Date: 25/08/2010
Source: The Presidency
Title: SA: Motlanthe: Reply to questions in the National Council of Provinces, by the Deputy President of South Africa

QUESTION 13
Mr D A Worth (DA-FS) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether, in light of the celebration of August as Women's Month, and in view of the high incidence of rape and violence against women and children, the Government has taken any steps to reduce the occurrence of such incidents; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) what measures are being taken to further ensure gender equality?
REPLY
Since 1994 one of Government's top priorities has been the eradication of violence against women and children. Government has unequivocally committed itself to reducing violence against women and children, time and time again.
Our legislative framework to protect women and children is comprehensive. These include measures to tighten the bail laws and minimum sentences for amongst others, crimes against women and children in the Domestic Violence Act and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, which brought about a comprehensive and extensive review and amendment of the law relating to sexual offences. The Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill currently before the National Assembly, in particular focuses on women and children since victims of trafficking often end up being victims of sexual exploitation and child labour.
Various government departments have put measures in place to facilitate the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act. For instance, resources have been made available for the development of policies and programmes, outreach and education, training, the hiring of personnel, the establishment of Family Court Centres and the 16 Days of Activism of No Violence against Women and Children campaigns.
The theme for this Women's Month and indeed for the entire year is "Working together for equal opportunities and progress for all women". This theme clearly highlights the need for close collaboration among all stakeholders to accelerate responses to the challenges faced by women, especially rural women, and girls and women with disabilities.
Gender-based violence is a complex societal problem that demands an integrated and multi-faceted response. We need to investigate and address both the causal and influencing factors; we need to encourage reporting; and we need to accelerate the transformation of our criminal justice system to ensure effective and successful management of cases of gender-based violence.
While a sound legislative framework exists in this country to support and protect women and children from gender-based violence, it is giving material effect to the legislative provisions that poses the greatest challenge. Much more needs to be done if we are to be successful in creating an environment where women and children can feel safe and move around freely without anxiety or fear. The focus in future needs to be more on the implementation of our laws and policies, which is not always easy, especially in the prevailing economic climate.
With respect to gender equality, Government enacted the Employment Equity Act, 55 of 1998, to achieve equity in the workplace. Such equity must be achieved through the elimination of discrimination against women and ensuring equitable representation by women in all occupational categories.
Furthermore, government adopted a target of 50% representation of women at all levels of decision making in all spheres of Government. The country is on track towards achieving this target and this is clearly reflected in both the executive and administrative levels in the country. However, the country is still facing challenges in achieving these targets in the private sector.
I thank you.
QUESTION 14
Mr M J R de Villiers (DA-WC) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the commitment that was signed by African countries in 2001 in Abuja, Nigeria, to increase their expenditure on health with up to 15%, was an agreement document between these countries; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what is the status of this agreement as an implementation document;
(2) whether South Africa formed part of the African countries that committed themselves to this agreement; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) (a) what percentage of this 15% that was committed to will be spent on HIV/Aids, (b) what percentage is currently spent on HIV/Aids, (c) where does the SA National Aids Council fit into the (i) planning and (ii) decision making on how the 15% is spent and (d) how is this expenditure implemented?
REPLY
In order to address the exceptional challenges of HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases, the Heads of State of the then Organisation of African Unity held a Special Summit in Abuja, Nigeria from 24 - 27 April 2001 specifically devoted to this issue. The Summit adopted a Declaration in which the Heads of State and Government pledged to set a target of allocating 15% of their governments' annual budgets to the improvement of the health sector.
No specific amount was pledged for HIV and AIDS. The Declaration merely stated that an appropriate and adequate portion of this amount should be put at the disposal of the National Commissions/Councils for the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and other Related Infectious Diseases
Although the Declaration is not a binding document and the 15% of the annual budget was a target, this Government is close to achieving this goal in that health expenditure as a percentage of total government spending excluding the public entities is currently in the region of 13%.
In 2009/10, over 11% of the health budget was spent on HIV and AIDS in the Public Health Sector. However, this may be an underestimate as it excludes the hospitalisation costs of people with HIV and AIDS.
