Hon. Speaker, Hon. Members of Parliament and guests in the gallery.

Jos for the unemployed and more famously “a chicken in every pot” were political slogans in the 1930s in America.

Slogans that could just as well be used in South Africans today where 8.4 million people are unemployed and approximately 17 million people receive grants.

Dit is die 17 miljoen mense wat sosiale toelaes ontvang en spesifiek die 12 miljoen kinders wat die R350 kindertoelaag ontvang wat die fokus is van hierdie toespraak.

94% van hierdie Department se begroting word gepsandeer op toelaes en alhoewel R140 biljoen na baie geld klink is dit te min.

Kinders wat sosiale toelaes ontvang vorm gewoonlik deel uit van groter gesinne wat betaan uit vroue. ‘n Algemene senario in SA bv is ‘n gesin van vyf wat bestaan uit n ouma (wat nog te jonk is om n bejaarde toelaag te ontvang), haar eie twee dogters wat werkloos is en hulle kinders wat die kinder toelaag van R350 ontvang. M.a.w. ‘n familie van 5 wat lewe van R700.

‘n Voedsame kosmandjie vir n gesin van 5 kos R 3 585. So ‘n gesin kan dus nie aan hulle basiese voedingsbehoeftes voldoen nie, om nie eers te praat van die res nie. Belangrik om in ag te neem is dat wanvoeding permanente ontwikkelingsagterstande veroorsaak.

‘n Verhoging in die kindertoelaag kan hierdie situasie voorkom. Verder kan dit positiewe impak op kinders se gesondheid, opvoeding en gedrag verhoog.

The fact that it is not done is indicative of the ANC true uncaring nature and that they themselves believe the many of myths that surround the child grant.

Myths such as: It increases pregnancy, it increases dependency and the money is wasted. These myths has been repeatedly disproved by social researchers.

Most importantly, however the ANC wants us to believe that significant grant increases cannot be afforded. It can. The ANC just uses this money to build Nkandla and support their lavish lifestyles. A classic example is Premier Sylvia Lucas who spent R50 000 on KFC in 10 weeks.

The ANC wastes money that can fund grant increases on corrupt contracts, programmes that don’t have an impact and so the list goes on.

DA will be promoting a significant increase in social grants during the mid-term budget adjustments.  In a country in which unemployment has become a fixed condition, grant increases are necessary for immediate poverty alleviation. It is not to shift focus on economic growth, job creation and education, but to augment it.

Children are starving today….and it is for them that the Hon. Minister should cry next time – the 12 million children who cannot have a hot chocolate on a cold day, their mothers who cannot buy them a  small toy and all those other grant beneficiaries who cannot afford a chicken in a pot on Sundays.