Budget Vote speech by the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Dr Jean Swanson-Jacobs, to the National Assembly, Cape Town

Madam Speaker
Honourable Minister of Social Development
Honourable Members of Parliament
MECs for Social Development
Distinguished guests
Representatives of civil society and members of the community present here today
Ladies and gentlemen

The aim of the Department of Social Development is to ensure the provision of comprehensive, integrated sustainable and quality social developmental services against vulnerability and poverty, and to create an enabling environment for sustainable development, in partnership with those committed to building a caring society. Vote 16 reaffirms the commitment of this government to build a South Africa that cares for all those who are vulnerable, including women, children, unemployed youth and the elderly.

Madam Speaker, yesterday in celebration of Child Protection week, I was invited to speak at the launch of a campaign by Childline and the SABC aimed at encouraging boys to speak out about abuse. I want to commend Childline and the SABC for this initiative which recognises the reality that the protection of the rights of children is indeed a national challenge which cannot adequately be dealt with only by the state. The campaign is informed by research which confirmed that boys are subjected to very abusive behaviour such as sexual violence, emotional and physical abuse. It aims to dispel the myths that boys should be macho and should not cry or speak out about their pain. It is a positive campaign meant to celebrate our "freedom generation" and the ways in which many South Africans have embraced the equality concept where race, gender, sexual orientation, class... (and now we have to add national origin), do not feature in their relationships. This campaign served to remind me, that in spite of the recent outbreaks of violence perpetrated by young people "born free" against our brothers and sisters from the rest of Africa, that the majority of South Africans have been shamed by this behaviour and have actively shown their disapproval through peaceful mass demonstrations. In this regard I want to state categorically that nothing justifies violent and criminal behaviour towards fellow human beings.

Many fingers have pointed towards government's failure to deliver to the poor. However, those in civil society and the private sector who work closely with government in delivering social services will attest to the fact that, although we will continue to face the challenges of poverty, a major part of the policies and programs of this government, at home and on the continent are geared towards the combating of poverty. I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to the families of those who have lost their lives and possessions in recent violent attacks on fellow Africans in our townships which have left many people homeless, and vulnerable. In this regard, government in partnership with civil society and private sector organisations is co-ordinating relief efforts and providing essential welfare services to ensure the welfare of those affected remains a priority. I want to commend all the volunteers who have opened their hearts and continue to work endlessly to bring our country back to normality.

Ladies and gentlemen, Budget Vote 16 under the theme: Giving the world a human face reflects the seriousness with which government has set about addressing poverty in this country. Expenditure trends indicate that total expenditure grew at an average annual rate of 12.1 per cent between 2004/05 and 2007/08 and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 10.4 per cent over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period. The provision for social assistance makes up the largest portion of the budget, approximately 93% (R70.7 billion) in 2008/09. Other large transfers in 2008/09 include R4.5 billion to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), R136 million to the National Development Agency (NDA), R105 million for social work bursaries and R41 million to Love Life. In our endeavour to improve developmental welfare services, expenditure for Programme 3: Policy Development, Review and Implementation Support for Welfare Services grew at an average annual rate of 71.3 percent between 2004/05 and 2007/08, and 2010/11. The strong growth is mainly because of the introduction and rapid expansion of the social work scholarships in 2007/08 and more personnel to do policy and legislation work and to provide oversight and leadership to provinces on welfare service delivery.

Access to social welfare services

Chairperson, welfare programmes creates an enabling environment for the delivery of integrated developmental social services in partnership with all relevant stakeholders. The adoption of the White Paper for Social Welfare signalled the dawning of a new era: the shift from a welfarist to a social development approach. Let me highlight achievements and challenges with regard to welfare services

Services to older persons

Results of the census data (2001) indicates that the majority of older persons predominantly reside in the three provinces that are classified as poor and largely rural areas, namely: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces. Consequently, the socio-economic conditions within which most of the older persons live are highly unacceptable. To most of them, old age pension is their only source of income.

The Older Persons Act No. 13 of 2006 acknowledges and addresses the changing roles of older persons in families and society. The Act among other things promotes the status and well-being, and protection of older persons, combats abuse of older persons and regulates residential facilities and services to older persons to ensure they enjoy quality of life.

Honourable members, you will agree with me that the provision of old age pension on its own is not adequate. This needs to be complemented by the provision of developmental social services. In this regard, we have developed regulations to the Older Persons Act which will be proclaimed during the course of the current financial year.

The Department is leading a multi-sectoral team to finalise the South African Plan of Action on Ageing. This plan is informed by the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing. To kick start the implementation of the plan, we have allocated 7 million to fast track provision of services. I am concerned that this budget allocation represents only a fraction of resources needed to adequately address the challenges I have mentioned.

