Issued by Social Development
3 April 2001
Madam Speaker
Honourable Members
MEC's for Social Development
Representatives of civil society
Older people in the public gallery who have made a special point of attending today's debate
During the past year, there have been many programme changes and events undertaken in my Ministry and Department. These include extended visits to the provinces, a second consultative workshop with our stakeholders and partners, and I received a report on the abuse and ill treatment of older people in our country. All these events have reinforced my conviction that despite the entrenched problems that we face and our diversity, what unites us is our commitment to building a caring society and a better South Africa.
President Mbeki in his State of the Nation address in February this year underlined the fact that our country is a land of hope because of all the people who make contributions, however small, to advancing our country away from its painful past. I would like to single out the contributions made by the following outstanding civic-minded citizens who lead by example. Mrs Zodwa Mqadi and her team in the AGAPE home for children. Mrs Thuli Tsela at the Mayosi Home Based Care Project, Mrs Mlambo from St Clement's Home Based Care Project and Mrs Nyembezi of Zibambeleni Clermont Women's Society. Mrs Joyce Mali "MaMangconde" and last but not least, Mrs Adelaide Tambo.
It is their energy, dedication and commitment together with that of many other people that ensures that there is hope amidst despair, fragmentation and alienation. We express our gratitude and pledge our support to them and their organisations. May you together with many others continue to be our reliable partners in caring for the vulnerable?
Anga uThixo Anisikelele, anigcine, Anikhusele, nihlale nili themba la bantu bakowethu. Nibe lingomoso, nezinyanya zabantwana bethu. NANGOMSO!
During my provincial visits, I witnessed at first hand the substantial social and economic contributions made particularly by older people to the well being of children and families, with social pensions their only resource. Sadly the report on the abuse of older people substantiates the brutal reality that despite these contributions, in the context of high unemployment and widespread poverty, older people is frequently subjected to physical and mental abuse.
In response to the report Government is working on an implementation plan to ensure that older people receive sensitive and integrated services from the Departments of Social Development, Housing, Safety and Security, Justice, Health, and Home Affairs. We are also committed to ensuring that our social partners - business, labour, faith based organisations, the voluntary welfare sector and civil society organisations in general - share with us the responsibility of ensuring that older people are acknowledged, supported and protected.
The fathers and mothers of our nation must not be the forgotten people.
Madam Speaker, in his address on the opening of Parliament earlier this year President Mbeki outlined government's programme of action for the year 2001. I will use this budget vote speech to report on the steady transformation that we are implementing and elaborate on the role the Department of Social Development will play in government's programme of action for 2001. In addition, all the programmes of the Department of Social Development are developed and implemented together with other government departments in the social, justice and governance sectors - and I will speak to the priorities of these sectors.
Before I begin, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the support and co-operation that I have received from the MEC's for Social Development and Premiers in all the provinces. May I also acknowledge with deep appreciation the support that I have received from the portfolio committee in the National Assembly? May we continue to work together for the betterment of our people? Together with our social partners you have helped sustain our offensive against poverty and underdevelopment
Let me first highlight some of our achievements of the past year in this regard. Social security, which is well targeted to the poor and is redistributive, is government's primary investment in poverty alleviation. The number of beneficiaries has increased to 3.5 million as at 31 March 2001, an increase of approximately 17% from the previous financial year. Child Support Grants are now being paid out to about one million children every month. This is up from 60,000 a year ago thanks to the assistance we have received from civil society organisations, especially faith based organisations, in particular the churches.
The Government recognises that the current grant amounts are not sufficient to address large-scale poverty, deprivation and inequality in South Africa, but will continue to increase spending on social assistance as resource constraints allow.
I would like to underline a point I made during the launch of the report on the abuse of older people in Soweto last week. The child support grant is supposed to be given to the caregiver of the child - the person who actually takes care of the child. This person is not necessarily the mother of the child. If the grandmother is the person who looks after the child, then the child support grant should be given to the grandmother. This is what is provided for in our laws.
During the past financial year the Department has managed a poverty relief allocation totalling 363 million rands from the 1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 allocations. To date 80% of these funds have been paid out to community projects. 10% of these funds are committed for payment to community projects and the remaining 10% is committed for expenditure on administration and capacity building for the projects and programme. The under expenditure of poverty relief funds by the Department of Social Development is a phenomenon of the past.
An analysis of this expenditure by sector shows that 20% of the projects are in the HIV/Aids sector, 18% are in the food security sector and 10% of the projects are linked to faith-based organisations. Further analysis shows that 30% of the total poverty relief budget is devoted to income-generation, 16 % to urban regeneration and substance abuse, and 15% to disability.
A mid-term assessment of the projects funded from the 1998/99 allocations showed that 70% of the projects were in rural areas and that the largest number of jobs were created by projects in the food security sector - agricultural and poultry projects.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Independent Development Trust, especially Ms Lulu Gwagwa for the assistance and co-operation that has enable us to achieve these successes in our poverty relief programme.
In the 2001/2002 financial year, the department will have at least 30% of its poverty relief projects located in the 30 development nodes identified in the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy. The poverty relief programme will continue to focus on its dual objectives - income generation and job creation on the one hand, and safety nets and social welfare on the other hand.
With respect to the eight nodal areas currently identified for government's urban renewal programme, the Department currently supports Victim Empowerment Projects in Mdantsane, Kwa-Mashu/Inanda, Khayelitsha, and Alexandra. Our support for the various types of victim empowerment projects is part of government's programme to combat crimes against women and children. As part of this programme 250 social workers have received training in the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act.
Ms Miriam Makeba has been outstanding in her work to set up a centre for abused girls and young women. I would like to thank Ms Makeba for her patience while unacceptable bureaucratic delays were being addressed. The MEC of Social Development in Gauteng Mrs Motshekga and the Premier of Gauteng, Mr Mbhazima Shilowa are now identifying a suitable site for the proposed project.