The operations of the South African National AIDS Council secretariat are currently funded through the National Department of Health's budget. In addition, provinces allocate funding to support Provincial AIDS Councils and many municipalities support local AIDS Councils. It is difficult to quantify the total amount of funding that is spent on the functioning of the national, provincial and district AIDS councils. The total amount of funds set aside in the National Department of Health budget for SANAC operations for the 2010/11 financial year is R4,7 million.
Decisions regarding the SANAC programme of action and therefore expenditure are taken at many levels; at the strategic level decisions are taken by the SANAC Plenary which is chaired by the Deputy President and co-chaired by a member of civil society (currently Mark Heywood).
At an operational level decisions are taken by the CEO of SANAC (Dr Nono Simelela). At present the Secretariat is working with the National Department of Health to determine its budget requirements for the next MTEF period. The Department therefore is a conduit for funds for SANAC until it becomes an independent legal entity with its own Board.
Public sector HIV and AIDS expenditure is spent at all levels of the health system (district, province and national). In addition, all government departments have programmes aimed at HIV prevention - these programmes are co-coordinated by the Department of Public Service and Administration on behalf of government and the Department of Public Service and Administration represents all government departments as a sector in SANAC.
I thank you.
QUESTION 15
Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC-WC) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the Government has instituted any programmes to ensure that we sustain the national pride and unity that the people of South Africa and the African continent displayed during the hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup Soccer tournament; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether such programmes are currently being implemented; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether the Presidency will consider such programmes in order to enhance our shared nationhood and good citizenship; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details.
REPLY
Honourable Member, as we heard in the debate in the Joint Sitting last week, the South African government was inspired by the enthusiasm displayed by the people of this country, from all races and walks of life, in the build up to, and throughout the course of, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
To capitalise on the positive mood that prevailed in the run-up and throughout the event, the South African government is in liaison with the International Marketing Council to conceptualise a programme aimed at building on the enthusiasm of South Africans which was expressed in their cohesion as a nation, united under a common flag and anthem.
This programme will seek to develop and entrench a nation brand of "Ubuntu", of unity through our diversity, of innovation and creativity, of possibilities. A campaign has already been developed and will be launched within the next few weeks.
In addition, government supports other initiatives currently underway by the private sector which encourage South Africans to build on this spirit even after the World Cup. Some private businesses continue to infuse the flying of the National Flag in their campaigns, and we encourage others to do likewise.
We have seen the flying of the flag in the last few days, especially in the buildup to and during the Friendly match between our national football team, Bafana Bafana, and their Ghanaian counterparts, the Black Stars on 11 August 2010.
I thank you.
QUESTION 16
Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC-WC) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the Government has established any awareness programmes to encourage communities to name and shame persons who participate in criminal activities with the view of taking the fight against crime to community level and encouraging communities to reclaim positive values; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what is the level of involvement of the communities and (b) to what extent are communities encouraged to be part of the fight against crime beyond the Community Policing Forums;
(2) whether any measures are in place to ensure that this initiative does not encourage vigilantism; if not, why not; if so, what measures?
REPLY
Honourable Chief Whip, there is no awareness programme that I am aware of to specifically name and shame persons who participate in criminal activities.
Our programmes, run by the South African Police Service at National and Provincial level and through Police Stations, include as a consistent message in their engagement with communities, that crime must be reported either at the police stations or through the Crime stop telephone number.
In addition, SAPS have entered into a partnership with Primedia for the establishment of the Crime-line website and sms-line that also allows members of the public to report criminal activity through these mediums.
Encouraging communities to ''break the silence'' especially about gender-based violence and crimes against children, also forms part of the messaging used in crime awareness campaigns. Communities are also called upon to work with the Police to combat crime.
Initiatives are undertaken with the Community Police Forums but communication tools such as community radio, newspaper articles, door to door campaigns and direct engagement with stakeholder groups, for example school visits, are also used.
The awareness programmes includes specific messages to encourage communities to report crime to the SAPS and not to take the law into their own hands by becoming involved in vigilantism. Our Police act against vigilantism and ensure that such actions are publicised to serve as a deterrent to individuals in communities who want to take the law into their own hands.
The Ministry of Police through the civilian Secretariat for Police has also established a partnership unit which explores partnerships with communities and civil society.