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is an ever-increasing challenge facing families and communities globally and within the South African context. The complex nature of this phenomenon requires that we move beyond the traditional approach of focusing on treatment only and more on promoting early intervention, prevention and healthy lifestyles. In this regard we have intensified the Ke Moja Anti Drug Awareness Campaign, to include cultural, sports and religious programs which target in and out of school youth and divert them to programmes that will explore their talents. To ensure effective interdepartmental coordination, a National Steering Committee, chaired by the National Youth Commission and made up of key government departments and partners was established by the Central Drug Authority.

The campaign is intended to target 900 primary school learners and 25 000 parents and youth. Accordingly we have allocated R13 million to tackle the scourge of substance abuse. The allocation represents a significant increase of 57.2 % and is commendable.

Honourable Members, crucial to the successful implementation of the National Drug Master Plan is the development of the mini drug master plans of each department and the finalisation of the Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Bill, which is being processed as I speak. To this end, we hope the Portfolio Committee of the NA and the Standing Committee of the NCOP will move swiftly and decisively to finalise the process before the end of the current financial year.
I take this opportunity to thank all those who have made submissions on the Bill and call for more community based inputs as we strive to finalise the process.

Services to people with disabilities

Madam Speaker, people with disabilities are amongst the most vulnerable members of our communities. Data from the Community Survey (2007) indicates that they constitute 4% of the total South African population. In our quest to give the world a human face and ensure the integration of people with disabilities in the mainstream of society, we have finalised a policy on disability. The ultimate goal of the policy is to ensure universal access and removal of all cultural, physical, social and other barriers that prevent people with disabilities from entering, using or benefiting from the various systems of society that are available to other citizens.

During the course of the current financial year, we will roll out training on minimum standards to ensure the provision of quality services that respond to the needs of people with disabilities in residential facilities. For this purpose we have put aside R4 million to speed up the process. The total emancipation, empowerment and provision of developmental social services to people with disabilities requires the concerted efforts of government, civil society, communities and the business sector.

Professionalisation and recognition of child and youth care workers

Honourable Members, the need to retain the current pool of social service professionals and recruit more is imperative in light of the new pieces of legislation that have been promulgated. Central to the effective implementation of this legislation is the training and employment of a cadre of child and youth care workers who play a significant role in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children. In 2006 I had the opportunity to address delegates at the National Association of Child Care Workers' Biennial Conference and I witnessed their valuable contribution in communities.

The South African Council for Social Service Professions submitted the Regulations regarding the registration of child and youth care workers, to the Minister of Social Development for consideration and approval. The regulations will allow for the registration of child and youth care workers at auxiliary level with the Council. I am well aware of some concerns raised regarding this issue and I am convinced that the proposed consultative process that the Council will be embarking on will address these concerns and bring the matter to finality.

HIV and AIDS

Honourable Members, we have strengthened our interventions to mitigate the spread of HIV and AIDS. There are 1 700 home community based care organisations that render psychosocial support to children and families affected by HIV and AIDS. The Department played a critical role in the National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS and STI 2007-2011 and we have since developed an implementation plan specific to our mandate.

We will transfer R41 million to love Life to implement prevention programmes targeting young people including those in rural and farming areas. In addition, we will strengthen the implementation of Home Community Based Care (HCBC) programmes, especially the provision of psychosocial support services and the roll out of the monitoring and evaluation system. Recognising the need to address gender dynamics in our interventions, we will finalise and implement prevention programmes that recognise the gender aspect in HIV and AIDS

Gender

Chairperson, South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). I am concerned as a woman, that 14 years into democracy we still constitute a large percentage of people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS, victims of domestic violence and the majority of people living in poverty are women. On a positive note, women form the backbone of social development. We are making significant inroads in ensuring the mainstreaming of gender into our intervention programmes such as Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP), HCBC and Early Childhood Development (ECD). Part of our strategy is to develop and implement prevention programs that recognise the gender aspect in HIV and AIDS.

Honourable Members, development is about improving the well-being of our people. It is about understanding the experiences of the people behind the statistics on poverty and HIV and AIDS and responding in a humane way that affirms their dignity. Our programmes have restored the dignity of millions of people in this country, from the remote rural areas of Idutywa in the Eastern Cape to the dusty streets of Makwarela village in Limpopo.

Budget vote 16 is the confirmation of our commitment to address the issues at the core of development. Government would certainly not be able to deliver the services, if it were not for the compassion and efforts of civil society with whom we have formed partnerships. Let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to members of civil society for their tireless efforts in addressing the needs of vulnerable South Africans. I salute these unsung heroes and heroines in our communities who work tirelessly in the endeavour to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and uncared for.

Honourable Members, let me conclude by extending my heartfelt appreciation to my colleague, Dr Zola Skweyiya, Members of the Executive Committee for Social Development, members of the Portfolio Committee, the Director General, the CEOs of SASSA and NDA and all the staff of the Department of Social Development and public entities in their respective units and provinces for the positive contribution they have made to our work. I wish to express my thanks for their support in ensuring that our policies make a meaningful contribution to the lives of all our people.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Social Development
30 May 2008