Date: 19/05/2006
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Launch of Dutyini Sustainable Livelihoods Pilot Project
Speech of Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya at the launch of the Dutyini pilot project on “linking grants to sustainable livelihoods and co-operatives”
Programme Director
Chief Nonyaniso Fikeni
Distinguished guests
Thank you for the invitation to launch the Pilot Project on Linking Grants to Sustainable Livelihoods and Co-operatives.
The concept was born from efforts of the department to provide holistic services in which social security, welfare services and development programmes are integrated to ensure sustainability of the livelihoods of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised.
In October 2005, the Department of Social Development undertook a campaign to facilitate the registration of qualifying children and families to receive Child Support and Foster Care Grants here in Dutyini. It was during this campaign that an opportunity to pilot the concept of ‘Linking Grants to Sustainable Livelihoods and Co-operatives’ was presented.
The design and implementation of the Dutyini Sustainable Livelihoods project has to be understood within the context of our government’s commitment to international and national development obligations to improve the quality of life of all our citizens and to halve poverty by 2015. It is by intention that my Department has chosen Dutyini, within the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, which is one of the thirteen rural nodes of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme, to pilot this project. The levels of poverty in this area are very high and as a result most of the members of this community are beneficiaries of different forms of social grants.
While appropriate social security provisioning plays a critical role in addressing the situation of the poorest of the poor, without other complementary measures, social grants are bound to lead to dependency and stigmatisation. Those affected must therefore be empowered through greater access to assets, resources and opportunities.
The exclusive objective and justifying mission of the sustainable livelihoods programme is to develop, document and replicate a development approach that can promote the restoration of grant beneficiaries as quickly as possible to self-reliance. This can be achieved through effective linkage of grants to the livelihoods strategies of beneficiaries and co-operatives.
As in other parts of the country, Dutyini was once devastated by natural disasters. However the Dutyini community has remained resilient to the course of wishing to improve their lives.
It will be improper not to acknowledge the dedication showcased by community members of Dutyini in participating in the initial stages of the Sustainable Livelihoods Pilot Project. They have sought to embrace what President Thabo Mbeki has aptly termed “the age of hope”. They have participated in ensuring that the economic upswing in our country does not benefit the rich alone but is indeed shared with all South Africans.
The success of this initiative relies mainly on the cooperation of the project members with the support from local stakeholders and government departments. It was brought to my attention that of the 59 people involved in this pilot project, all except one are women. Without being biased, it is a fact that women are more active in ensuring that the well-being of families and their communities is maintained. Let us not forget that when women marched to Pretoria fifty years ago, the history of South Africa changed for good.
The best we can do as government and other stakeholders in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the march to the Union building is to support this Silindithemba Co-operative project.
These women are continuing the rich tradition and legacy of such great leaders of our people as Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Ellen Khuzwayo, Albertina Sisulu, Adelaide Tambo and the many unnamed faithful of our struggle, the majority of whom live in the rural areas.
As we celebrate twelve years of a democratic South Africa and ten years of the founding of the Constitution, which is a huge milestone in the history of South Africa, we acknowledge that there is also a huge backlog for service delivery to the marginalised people of South Africa. On the other hand, the onus is on us as citizens of this country to inculcate the culture of taking initiatives (Vuk’uzenzele principle).
It is against this background that the “Sweat Equity Principle” which aims to promote ownership of development initiatives by beneficiaries will be tested during the implementation of this pilot project. In this regard, project beneficiaries contribute ‘in kind’ towards their development project. The foundation of this principle is based upon an understanding that our people do not just want to be passive recipients of government grants and services but also active partners in their development.
It is further based on motivational African idiomatic expressions that challenge people to take responsibility to achieve self-reliance, (umuntu uphila ngezithukuthuku zakhe). In this regard, participants in this project, most of whom are women, have earned R120 000, as their ‘sweat equity’ towards the project.
The ultimate goal of this pilot project is to document and implement a local ‘best practice’ model to complement grants and ultimately facilitate the exit of those able bodied and young beneficiaries through appropriate linkage to sustainable and viable enterprises or other income generating opportunities. The documented model should be replicated and used in other parts of the country to ensure that it is fully entrenched in the planning and implementation of community development programmes.
This project has demonstrated the importance of co-operative governance by the involvement of all spheres of government. The involvement of private sector, state owned enterprises, local non governmental organisations (NGOs) and community based organisations (CBOs) has further cemented government’s commitment to public-private partnerships as a way of ensuring long-term sustainability.
It is against this background that I acknowledge and affirm the contribution of the Adopt-a-School Foundation headed by Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, who have built classrooms and an administration block at this School, Transnet Foundation which have donated containers for the Silindithemba Co-operative, local businesses which contributed food for the team that was upgrading the school surroundings, the Alfred Nzo District Municipality and the Umzimvubu Local Municipality for their continuing support.
In conclusion, let me congratulate the Silindithemba Co-operative members for the brave and sterling step they undertook in changing their lives. It is my hope that they will receive the necessary support they require in bringing this project to fruition. Moreover, it is with discipline and accountability that they will succeed in pursuit of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. They need to remember that government funds need to be accounted for, whatever assets will be made available to the project; do not belong to individuals but to the project itself.
