Issued by the Department of Social Development
Port Elizabeth, 3 October 2000
Chairperson, President of the Demographic Association of South Africa, ladies and gentlemen.
I always welcome the opportunity to return to the Eastern Cape and make my contribution to the important task of addressing the development challenges facing our people. Poverty and HIV/AIDS are critical dimensions of this challenge and they must call forth the concerted collective action of all sectors of society.
This four-day conference on the demographic impact of HIV/AIDS is an opportunity to deepen the partnership between the government and the academic community on development and population issues. Since the third African population conference held in Durban last year, a number of focused and practical training programmes have been initiated. At this conference, we will present a plan to introduce a standard curriculum on planning for HIV/AIDS. The curriculum will cover all three spheres of government. This is just one example of the co-operation between the Department of Social Development and academic institutions involved in population studies.
At the Durban conference concerns were raised about the volume and quality of population and development research being conducted in South Africa. It was felt that any such research had also to be focused on improving the planning of service delivery by the government.
Over the past year progress has also been made on this front. The programme of this conference and the range of research papers that will be presented, testify to the advances that are being made on the research front. A lot of this research is the product of the collaboration between the National Population Unit and the academic community.
A key objective of this conference is to enable provincial and local governments to plan for the impact of HIV/AIDS on service delivery. The partnership that we have established with the academic community on this issue must be broadened to include all sectors of civil society. My recent extended visits to all the provinces have reinforced my convictions on this issue. It is an illusion to think that government acting on it own can deliver all the social services that are needed by our people. We have to work towards a formal partnership with faith-based organisations on all aspects of social development.
We have given concrete expression to this commitment in the allocation of poverty relief funds for the 2000/2001 financial year. We will carry this commitment through to the planning that needs to be done to address the impact of HIV/AIDS. I have no doubt that the increasing impoverishment of so many of our communities is a direct consequence of the impact of HIV/AIDS on household economies. We have to admit that we have so far been ill-prepared to deal with this impact.
It is estimated that we now have more than four million South Africans who are HIV positive. We can no longer deny that it is affecting our society in an unprecedented manner. The way we plan our services, the way we understand structures like households, and the way in which we link social and economic development has to change.
Most Aids-related deaths will be among economically active age groups. This will leave many children and older persons without care and vulnerable. It will leave a massive burden of care on all sectors and institutions in society.
It is clear that the government will not be able to fund the extension of its current portfolio of services to all those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Projections for the welfare sector alone point to astronomical increases in the funds required.
This means that we will have to re-prioritise and re-design many of our sectoral development strategies. Dependency ratios for the economically active segment of our population are increasing. We will have to find ways to enhance the productivity and efficiency of care in South Africa. Both formal and sponsored services as well as informal and community-based services will have to be strengthened.
This challenge outlines the purpose of this conference. This joint population conference is an opportunity for the government and other stakeholders to confront the impact that HIV/AIDS will have on our society. As a result of this conference, we should for the first time have a sound and comprehensive information base from which to start planning for the effect HIV/AIDS will have on provincial growth and development strategies.
Even more important will be the planning done at the local government level. In a few months time new democratic local governments will be in place and the implementation of integrated local development strategies will be a pressing concern. The environment within which these strategies will be implemented is being fundamentally re-configured by HIV/AIDS. Integrated local development has little prospect of success if it does not directly address the ramifications of the epidemic.
The knowledge that we will be bringing together and sharing over the next three days must form the basis for informed decision making. Epidemics that ravaged human societies in the past fed on a lack of knowledge and understanding. This no longer the case. The HIV/AIDS epidemic can, moreover, be confronted with all the modern technologies and information systems at our disposal. This requires committed political leadership, well-informed local planning and well-organised collective action.
Chairperson, all the knowledge sharing at this conference will be of minimal use if it does not lead to a clear and systematic programme of action, in which all participants understand their roles and responsibilities. In my mind, such a programme of action has to address the following issues.
Firstly, dedicated research programmes on the impact of HIV/AIDS in each province. Such research programmes have to build local capacity to monitor and evaluate progress.
Secondly, an integrated framework to empower local governments to deal with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The responsibility of national and provincial stakeholders goes beyond creating an enabling environment. We must ensure that services and practical material support reaches local communities.
Thirdly, a programme to train planners across government planners on the impact of HIV/AIDS on their work. This has to be done on the basis of a common understanding and agreement on the priority issues that need to be addressed. An accessible and user-friendly HIV/AIDS information system and service is one such issue.
I would like to conclude this address by reiterating the government's commitment to pursuing the battle against HIV/AIDS with full vigour. The National Aids Plan, the Integrated Framework for Children Infected and Affected by HIV/AIDS, and the strategic plan of the National Population Unit are the products of stakeholder consultation and are key parts of the government's response to HIV/AIDS.
As in previous years, October is being celebrated as Welfare Month. The theme for this year's activities is "Join us in the Fight against Poverty and HIV/AIDS - Save our Children and Our Future". This conference is thus most opportune as it directly addresses this issue. This is in fact the last time we will be marking Welfare Month. All our programmes and activities are being re-structured to reflect a focus on human and social development. Thus the change in the name of the Department.
Although in future all our references will be to Social Development Month, our resolve to pursuing the battle against HIV/AIDS will be unchanged. If anything it will have deepened.
I thank you.