Date: 17/10/2003
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Ministerial Corporate Social Investment Tshifiwa banquet
SPEECH BY DR ZOLA SKWEYIYA, MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MINISTERIAL CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT TSHIFIWA AND UPDATE BANQUET, Sandton Sun and Towers, 17 October 2003
Programme Directors,
Honourable Guests,
Members of the Executive Committees from our provinces,
Representatives from our civil society organisations,
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to be part of the first banquet to honour the contributions of corporate South Africa to the social development of our people. It is indeed significant that this get-together happens on the eve year of our first ten years of our democracy.
We in government have begun to reflect on these nine years of democracy and through our recently launched discussion paper titled "towards ten years of democracy" we have posed two primary questions, which we hope you can engage us on:
1. Has the government achieved its policy objectives?
2. Are these the appropriate objectives?
I am pleased to announce that our research findings tell us that overall we have achieved some of the key policy objectives we had set for ourselves, particularly those that address income, human and asset poverty. In the area of social grants we have realised equity by taking decisive actions such as equalising the Old Age Pension extending coverage of child related grants such as the Child Support Grant. There are at least seven types of grants and we have increased expenditure by 3.5 times since 1994, thus raising it from R10 billion to R34.8 billion. To date we have increased the number of beneficiaries from R2.6 million to R6.8 million.
Many lobbyists who engage in polemic debates have criticised our social grants programmes. I take this opportunity to remind them that two thirds of the income for the poorest quintile is attributable to state transfers and that these grants are received by the poorest 20% of our households who receive the largest portion of the grants.
Ladies and gentlemen we have also made significant strides in other social areas, such as, education, water and sanitation. For instance, we now have five less learners to the teacher and over 25% more people have access to water since 1996. Indeed we have come a long way since that glorious day of our emancipation.
In the face of these achievements we are however not complacent, as we are well aware that our people still face enormous challenges. We are aware that, for instance, over 40% of children who live in poverty do not access the Child Support Grant and that the vast majority of people in rural areas face conditions of extreme poverty.
Ladies and gentlemen
At the beginning of last year we set ourselves a target of reaching 3 million children through the Child Support Grant. I take this opportunity to recognise the contribution made by Soul City, Johnnic Communications, and many of our social partners, who have ensured that over 3 million children now access the Child Support Grant. Although we celebrate this milestone, which we have reached two years before the target date, we are not complacent. It is therefore our intention that over the next two years we ensure that all children under the age of 14 access the grants as pronounced by the President. I take this opportunity to ask all of you to assist us to register the 1 million children who are under nine and qualify for the Child Support Grant to register for the grant.
Because over seventy percent of the poor live in rural areas we must therefore ensure that access to social grants and other government services, including information, is increased to rural communities. This is the ultimate intention of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme, which identifies 13 rural nodes in seven provinces. The resources of the State have been marshalled towards these areas the challenge is our interaction with yourselves and ultimately the communities involvement in the programme. Without your and their participation the programme objectives will not be realised. The challenge, now, as identified by the President in the State of the Nation Address is "to put our shoulders to the wheel to accelerate the pace of change".
To address this goal we have called on our people to offer their time and skills to the nation, as "Letsema volunteers" for reconstruction and development. This is the essence of my call, together with Messrs Ramaphosa and Ackerman, to the private sector. For without meaningful contributions and partnerships, our communities have limited hope and opportunities. I therefore take this opportunity to urge for the continued support for community-based organisations by both local and international donor agencies and businesses.
For its part, government has increased the social wage, which includes the increased access to basic services such as water and electricity, and the expansion of government programmes that aim to reach the poor. We have also sought to design and deliver programmes that respond to the basic needs of our people. One such need is food security. As you may by now know we have launched the Pilot Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme. This was in response to the sharp food price increases last year. However the overall intention is to ensure sustainable food security and nutrition.
Through research conducted by Statistics South Africa, we identified 250 000 households that spend less that R200 per month on basic food that should benefit from this programme. I am happy to announce that through close collaboration, we have ensured that over 1 million people receive food parcels since December last year, especially the poorest of the poor including child-headed households and people infected by HIV/AIDS. A total of about R230 million was spent. A further R400 million has been allocated for the pilot this financial year. At this stage, the social cluster of government led by the Minister of Agriculture, is focusing on ensuring the there is more sustainable food security through the provision of agricultural starter packs as well as increasing access of beneficiaries to poverty relief projects to encourage self-reliance.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Given the challenges I have highlighted, it is quite clear that the policies we adopted which essentially seek to address a better quality life for all, particularly the vulnerable are still valid. But in order for them to be more effective, unity in all our approaches and action towards social development is still required.
Today, on this International Poverty Eradication day, we gather to recognise some of the initiatives that have sought to synergise all our activities within our sectors and between our sectors. The three initiatives we recognise are not the sum total of corporate social investment in South Africa but are symbolic of a new way of mobilising and implementing corporate social investment and partnerships. I hope that next year as we convene a full business summit, we will be able to recognise many more organisations that would have worked with us and mobilised other partners on behalf of our communities. It is also my hope that one day each and every South African company large or small will have the statues that we present tonight as a symbol of our appreciation for the work that they have conducted with our impoverished communities and children.
