Date: 22/06/2004
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: Z Skweyiya: Briefing on Social Development Budget Vote, NCOP
MINISTER'S MEDIA BRIEFING ON THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES BUDGET VOTE SPEECH, Parliament, Cape Town, 22 June 2004
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Purpose of this briefing today is to outline key elements of my Budget Vote 19 Speech for 2004 - 2005 that I will deliver at the National Council of Provinces this afternoon at 14:00.
I also want to take this opportunity to make an important announcement relating to what we have decided on the future of the Noupoort Christian Care Centre for rehabilitation of Drug Addicts, which has been embroiled in numerous controversies including the allegations of gross violation of human rights over the past three years.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been given a mandate to fight poverty and unemployment, and ensure that all South Africans, especially the most vulnerable, are enabled to fully exercise their constitutional rights by enjoying the full dignity of freedom through a caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitate human development and improve the quality of life of all of our people. This applies especially to children, youth, women, older people, and people with disabilities.
The provision of social security to the most vulnerable as one of the Department and government's biggest poverty alleviation programmes, will be critical in that direction. I am pleased therefore pleased to report that the process of establishing the National Social Security Agency is now well underway and, as President Thabo Mbeki has announced, it will be operational from April 2005.
The objective of the Agency will to ensure effective and efficient provision of these critical social services and reduce rampant corruption. Work is currently underway to finalise budgets for social grants over the MTEF period; ring-fence and separate the social grants function from other services provided by the provincial departments of Social Development; and reorganise the provincial departments to give greater and more comprehensive focus on other social welfare responsibilities. This work will be completed by the end of the financial year.
Our strategy to transform and enhance social welfare services includes: the retention strategy for social workers and the development of associated social service professions, the upgrading of the salary levels for social work professionals, the proposed introduction of incentives for professionals working in rural areas, the development of an appropriate service delivery model, a financing policy framework for the granting of financial awards to non-governmental organisations and faith based organisations that render statutory welfare services. The current policy does not provide enough resources to welfare institutions to enable them to employ qualified staff and deal with issues of child-care and HIV and AIDS.
Enhancing access to social grants continues to be a top priority for the Department. The sector is currently conducting a campaign to register children under the age of eleven years who qualified from 1 April this year for the Child Support Grant. We expect an additional 3.2 million children to also receive the child support grant, thereby bringing the total number of children in the system to over 7 million by March 2006.
Ladies and Gentlemen, government presented a package of four social development Bills to the previous parliament. The research, drafting, public participation processes, and re-drafting of these four bills had been on-going for more than four years prior to their presentation to parliament.
We want to ensure that the Children and the Older Persons Bills are speedily passed by this parliament.
Another area of focus is enhancing food security amongst the most vulnerable households. During this year the Department will be working to standardise the use of stakeholder forums in the identification of households so as to ensure that deserving beneficiaries are not disadvantaged for any reason to receive in-kind emergency food relief. In this regard we call for an unhindered process of identification of beneficiary households. The Department in conjunction with the provinces will also be investigating all contracted service providers to ensure that the food parcels that are distributed contain foodstuffs to the value of R300 as required and that the contents constitute a balanced nutritional diet. Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that some of the service providers are not complying with this requirement.
In order to ensure the sustainability and the ultimate independence of the beneficiaries of food parcels, the provision of agricultural starter packs and the linking of households to food production initiatives, remain a critical element of the Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme that will be given even more attention during this year.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the second joint programme of the Cabinet Clusters that I will bring to the attention of the NCOP is the Expanded Public Works Programme. Government's expanded public works programme in the social cluster is aimed at expanding social services, enhancing skills and creating work opportunities. In the short term, the programme focuses on enhancing Early Childhood Development (ECD) services and the provision of Home and Community Based Care services in which we want to ensure that pre-school children are given the necessary attention they deserve.
Furthermore, the Department is also co-ordinating an umbrella research project on the impact of HIV and AIDS on social service provision in government.
Our sector will also give particular focus on developing skills and work opportunities for young people.