They need to jealously guard these resources and ensure that they are enjoyed by even generations to come. I want to end by ensuring these women and the entire community that my Department, both at national, provincial and local level, is committed to accompanying you all the way until the project can stand on its own and fly without any assistance.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
19 May 2006
Source: Department of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Launch of Dutyini Sustainable Livelihoods Pilot Project
Speech of Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya at the launch of the Dutyini pilot project on “linking grants to sustainable livelihoods and co-operatives”
Programme Director
Chief Nonyaniso Fikeni
Distinguished guests
Thank you for the invitation to launch the Pilot Project on Linking Grants to Sustainable Livelihoods and Co-operatives.
The concept was born from efforts of the department to provide holistic services in which social security, welfare services and development programmes are integrated to ensure sustainability of the livelihoods of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised.
In October 2005, the Department of Social Development undertook a campaign to facilitate the registration of qualifying children and families to receive Child Support and Foster Care Grants here in Dutyini. It was during this campaign that an opportunity to pilot the concept of ‘Linking Grants to Sustainable Livelihoods and Co-operatives’ was presented.
The design and implementation of the Dutyini Sustainable Livelihoods project has to be understood within the context of our government’s commitment to international and national development obligations to improve the quality of life of all our citizens and to halve poverty by 2015. It is by intention that my Department has chosen Dutyini, within the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, which is one of the thirteen rural nodes of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme, to pilot this project. The levels of poverty in this area are very high and as a result most of the members of this community are beneficiaries of different forms of social grants.
While appropriate social security provisioning plays a critical role in addressing the situation of the poorest of the poor, without other complementary measures, social grants are bound to lead to dependency and stigmatisation. Those affected must therefore be empowered through greater access to assets, resources and opportunities.
The exclusive objective and justifying mission of the sustainable livelihoods programme is to develop, document and replicate a development approach that can promote the restoration of grant beneficiaries as quickly as possible to self-reliance. This can be achieved through effective linkage of grants to the livelihoods strategies of beneficiaries and co-operatives.
As in other parts of the country, Dutyini was once devastated by natural disasters. However the Dutyini community has remained resilient to the course of wishing to improve their lives.
It will be improper not to acknowledge the dedication showcased by community members of Dutyini in participating in the initial stages of the Sustainable Livelihoods Pilot Project. They have sought to embrace what President Thabo Mbeki has aptly termed “the age of hope”. They have participated in ensuring that the economic upswing in our country does not benefit the rich alone but is indeed shared with all South Africans.
The success of this initiative relies mainly on the cooperation of the project members with the support from local stakeholders and government departments. It was brought to my attention that of the 59 people involved in this pilot project, all except one are women. Without being biased, it is a fact that women are more active in ensuring that the well-being of families and their communities is maintained. Let us not forget that when women marched to Pretoria fifty years ago, the history of South Africa changed for good.
The best we can do as government and other stakeholders in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the march to the Union building is to support this Silindithemba Co-operative project.
These women are continuing the rich tradition and legacy of such great leaders of our people as Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Ellen Khuzwayo, Albertina Sisulu, Adelaide Tambo and the many unnamed faithful of our struggle, the majority of whom live in the rural areas.
As we celebrate twelve years of a democratic South Africa and ten years of the founding of the Constitution, which is a huge milestone in the history of South Africa, we acknowledge that there is also a huge backlog for service delivery to the marginalised people of South Africa. On the other hand, the onus is on us as citizens of this country to inculcate the culture of taking initiatives (Vuk’uzenzele principle).
It is against this background that the “Sweat Equity Principle” which aims to promote ownership of development initiatives by beneficiaries will be tested during the implementation of this pilot project. In this regard, project beneficiaries contribute ‘in kind’ towards their development project. The foundation of this principle is based upon an understanding that our people do not just want to be passive recipients of government grants and services but also active partners in their development.
It is further based on motivational African idiomatic expressions that challenge people to take responsibility to achieve self-reliance, (umuntu uphila ngezithukuthuku zakhe). In this regard, participants in this project, most of whom are women, have earned R120 000, as their ‘sweat equity’ towards the project.
The ultimate goal of this pilot project is to document and implement a local ‘best practice’ model to complement grants and ultimately facilitate the exit of those able bodied and young beneficiaries through appropriate linkage to sustainable and viable enterprises or other income generating opportunities. The documented model should be replicated and used in other parts of the country to ensure that it is fully entrenched in the planning and implementation of community development programmes.
This project has demonstrated the importance of co-operative governance by the involvement of all spheres of government. The involvement of private sector, state owned enterprises, local non governmental organisations (NGOs) and community based organisations (CBOs) has further cemented government’s commitment to public-private partnerships as a way of ensuring long-term sustainability.
It is against this background that I acknowledge and affirm the contribution of the Adopt-a-School Foundation headed by Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, who have built classrooms and an administration block at this School, Transnet Foundation which have donated containers for the Silindithemba Co-operative, local businesses which contributed food for the team that was upgrading the school surroundings, the Alfred Nzo District Municipality and the Umzimvubu Local Municipality for their continuing support.
In conclusion, let me congratulate the Silindithemba Co-operative members for the brave and sterling step they undertook in changing their lives. It is my hope that they will receive the necessary support they require in bringing this project to fruition. Moreover, it is with discipline and accountability that they will succeed in pursuit of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. They need to remember that government funds need to be accounted for, whatever assets will be made available to the project; do not belong to individuals but to the project itself.
They need to jealously guard these resources and ensure that they are enjoyed by even generations to come. I want to end by ensuring these women and the entire community that my Department, both at national, provincial and local level, is committed to accompanying you all the way until the project can stand on its own and fly without any assistance.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
19 May 2006
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