Date: 17/02/05
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Parliamentary Media Briefing
Opening remarks by Dr Zola Skweyiya, Minister of Social Development, at the Parliamentary Media Briefing introducing the social cluster’s poverty alleviation priorities, Cape Town
17 February 2005
The eradication of poverty is the top most priority in government’s efforts to building a better life for all. As you will recall, the President in the State of the Nation address recommitted government, during the second decade of liberation, to the decisive advances in eradicating poverty and underdevelopment, with particular attention to the challenges facing the second economy.
Within the Social Cluster, our work in this area focuses on two critical issues:
1) Providing an effective social security system for the poor; and
2) Building sustainable livelihoods through people driven programs.
Within the context of the two focus areas, the Social Cluster has committed itself to the following programs:
* Extension of the Child Support Grant;
* Improvement of the integrity of the grants administration system including the fight against fraud and corruption; and
* The creation of work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme.
I will elaborate on the two areas that relate to the provision of social security to the poor, whilst the Minister of Public Works will deal in more greater detail with aspects related to the building of sustainable livelihoods, especially the Expanded Public Works Programmes.
Comprehensive social security system
The implementation of the various aspects of the Comprehensive Social Security Framework as approved by Cabinet has so far been largely successful and is on track. The first aspect is social grants – which are direct cash transfers to vulnerable citizens. The second aspect is the social wage- that includes amongst others, the provision of free basic services for tenants, and education and health services. This second aspect of basic social protection is addressed in other briefing sessions conducted by my colleagues.
More than 9 million people in South Africa receive basic social protection from the state especially through the social grant system. These include amongst others, older persons, people with disabilities and most importantly, vulnerable children. As you all know, the Child Support Grant was implemented to address the intergenerational effects of poverty. Children from poor households had been unable to attend school and hence had poor prospects of developing the skills necessary for productive employment later in their lives -- thus setting up a vicious circle of poverty.
Currently, over 5,5 million children are benefiting from the social grants. Last year Cabinet set a target of extending the CSG to 1, 8 million children under 11 years of age. We are happy to announce that we have exceeded this target by far and have already registered 1,9 million children. This is 100 000 children above the set target. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Faith Based Organisations, NGOs, the business and labour sectors, the media, and other organs of civil society for their role in ensuring that our targets were achieved. Both provincial and local government structures played a vital role in this success, and we express our gratitude.
Ladies and Gentlemen, between April 1st 2005 and 31st March 2006 we expect to register an additional l, 2 million vulnerable children between the ages of 11 and 14 years. We are confident that through the efforts of our social protection partnerships we will reach our objective of assisting more poor and vulnerable households with children.
In the current year we will also address problems related to the harmonisation of policy for the provision of foster care grants. This is to ensure that there is uniform interpretation of policy and standard implementation of procedures. In addition to ensuring equal treatment this will minimise the possibility of mal-administration and possible corruption.
Given the importance and size of our grants administration system, its integrity is of paramount importance. We are making resolute and significant strides in addressing this concern. With the assistance of the State Information Technology Agency, we have conducted an extensive data interrogation exercise. This exercise has pinpointed potential areas of fraud and corruption in the system especially regarding the disability grant. Provincial departments have verified a number of instances of fraud and the Special Investigating Unit, the Scorpions, the South African Police Service and the Justice Department are already pursuing a number of serious cases involving public servants and syndicates.
We have also taken several other measures to deal with the fraud and corruption that is costing the state approximately R1, 5 billion Rands per annum. On the 12th December 2004, we launched a nationwide anti-fraud and corruption campaign that is currently being intensified in the provincial and local spheres of government. In this campaign, we are calling upon all people who are receiving grants to which they are not entitled, to desist. We have offered an indemnity to people that come forward before the 31st of March 2005. I appeal to all South Africans to help us in addressing this scourge within our society.
Ladies and Gentlemen, another cluster priority with regard to improving the integrity of our grants administration system and enhancing the quality and efficiency of the delivery of services is the accelerated establishment of the South African Social Security Agency. This agency will be operational from April 2005 and our goal is to make sure that it is fully functional in three years time and effectively managing the disbursement of social grants amounting to over 60 billion Rands per annum. The growth in social spending on social grants relative to national income is expected to stabilise in the medium term.