By March 2005, the Department will have developed unit standards for young people working in the community and youth sectors. We will work through not-for-profit organisations to enhance the utilisation of the Umsobomvu Fund and ensure the broadening of the base of the Black Economic Empowerment process. This will require much closer collaboration between the National Development Agency and the Umsobomvu Fund.
Our efforts at social integration also require that we pay particular attention to services for people with disabilities. The Department is in the process of developing national norms and standards on service delivery to people with disabilities. This year, together with the Health Department and the Presidency we will be finalising the procedures for the granting of the disability grant based on a common definition of disability that encompasses the elements suggested by the World Health Organisation.
The issue of drug and substance abuse will receive even more attention this year especially with regard to its impact on the youth. We will receive intensify awareness campaigns; contribute to moral regeneration; finalise norms and standards for treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts and ensure that treatment centres are registered, function in accordance with the constitution, respect human rights and operate in terms of good governance principles.
In this regard, I want to report that my Department has decided not to grant the application for permanent registration to the Noupoort Christian Care Centre. Consequently, in accordance with the rules of natural justice, I am sending a note to the Directors of that Centre to request them to furnish me with reasons as to why the Centre should not be closed.
The Task Team convened by the Director General found the following critical issues that are of serious concern to the government in the general and the Department in particular. Some of these issues are:
* Gross violation of constitutional and human rights continuing in the NCCC despite the fact that the Centre had been given temporary registration over the last two years with the proviso that it conducted its rehabilitation programmes to drug addicts in line with the country's constitution and respect for human rights
* Non-compliance with the legislative prescripts including the Child Care Act
* The centre was not working inline with the Norms and Standards set for the operation of such centres.
The TT came to this conclusion after conducting a sterling work between 17 and 18 June 2004 in which they interviewed amongst others the management and staff of the NCCC, NCCC Board members the Noupoort Magistrate, the SAPS, interviewed members of staff.
I take this opportunity to thank the team and hope that the parents and communities will co-operate with us in this endeavour.
I thank you
For more information contact:
Mbulelo Musi
Tel: (012) 312 7654
Cell: 082 904 3395
Fax: (012) 312 7943
E-mail: Mbulelo.Musi@socdev.gov.za
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
22 June 2004
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: Z Skweyiya: Briefing on Social Development Budget Vote, NCOP
MINISTER'S MEDIA BRIEFING ON THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES BUDGET VOTE SPEECH, Parliament, Cape Town, 22 June 2004
Ladies and Gentlemen
The Purpose of this briefing today is to outline key elements of my Budget Vote 19 Speech for 2004 - 2005 that I will deliver at the National Council of Provinces this afternoon at 14:00.
I also want to take this opportunity to make an important announcement relating to what we have decided on the future of the Noupoort Christian Care Centre for rehabilitation of Drug Addicts, which has been embroiled in numerous controversies including the allegations of gross violation of human rights over the past three years.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have been given a mandate to fight poverty and unemployment, and ensure that all South Africans, especially the most vulnerable, are enabled to fully exercise their constitutional rights by enjoying the full dignity of freedom through a caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitate human development and improve the quality of life of all of our people. This applies especially to children, youth, women, older people, and people with disabilities.
The provision of social security to the most vulnerable as one of the Department and government's biggest poverty alleviation programmes, will be critical in that direction. I am pleased therefore pleased to report that the process of establishing the National Social Security Agency is now well underway and, as President Thabo Mbeki has announced, it will be operational from April 2005.
The objective of the Agency will to ensure effective and efficient provision of these critical social services and reduce rampant corruption. Work is currently underway to finalise budgets for social grants over the MTEF period; ring-fence and separate the social grants function from other services provided by the provincial departments of Social Development; and reorganise the provincial departments to give greater and more comprehensive focus on other social welfare responsibilities. This work will be completed by the end of the financial year.
Our strategy to transform and enhance social welfare services includes: the retention strategy for social workers and the development of associated social service professions, the upgrading of the salary levels for social work professionals, the proposed introduction of incentives for professionals working in rural areas, the development of an appropriate service delivery model, a financing policy framework for the granting of financial awards to non-governmental organisations and faith based organisations that render statutory welfare services. The current policy does not provide enough resources to welfare institutions to enable them to employ qualified staff and deal with issues of child-care and HIV and AIDS.