I thank you.
QUESTION 17
Prince M M M Zulu (IFP-KZN) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the anti-poverty community projects are making the desired impact upon the lives of the poorest communities in KwaZulu-Natal; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether commitments made by the campaign to the communities have been met; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CO353E
REPLY
Honourable Member, it is always encouraging to note that Members of this House are closely following developments in the delivery and performance of government's anti-poverty programmes.
Let me state upfront that the pace of delivery is not always as fast as we desire and oftentimes the impact is not immediately visible. This however inspires us to roll-up our sleeves and work harder in order to lift our communities out of poverty.
Indeed, government has rolled out several anti-poverty initiatives in all provinces, including in KwaZulu-Natal. These range from:
* The Expanded Public Works Programme,
* Comprehensive Rural Development Programme,
* The Community Works Programme,
* The Community Development Workers Programme,
* The National Rural Youth Service Programme,
* Zibambele, Early Childhood Development and a number of other initiatives that support poor communities to earn livelihoods.
These are all in addition to the provision of free-basic services and other social protection measures that cushion people.
The cumulative effect of all these initiatives is the constant chipping away at the massive problem of poverty that we have in our midst. It is my unwavering belief that the sum total effect of these initiatives is having an impact on the lives of poor people in our country.
We are taking children to early childhood development facilities. We are ensuring that children whose parents cannot afford to pay school fees are going to school. We are ensuring that those who need Anti-Retroviral Therapy are getting the necessary medicines. We are getting communities to work for the betterment of their communities and their personal lives. We are getting our unemployed youth to work. The impact of all these initiatives cannot be measured in terms of days, weeks or months. We believe it is a long journey towards a poverty-free KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.
The commitments we have made to these communities are being met daily. I need to inform the Honourable Member that these communities are generally categorised into immediate commitments, medium-term and long-term commitments.
We ensure that immediate commitments such as taking a child to school, putting a child on a child support grant, issuing of vital registration documents, social relief of distress, health assessments, linking individuals to available opportunities are fulfilled in the shortest possible time.
The medium-term commitments certainly take a little bit more time and so does the long-term ones. What is most important Honourable Member is that none of the commitments made by government will be ignored or remain unattended to. We will do our utmost best to follow-up on commitments made to the poor communities of KwaZulu-Natal. We will be transparent with our successes as well as challenges confronted in fulfilling the commitments.
We have delivered on some of the commitments we have made to the poor communities of KwaZulu-Natal and the rest of the country. We are following up on those that are outstanding. All spheres of government are aware of what needs to be done to meet all the commitments made to the poor communities. I chair an Anti-Poverty Inter-Ministerial Committee that reviews the progress we are making with our anti-poverty initiatives.
Last, but not least, I call upon the Honourable Members of this House, to join us in the fight against poverty and to monitor progress and identify where we can do better.
I thank you.
QUESTION 18
Mr M P Sibande (ANC-MP) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether South Africa will offer assistance to Somalia as reportedly expressed by the African Union; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the terms of engagement with Somalia and (b) what are the further relevant details?
REPLY:
No final decision has been made as to what South Africa's assistance to Somalia would be.
One of the most important aspects as acknowledged by the African leaders at the Kampala Summit is that a military intervention alone would not resolve the Somalia conflict. A comprehensive approach that addresses the political process, security and piracy is needed. As a result, it is crucial that a search for a comprehensive all-inclusive solution be stepped up.
The major challenge is broadening participation in the Somali political process to include an overwhelming number of parties that will lead to an all-inclusive ceasefire agreement. This has to be done in cooperation with other African partners, in particular the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - an organisation to which Somalia belongs.
The African Union, through the Chair of the Commission, approached South Africa to assist in relation to the contribution of troops, provision of equipment to support the troops, assistance to the maritime component, or funding for the peace mission, all of which would have financial and human resources implications for South Africa. In view of these implications, it is important that the matter first be discussed by Cabinet, before a decision is taken.
In the meantime, South Africa will consult with other interested parties on Somalia, like the IGAD countries and the African Union Mission in Somalia, on how best to support the political process and to find a lasting solution in Somalia.
I thank you.