WELCOME ADDRESS DELIVERED BY MINISTER OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, MR ABE WILLIAMS AT THE NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL WELFARE HELD AT BLOEMFONTEIN, 26 - 28TH JUNE, 1995.
Issued by: Ministry of Welfare and Population Development
INTRODUCTION
It is my privilege and honour to welcome you here today. This is a very historic occasion, as it is the first gathering of its kind of the welfare fraternity since the Government of National Unity was inaugurated in April last year.
It is my wish that we will have frank, open and fruitful discussions, and that every person will have the opportunity to be heard.
It is also my wish that through this conference and the restructuring process, we will be able to build bridges between government, welfare organisations, non-governmental organisations active in the welfare field, occupational social services, social workers and other human service personnel in private practice, and the corporate sector.
This is critical in view of the fact that the welfare field is vast, it is dispersed, it represents many different interests, and organisations come from a variety of traditions and philosophies. Because of this, it is so easy for us to loose our way, and to pull in different directions. The challenge facing each and every one of us over the next three days, will be to tap and harness the national collective wisdom in the welfare field in order to achieve our mission for social welfare set out in the Discussion Document: Towards a Welfare Policy and Strategy for South Africa.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the very many formations in welfare and development which are involved in meeting basic needs. Also, a special thank you to members of the public, who contributed so generously to the wellbeing of fellow South Africans.
TRANSFORMATION IN THE WELFARE FIELD
The transformation of our country has provided us all with a unique opportunity to play our part in serving and building a self-reliant nation.
The Deputy Minister, Geraldene Fraser-Moleketi and I, together with the Members of the Executive Councils of the nine provinces, embarked upon this transformation process earlier this year. The development of a national policy and strategy for social welfare is an urgent priority in order to guide and inform:
This policy document was drawn up with the participation of the public and stakeholders. Submissions were received and this document reflects the process to date. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all who participated in this process, and I hope that we are assured of your continued participation in the transformation of the welfare system.
CRITICAL ISSUES
There are many critical issues which will need to be addressed by this conference and as part of an on-going search for solutions to very difficult policy questions. I would like to focus on some of these only.
Reconstruction and Development Programme
1. Many people have asked about the relationship between social welfare and the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). There appears to be some confusion.
The RDP is a national development framework for all sectors of government. There is no doubt that social welfare is a critical component of the reconstruction and development process, and in this Discussion Document, we are grappling with translating the RDP into action in the welfare field.
A major focus of the RDP is the meeting of basic needs and the democratisation of state and society. With regard to meeting basic needs, we are all too aware of the fact that half of the South African population is living below the poverty datum line. Those people most affected are Black (Africans, coloureds and Indians), those living in rural areas, and households headed by women. More than half of our children are living in poverty.
Social welfare makes an important contribution to poverty alleviation through meeting basic needs and the empowerment of people to make a productive contribution to society. Furthermore, through these interventions, social welfare also contributes to enhanced social integration, peace and development.
Redressing disparities
2. Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, whilst the transformation process has created many opportunities for growth and development, it has also generated many fears and insecurities, and it is to these concerns that I now wish to turn.
Disparities in the payments between the different population groups for social grants and pensions have been eliminated. This has been a significant achievement. However, all people do not have equal access to parent and child allowances. The financial implications of this is great and the matter is addressed in the section on social security.
Racial disparities are evident still in the social welfare assistance component which amounts to only 8% of the consolidated national welfare budget. But it is in this component of the budget where racial inequity continues to exist.
This inequity is apparent mainly in the voluntary welfare sector which is state subsidised, and which is operative in those parts of the country which could be referred to as the 'former RSA'. Estimates by the Department of Welfare indicate that between 36% and 46% of welfare clients are still white.
Furthermore, significant proportions of occupants of residential and non-residential facilities which are subsidised by government, serve largely white persons. Old age homes, service centres for the aged, housing for the under-priviliged, homes for disabled persons and children's homes currently still serve mainly whites.
Other programmes such as creches and employment programmes for people with disabilities, serve largely black people.
A further complicating factor is many of these facilities are not accessible to disadvantaged communities. Special consideration needs to be given to how to effectively utilise such facilities which are a tremendous resource. Concerns have also been expressed by religious communities about particular religious and customary prescriptions.
The bulk of the funding on the welfare services side of the budget, which is small as it is, is spent on institutional care, about 87%.
Reprioritisation is needed, and resources will also need to be reallocated in order to address such disparities. A national strategic plan will be developed to end racial discrimination in the welfare field. The government needs the co-operation of all stakeholders to achieve this goal. I have great faith in the welfare community that this can be done speedily.
The Ministry and Members of the Executive Councils of the provinces responsible for social welfare wish to give those organisations which might be affected, the assurance that we will strive to consult with you as far as possible in developing and implementing such a plan.
Prioritisation
3. The Discussion Document points out that sectorial imbalances exist in the allocation of welfare resources between the different vulnerable groups. For example, total welfare expenditure on the elderly amounts to 62% of the national budget, 22,85% is spent on services for disabled persons and 16,2% on services for the elderly. The remaining 10% on services for substance abuse, offender and victim care, social relief, community services and population development.
Many new needs and challenges have been identified such as the re-orientation towards developmental social welfare, youth care, women's services, rural development, community development and the like.
The Ministry will advocate for increased government funds for social welfare services. I will personally convene a meeting in the near future with the corporate sector and development sponsors to present the Discussion Document, and the views of this conference.
But, it must be clear to all of us that this needs to go hand in hand with a reprioritisation between the different programmes. The Discussion Document also calls for a 'First Call' for resources for children and their families. The Ministry will appreciate guidance from this gathering on how a better balance can be achieved which will be in line with demographic realities and needs.
Rising expectations and limited resources.
4. I am aware that every stakeholder represented at this gathering today is involved with fundraising and struggling to survive to meet the pressing needs at grassroots level. I am also aware that great expectations exist that the government will be able to find the resources to meet the needs.
South Africa has experienced declining economic growth rates over the past two decades and the average annual growth rate of Gross Domestic Product has fallen below population growth rates. Unemployment is endemic and per capita income is decreasing. This is the reality that we are faced with and in the short-term, welfare expenditure will probably increase gradually as the economy grows.
The Government of National Unity is committed to meeting basic needs, but this can only take place in accordance with its means. However, since the welfare field is about poverty reduction and an investment in human capacity, the attention of the government and all South Africans must at all times be focused on this fact. The meeting of basic needs is a collective national responsibility, and together, I hope we will succeed in building a national spirit of mutual support and caring for each other's well-being, that is, a spirit of ubuntu.