Enhancing access to social grants continues to be a top priority for the Department. The sector is currently conducting a campaign to register children under the age of eleven years who qualified from 1 April this year for the Child Support Grant. We expect an additional 3.2 million children to also receive the child support grant, thereby bringing the total number of children in the system to over 7 million by March 2006.
Ladies and Gentlemen, government presented a package of four social development Bills to the previous parliament. The research, drafting, public participation processes, and re-drafting of these four bills had been on-going for more than four years prior to their presentation to parliament.
We want to ensure that the Children and the Older Persons Bills are speedily passed by this parliament.
Another area of focus is enhancing food security amongst the most vulnerable households. During this year the Department will be working to standardise the use of stakeholder forums in the identification of households so as to ensure that deserving beneficiaries are not disadvantaged for any reason to receive in-kind emergency food relief. In this regard we call for an unhindered process of identification of beneficiary households. The Department in conjunction with the provinces will also be investigating all contracted service providers to ensure that the food parcels that are distributed contain foodstuffs to the value of R300 as required and that the contents constitute a balanced nutritional diet. Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that some of the service providers are not complying with this requirement.
In order to ensure the sustainability and the ultimate independence of the beneficiaries of food parcels, the provision of agricultural starter packs and the linking of households to food production initiatives, remain a critical element of the Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme that will be given even more attention during this year.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the second joint programme of the Cabinet Clusters that I will bring to the attention of the NCOP is the Expanded Public Works Programme. Government's expanded public works programme in the social cluster is aimed at expanding social services, enhancing skills and creating work opportunities. In the short term, the programme focuses on enhancing Early Childhood Development (ECD) services and the provision of Home and Community Based Care services in which we want to ensure that pre-school children are given the necessary attention they deserve.
Furthermore, the Department is also co-ordinating an umbrella research project on the impact of HIV and AIDS on social service provision in government.
Our sector will also give particular focus on developing skills and work opportunities for young people.
By March 2005, the Department will have developed unit standards for young people working in the community and youth sectors. We will work through not-for-profit organisations to enhance the utilisation of the Umsobomvu Fund and ensure the broadening of the base of the Black Economic Empowerment process. This will require much closer collaboration between the National Development Agency and the Umsobomvu Fund.
Our efforts at social integration also require that we pay particular attention to services for people with disabilities. The Department is in the process of developing national norms and standards on service delivery to people with disabilities. This year, together with the Health Department and the Presidency we will be finalising the procedures for the granting of the disability grant based on a common definition of disability that encompasses the elements suggested by the World Health Organisation.
The issue of drug and substance abuse will receive even more attention this year especially with regard to its impact on the youth. We will receive intensify awareness campaigns; contribute to moral regeneration; finalise norms and standards for treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts and ensure that treatment centres are registered, function in accordance with the constitution, respect human rights and operate in terms of good governance principles.
In this regard, I want to report that my Department has decided not to grant the application for permanent registration to the Noupoort Christian Care Centre. Consequently, in accordance with the rules of natural justice, I am sending a note to the Directors of that Centre to request them to furnish me with reasons as to why the Centre should not be closed.
The Task Team convened by the Director General found the following critical issues that are of serious concern to the government in the general and the Department in particular. Some of these issues are:
* Gross violation of constitutional and human rights continuing in the NCCC despite the fact that the Centre had been given temporary registration over the last two years with the proviso that it conducted its rehabilitation programmes to drug addicts in line with the country's constitution and respect for human rights
* Non-compliance with the legislative prescripts including the Child Care Act
* The centre was not working inline with the Norms and Standards set for the operation of such centres.
The TT came to this conclusion after conducting a sterling work between 17 and 18 June 2004 in which they interviewed amongst others the management and staff of the NCCC, NCCC Board members the Noupoort Magistrate, the SAPS, interviewed members of staff.
I take this opportunity to thank the team and hope that the parents and communities will co-operate with us in this endeavour.
I thank you
For more information contact:
Mbulelo Musi
Tel: (012) 312 7654
Cell: 082 904 3395
Fax: (012) 312 7943
E-mail: Mbulelo.Musi@socdev.gov.za
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
22 June 2004
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