Sustainable Livelihoods
Ladies and Gentlemen, going forward the Social Cluster will be giving even more attention to the issue of enhancing sustainable livelihoods as our goal is to build self- reliant individuals, families, and communities. In this context, government is committed to halving poverty and unemployment by 2014. To help realise these objectives, the EPWP seeks to develop skills, create job opportunities, and enhance much-needed infrastructure. The EPWP has been launched in all nine provinces and is on track to achieve its target of creating at least 130 000 work opportunities in its first year. Under the coordination of the National Department of Public Works, 20 billion Rands has been ring fenced for the EPWP. This encompasses dedicated funds in the Provincial and Municipal Infrastructure Grants over five years and allocated funds in the budgets of various line function departments.
In the social cluster the EPWP’s initial focus is on the expansion of Home and Community Based Care, community health workers, and Early Childhood Development. These programs are highly labour intensive and provide enormous opportunities for the creation of work opportunities, given the large needs for these services. These work opportunities will consist of skills programmes and learnerships during which care givers, health workers and ECD practitioners will undergo formal training while also doing practical work in these areas. Minister Sigcau will elaborate on the work being done to implement this cluster priority.
It should be noted that an integrated Social Sector Plan for EPWP has been finalised and ratified by all relevant departments and provinces. The sector plan has set the target of creating 150 000 job opportunities in these three programs in the next five years.
An integrated plan for ECD in South Africa has now been presented to the Minister of Education, who is the lead Minister in this area. The primary components of the integrated ECD plan centre around immunisation; nutrition, early stimulation, referral services for social grants; and the implementation of psychosocial programs.
Beyond the EPWP’s initial focus on the expansion of Home and Community Based Care, community health workers, and Early Childhood Development; there is scope for its extension into the area of human settlement infrastructure. As indicated in the February 2005 report on the implementation of Government’s Programme of Action, progress has been made in this regard. I would like to close these opening remarks by reiterating the fact that although our focus in this briefing is on the relevant government programmes, the task of alleviating and eradicating poverty also requires that our people intervene through the Letsema and Vuk’uzenzele campaigns. This will ensure that when we celebrate twenty years of freedom, we do so as a developed, prosperous and truly united nation; with the safety and social protection of our people – especially women and children – guaranteed.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Mbulelo Musi
Cell: 082 904 3395
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
17 February 2005
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: Skweyiya: Parliamentary Media Briefing
Opening remarks by Dr Zola Skweyiya, Minister of Social Development, at the Parliamentary Media Briefing introducing the social cluster’s poverty alleviation priorities, Cape Town
17 February 2005
The eradication of poverty is the top most priority in government’s efforts to building a better life for all. As you will recall, the President in the State of the Nation address recommitted government, during the second decade of liberation, to the decisive advances in eradicating poverty and underdevelopment, with particular attention to the challenges facing the second economy.
Within the Social Cluster, our work in this area focuses on two critical issues:
1) Providing an effective social security system for the poor; and
2) Building sustainable livelihoods through people driven programs.
Within the context of the two focus areas, the Social Cluster has committed itself to the following programs:
* Extension of the Child Support Grant;
* Improvement of the integrity of the grants administration system including the fight against fraud and corruption; and
* The creation of work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme.
I will elaborate on the two areas that relate to the provision of social security to the poor, whilst the Minister of Public Works will deal in more greater detail with aspects related to the building of sustainable livelihoods, especially the Expanded Public Works Programmes.
Comprehensive social security system
The implementation of the various aspects of the Comprehensive Social Security Framework as approved by Cabinet has so far been largely successful and is on track. The first aspect is social grants – which are direct cash transfers to vulnerable citizens. The second aspect is the social wage- that includes amongst others, the provision of free basic services for tenants, and education and health services. This second aspect of basic social protection is addressed in other briefing sessions conducted by my colleagues.
More than 9 million people in South Africa receive basic social protection from the state especially through the social grant system. These include amongst others, older persons, people with disabilities and most importantly, vulnerable children. As you all know, the Child Support Grant was implemented to address the intergenerational effects of poverty. Children from poor households had been unable to attend school and hence had poor prospects of developing the skills necessary for productive employment later in their lives -- thus setting up a vicious circle of poverty.
Currently, over 5,5 million children are benefiting from the social grants. Last year Cabinet set a target of extending the CSG to 1, 8 million children under 11 years of age. We are happy to announce that we have exceeded this target by far and have already registered 1,9 million children. This is 100 000 children above the set target. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Faith Based Organisations, NGOs, the business and labour sectors, the media, and other organs of civil society for their role in ensuring that our targets were achieved. Both provincial and local government structures played a vital role in this success, and we express our gratitude.