I thank you
For more information contact: Mbulelo Musi, 082 904 3395
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
17 October 2003
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Ministerial Corporate Social Investment Tshifiwa banquet
SPEECH BY DR ZOLA SKWEYIYA, MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MINISTERIAL CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT TSHIFIWA AND UPDATE BANQUET, Sandton Sun and Towers, 17 October 2003
Programme Directors,
Honourable Guests,
Members of the Executive Committees from our provinces,
Representatives from our civil society organisations,
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to be part of the first banquet to honour the contributions of corporate South Africa to the social development of our people. It is indeed significant that this get-together happens on the eve year of our first ten years of our democracy.
We in government have begun to reflect on these nine years of democracy and through our recently launched discussion paper titled "towards ten years of democracy" we have posed two primary questions, which we hope you can engage us on:
1. Has the government achieved its policy objectives?
2. Are these the appropriate objectives?
I am pleased to announce that our research findings tell us that overall we have achieved some of the key policy objectives we had set for ourselves, particularly those that address income, human and asset poverty. In the area of social grants we have realised equity by taking decisive actions such as equalising the Old Age Pension extending coverage of child related grants such as the Child Support Grant. There are at least seven types of grants and we have increased expenditure by 3.5 times since 1994, thus raising it from R10 billion to R34.8 billion. To date we have increased the number of beneficiaries from R2.6 million to R6.8 million.
Many lobbyists who engage in polemic debates have criticised our social grants programmes. I take this opportunity to remind them that two thirds of the income for the poorest quintile is attributable to state transfers and that these grants are received by the poorest 20% of our households who receive the largest portion of the grants.
Ladies and gentlemen we have also made significant strides in other social areas, such as, education, water and sanitation. For instance, we now have five less learners to the teacher and over 25% more people have access to water since 1996. Indeed we have come a long way since that glorious day of our emancipation.
In the face of these achievements we are however not complacent, as we are well aware that our people still face enormous challenges. We are aware that, for instance, over 40% of children who live in poverty do not access the Child Support Grant and that the vast majority of people in rural areas face conditions of extreme poverty.
Ladies and gentlemen
At the beginning of last year we set ourselves a target of reaching 3 million children through the Child Support Grant. I take this opportunity to recognise the contribution made by Soul City, Johnnic Communications, and many of our social partners, who have ensured that over 3 million children now access the Child Support Grant. Although we celebrate this milestone, which we have reached two years before the target date, we are not complacent. It is therefore our intention that over the next two years we ensure that all children under the age of 14 access the grants as pronounced by the President. I take this opportunity to ask all of you to assist us to register the 1 million children who are under nine and qualify for the Child Support Grant to register for the grant.
Because over seventy percent of the poor live in rural areas we must therefore ensure that access to social grants and other government services, including information, is increased to rural communities. This is the ultimate intention of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme, which identifies 13 rural nodes in seven provinces. The resources of the State have been marshalled towards these areas the challenge is our interaction with yourselves and ultimately the communities involvement in the programme. Without your and their participation the programme objectives will not be realised. The challenge, now, as identified by the President in the State of the Nation Address is "to put our shoulders to the wheel to accelerate the pace of change".
To address this goal we have called on our people to offer their time and skills to the nation, as "Letsema volunteers" for reconstruction and development. This is the essence of my call, together with Messrs Ramaphosa and Ackerman, to the private sector. For without meaningful contributions and partnerships, our communities have limited hope and opportunities. I therefore take this opportunity to urge for the continued support for community-based organisations by both local and international donor agencies and businesses.
For its part, government has increased the social wage, which includes the increased access to basic services such as water and electricity, and the expansion of government programmes that aim to reach the poor. We have also sought to design and deliver programmes that respond to the basic needs of our people. One such need is food security. As you may by now know we have launched the Pilot Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme. This was in response to the sharp food price increases last year. However the overall intention is to ensure sustainable food security and nutrition.
Through research conducted by Statistics South Africa, we identified 250 000 households that spend less that R200 per month on basic food that should benefit from this programme. I am happy to announce that through close collaboration, we have ensured that over 1 million people receive food parcels since December last year, especially the poorest of the poor including child-headed households and people infected by HIV/AIDS. A total of about R230 million was spent. A further R400 million has been allocated for the pilot this financial year. At this stage, the social cluster of government led by the Minister of Agriculture, is focusing on ensuring the there is more sustainable food security through the provision of agricultural starter packs as well as increasing access of beneficiaries to poverty relief projects to encourage self-reliance.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Given the challenges I have highlighted, it is quite clear that the policies we adopted which essentially seek to address a better quality life for all, particularly the vulnerable are still valid. But in order for them to be more effective, unity in all our approaches and action towards social development is still required.
Today, on this International Poverty Eradication day, we gather to recognise some of the initiatives that have sought to synergise all our activities within our sectors and between our sectors. The three initiatives we recognise are not the sum total of corporate social investment in South Africa but are symbolic of a new way of mobilising and implementing corporate social investment and partnerships. I hope that next year as we convene a full business summit, we will be able to recognise many more organisations that would have worked with us and mobilised other partners on behalf of our communities. It is also my hope that one day each and every South African company large or small will have the statues that we present tonight as a symbol of our appreciation for the work that they have conducted with our impoverished communities and children.
I thank you
For more information contact: Mbulelo Musi, 082 904 3395
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
17 October 2003
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