Date: 12/11/2008

Source: Department of Social Development, Gauteng Provincial Government

Title: SA: Nkomfe: Quarterly media briefing by the MEC for Social Development in Gauteng, Kgaokgelo Lekgoro

When measuring our achievements and whether we achieved what we set for ourselves in year 2004 we do so against Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy adopted in 2006

As Social Development we anchor our contribution to government work on the first objective of the growth and development strategy which is to provide social infrastructure and services that will build sustainable communities.

Our role is further amplified in the Gauteng Social Development strategy under strategic lever one on Social Cohesion, Strategic lever six on building sustainable communities, strategic lever eight on the most vulnerable in society and strategic lever nine on integrated poverty alleviation.

In our work we are also guided by the fact that we must capacitate ourselves continuously in order to meet the challenges that will arise as a result of the eventuality of a global city region.

I wish to draw your attention to our focus on children, the elderly, and substance abuse.

Children

The department has a number of interventions in fighting child poverty. Children bear the brunt of this scourge as it damages their development potential irreparably. Interventions directed at children have the potential of breaking the intergenerational poverty. Our response to putting the children first is integrated, interdepartmental, intergovernmental and incorporates the private sector and civil society.

Bana Pele, the department is working in collaboration with other provincial departments to ensure the provision of a 'comprehensive package of services' under the 'Bana Pele' programme for children from ages zero to fourteen.

Comprehensive Services provided by the various departments under the programme include:
* Exemption from the payment of the school fees - 310 881 quintile 1 primary school children;
* No fees schools - 399 313 children are being accommodated in these schools;
* School nutrition - 526 000 children;
* Provision of school uniform - for children in Grade 1: 85 774 children are beneficiaries;
* Scholar transport (children living more than five kilometres from school)-46 000 children benefiting;
* Free health services; and
* Child support or foster care grants - 972 060 grants

Early Childhood Development (ECD)

The department currently subsidises 540 registered ECD facilities. A total of 36 399 children are beneficiaries under these ECD programme as at the second quarter 2008/09.

Foster care

The number of children receiving foster care grants has increased from 32 950 in 2004/05 to 56 701 children as at June this year.

It is a legal requirement that we go through a court process to place a child under foster care. As a result, it takes us six months to process a case. In our opinion the court system take long and not helping us to attend to foster care speedily. To this end we have put it before our legislature to assist in examining whether South Africa should not find an alternative legal practicable way to place a child under foster care.

HIV/AIDS

The department's responsibility in this regard is to bring relief to children and persons who are infected and affected.

In partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the department has set up 177 community home based care projects catering for;
* 17 520 beneficiaries receiving food parcels;
* 62 359 beneficiaries receiving cooked food;
* 3 032 orphaned and vulnerable children referred to alternative care;
* 3 709 orphaned and venerable children referred to social Grants; and
* 7 721 older persons received services.

Services to older persons

Services for older persons aim to protect them against any form of abuse, to safeguard their rights and to ensure that they age with dignity. The department offers services which include residential facilities and day care centres.

As I always say if all were equal each community deserves an old age home. But the reality of our past is that black communities were denied these amenities. This resulted in a situation where this right is enjoyed more by the white section of our elderly and to a very less extend by the black section of our elderly. It will take us many years or a number of decades to redress this. We have begun to construct one or two new old age homes in these black communities from one financial year to the next.

We have also started to erect day care centres to provide the elderly with the opportunity of coming together during daytime for pleasure, attention to their health, counselling, recreation and other activities that will fulfil their lives.

We fund 85 homes benefiting 6 334 elderly people. Over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) the Department plans to build six (6) homes in different townships.

Substance abuse, prevention and rehabilitation

Our province continues to experience increased levels of people using and abusing substance, alcohol being the most abused and then followed by dagga. The major part of this abuse is in the townships

We have established local drug committees in different areas to encourage community involvement in fighting substance abuse.

We are also focusing on establishing treatment centres in townships as an effort to redress the historic neglect of these areas.

Social infrastructure

In general there is poverty of social amenities in our communities and it is even more so in the townships. This has an impact on services we wish to render to the different categories of vulnerable groups. Where you service a vulnerable child, elderly person or someone abusing substance you need a facility to work from.

I am happy to announce that the long journey in realising a revamp on this area has earnestly begun. We have begun rolling the necessary infrastructure to meet our service delivery imperatives in servicing children, the elderly and people abusing substance.

During this financial year we will be involved in the construction of proto-type social development facilities in the various 20 prioritised townships throughout the Province. These facilities include 16 ECD sites, two outpatient substance abuse treatment centres, six day care centres for the aged, two day care centres for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and one old age home.

Over the MTEF we plan to construct 53 sites. These include 21 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, 16 day care centres for the aged, three old age homes, five outpatient substance abuse treatment centres and eight day care centres for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

This venture is done in partnership with municipalities and the Public Works, which act as implementing agents.