer die uitwerking van ons huidige resessie, toename in welsyntoelaes en verliese aan werkgeleenthede wat ons nou in die gesig staar. Hoe lank sal ons nog in staat wees om deur hierdie toelaes na behoeftiges se nood om te sien? Deesdae vind ons dat jong meisies en vroue verslaaf is aan staatshulp om in hul kinders se daaglikse behoeftes te voorsien.
Waarom laat ons toe dat vaders wat kinders verwek nie hul verantwoordelikheid nakom nie? Hoe bemagtig jy 'n vrou wat vir 18-35 jaar slegs deur staatshulp aan die lewe gebly het? Wat word van haar menswaardigheid, selfstandigheid en morele uitkyk op die lewe? Hierdie stand van sake, soos uiteengesit, plaas geweldige druk op Sassa en die groot finansile tekorte kan die situasie vererger en dienslewering belemmer.
Hier moet ek seker ook nou sommer vra watter persentasie van Sassa se administratiewe begroting, veral van die afgelope boekjaar, aan All Pay bestee word? Aan wie behoort All Pay? Wie is die aandeelhouers? (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[At present my greatest concern is the impact of our current recession, the increase in social grants and the job losses that we are now facing. For how long will we still be in a position to take care of the needs of those who are indigent through these grants? Nowadays we find that young girls and women are dependent on government assistance to provide for the daily needs of their children.
Why do we allow fathers who have sired children not to honour their responsibility? How do you empower a woman who has subsisted for 18-35 years through government assistance only? What happens to her human dignity, independence and moral perspective on life? This state of affairs, as explained, puts enormous pressure on the South African Social Security Agency, Sassa, and the huge financial shortfalls could aggravate the situation and hamper service delivery.
Here I should also just ask, what percentage of Sassa's administrative budget, especially in the past financial year, has been spent on All Pay? To whom does All Pay belong? Who are the shareholders?]
The Independent Tribunal for Social Assistance Appeals is experiencing severe backlogs and, in some cases, applicants need to wait for up to two years before outcomes are processed. Quite soon we will also have a dilemma surrounding extension orders for foster care grants as these need to be updated in time - and this is done every second year, to allow grants to be paid to beneficiaries.
Nongovernmental organisations do superb work. They are the actual organisations implementing legislation at grass-roots level. They are the organisations caring for abused, neglected, HIV and Aids-infected women and orphaned children, with little or no resources. The work they do is praiseworthy and needs to be recognised. I, therefore, call on government to provide resources and finances, especially to those well-run and sustainable entities, in order to enable them to fill the gap left by governmental institutions.
Ek is 'n groot voorstander van geletterdheid en glo stellig dat kundigheid en kundigheid alleen armoede kan verlig, omdat die uitwerking daarvan langdurig is.
Die DA stel dus voor dat ons intens in opleiding vir ons kinders, jeug en ouer gardes bel en sodoende geleidelik wegbeweeg van 'n staatsondersteunde stelsel na 'n selfonderhoudende gemeenskap. Die Afrikaanse spreekwoord lui tog: "'n Mens moet in die somer hout bymekaar maak om in die winter langs die vuur te sit". [Tussenwerpsels.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[I am a great advocate for literacy and firmly believe that education and only education can alleviate poverty, as the impact thereof is long-term.
Thus, the DA proposes that we invest intensively in the education of our children, the youth and the elderly and in this way gradually move away from a system of government support to a self-reliant society. The Afrikaans proverb goes: "'n Mens moet in die somer hout bymekaar maak om in die winter langs die vuur te sit" [One has to collect wood in summer to sit by the fire in winter.] [Interjections.]]