Ladies and Gentlemen, between April 1st 2005 and 31st March 2006 we expect to register an additional l, 2 million vulnerable children between the ages of 11 and 14 years. We are confident that through the efforts of our social protection partnerships we will reach our objective of assisting more poor and vulnerable households with children.
In the current year we will also address problems related to the harmonisation of policy for the provision of foster care grants. This is to ensure that there is uniform interpretation of policy and standard implementation of procedures. In addition to ensuring equal treatment this will minimise the possibility of mal-administration and possible corruption.
Given the importance and size of our grants administration system, its integrity is of paramount importance. We are making resolute and significant strides in addressing this concern. With the assistance of the State Information Technology Agency, we have conducted an extensive data interrogation exercise. This exercise has pinpointed potential areas of fraud and corruption in the system especially regarding the disability grant. Provincial departments have verified a number of instances of fraud and the Special Investigating Unit, the Scorpions, the South African Police Service and the Justice Department are already pursuing a number of serious cases involving public servants and syndicates.
We have also taken several other measures to deal with the fraud and corruption that is costing the state approximately R1, 5 billion Rands per annum. On the 12th December 2004, we launched a nationwide anti-fraud and corruption campaign that is currently being intensified in the provincial and local spheres of government. In this campaign, we are calling upon all people who are receiving grants to which they are not entitled, to desist. We have offered an indemnity to people that come forward before the 31st of March 2005. I appeal to all South Africans to help us in addressing this scourge within our society.
Ladies and Gentlemen, another cluster priority with regard to improving the integrity of our grants administration system and enhancing the quality and efficiency of the delivery of services is the accelerated establishment of the South African Social Security Agency. This agency will be operational from April 2005 and our goal is to make sure that it is fully functional in three years time and effectively managing the disbursement of social grants amounting to over 60 billion Rands per annum. The growth in social spending on social grants relative to national income is expected to stabilise in the medium term.
Sustainable Livelihoods
Ladies and Gentlemen, going forward the Social Cluster will be giving even more attention to the issue of enhancing sustainable livelihoods as our goal is to build self- reliant individuals, families, and communities. In this context, government is committed to halving poverty and unemployment by 2014. To help realise these objectives, the EPWP seeks to develop skills, create job opportunities, and enhance much-needed infrastructure. The EPWP has been launched in all nine provinces and is on track to achieve its target of creating at least 130 000 work opportunities in its first year. Under the coordination of the National Department of Public Works, 20 billion Rands has been ring fenced for the EPWP. This encompasses dedicated funds in the Provincial and Municipal Infrastructure Grants over five years and allocated funds in the budgets of various line function departments.
In the social cluster the EPWP’s initial focus is on the expansion of Home and Community Based Care, community health workers, and Early Childhood Development. These programs are highly labour intensive and provide enormous opportunities for the creation of work opportunities, given the large needs for these services. These work opportunities will consist of skills programmes and learnerships during which care givers, health workers and ECD practitioners will undergo formal training while also doing practical work in these areas. Minister Sigcau will elaborate on the work being done to implement this cluster priority.
It should be noted that an integrated Social Sector Plan for EPWP has been finalised and ratified by all relevant departments and provinces. The sector plan has set the target of creating 150 000 job opportunities in these three programs in the next five years.
An integrated plan for ECD in South Africa has now been presented to the Minister of Education, who is the lead Minister in this area. The primary components of the integrated ECD plan centre around immunisation; nutrition, early stimulation, referral services for social grants; and the implementation of psychosocial programs.
Beyond the EPWP’s initial focus on the expansion of Home and Community Based Care, community health workers, and Early Childhood Development; there is scope for its extension into the area of human settlement infrastructure. As indicated in the February 2005 report on the implementation of Government’s Programme of Action, progress has been made in this regard. I would like to close these opening remarks by reiterating the fact that although our focus in this briefing is on the relevant government programmes, the task of alleviating and eradicating poverty also requires that our people intervene through the Letsema and Vuk’uzenzele campaigns. This will ensure that when we celebrate twenty years of freedom, we do so as a developed, prosperous and truly united nation; with the safety and social protection of our people – especially women and children – guaranteed.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Mbulelo Musi
Cell: 082 904 3395
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
17 February 2005
Advertisement
EMAIL THIS ARTICLE SAVE THIS ARTICLE FEEDBACK
To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