On a related matter, I will approach the Minister of Justice to strengthen the implementation of the Child Maintenance Act. During my visits to the provinces and on other occasions hundreds of mothers have complained to me about the non-payment of maintenance by the fathers of their children. Some of them include honourable members of this house or occupy high posts in the public service, in the diplomatic corps and in academia.
I give notice that we will do everything in our power to ensure that the fathers concerned take seriously their responsibility to support their children. If necessary I will approach Cabinet to consider measures that make implementation of the Act simpler. Whether you are a comrade or friend, make sure you look after and support your children. We will stand with the mothers and children.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those media organisations that appreciate the importance of focusing public attention on the social development challenges facing our nation. I thank them for exposing how the misuse of power negatively affects the rights and interests of older people, people with disabilities, children and the poorest. A number of journalists deserve public recognition for holding up a spotlight on social development issues. Ms Charity Bengu of the Sowetan, Mr Barry Streak of the Cape Times, Shado Twala of Cape Talk, Ms Odette Quesnell and Ruda Landman of Carte Blanche, and Mr Tim Modise. I send my condolences to the Modise family on their recent tragic loss.
I would also like to recognise those artists who take time out from their schedules and devote their talents and time to social causes. Mr Hugh Masekela has been outspoken in his support of the campaign against alcohol and drug abuse. Mr Joe "Sidumo" Mafela has been active in the campaign against the abuse of older people.
Madam Speaker, both within the Department of Social Development and together with other departments and civil society organisations, we are making an integrated and comprehensive response to HIV and Aids. Last year the Department published its first State of South Africa's Population Report. The report investigated the interrelationships between population trends, poverty and vulnerability. It identified poverty as a central theme in the vulnerability of women in our society, particularly to HIV infection. The state of South Africa's population report for 2001, which will be released in September this year, examines the implications of HIV/Aids for the delivery of social services and will generate indicators for monitoring this impact.
We have also developed in collaboration with the Department of Public Service & Administration and SAMDI a training programme for government planners on the impact that HIV/Aids will have on service delivery. The programme aims to train planners on the implementation of the national HIV/Aids strategy and will begin from May 2001 for officials in all three spheres of government.
By far the greatest AIDS related support function confronting the Department of Social Development is that of care for orphaned children. In this regard, another facet of our response to HIV/Aids is the implementation and monitoring of the National Integrated Plan for Children and Youth Affected by HIV/Aids. The models of home based care that we are developing draw from the experiences of community projects run by faith-based organisations. We are learning from civil society and are working to strengthen the various dimensions of our collaboration.
The Department is extending its partnerships with faith-based organisations in the poverty relief programme to find ways of addressing the challenge of the high cost of burials. The impact of Aids and other fatal poverty-related diseases at the household level plunges families into extreme poverty. The high cost of modern burials makes increasing numbers of people unable to see through to the end their family responsibilities to the dead. This issue is causing deep ruptures in the bonds that define us as a people and the social costs are many. We will be commissioning research into this subject and are looking for donor support for this project.
We are also strengthening our partnership with the business sector. We have been working for a number of years with Transnet's Social Investment Department in our flagship-integrated income generating development projects for unemployed women with young children. We will soon be formalising this relationship. We are also exploring possible collaboration with Johnnic, Compaq and the World Bank to provide support for income generating community initiatives that are environmentally sound and involve youth.
Anglogold has indicated a willingness to work with the Department in the area of HIV/Aids. Saambou Bank and Comrade Madiba are providing assistance to schools for disabled children. The soccer fraternity in Gauteng, in particular Sundowns, Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs; has adopted the Takalani Home for the Disabled in Soweto. FCB Advertising and TAC TECH Technology are also having discussions with the department about ways in which they can assist.
I appeal to the entire business sector to support our collaboration in the areas of rural development and urban renewal. The provision of support for child-headed households is an area of special need and our partnership has to centre upon eradicating poverty and ensuring people-centred sustainable development in our country. In order to consolidate this emerging partnership with the business sector, I will be holding a social development summit with the business sector in May this year.
An important milestone in our effort to institutionalise the partnership between civil society and government is encapsulated in the Advisory Board on Social Development Bill that is scheduled to be presented to the NCOP for its second reading later this week. The development and voluntary welfare sectors continue to provide invaluable services to our communities, and through this Bill we hope to enhance their role.
Madam Speaker, I would now like to address the improvements that we are making in the social security system. The backlogs in the processing of applications have been substantially reduced and almost all provinces now process applications within 35 working days. I am sure that we can further reduce this norm.
The re-registration of beneficiaries is still in various stages of implementation in the provinces. On completion this project will ensure that all beneficiaries have records on the system and receive the benefits that are rightfully due to them. While the re-registration process was necessary to deal with mal-administration and fraud in the system, its impact has also been negative and painful for many. The elderly and the disabled who have not been brought back into the system have experienced the worst impacts. We will renew our efforts to address these impacts. During the course of this financial year the Department will be conducting an inquiry into the state of disabled people, especially children, in rural areas.
The proposed amendments to the Regulations of the Social Assistance Act No. 59 of 1992 have just been published for comment and will come into effect during this year. They address the accrual of payments, which are backdated to the date of application for all grant types except for the Foster Care Grant, which has been backdated, to the date of the court order.
With respect to people with disabilities, a panel appointed by the Director-General has replaced the role of the medical officer of health and the pension's medical officer in assessing disability. The definition of permanent and temporary disability has been clarified and the means test on assets has been removed. The means test on income will in the interim remain as it is. For old age pensions, the grant will accrue from the date of application and the assets means test will not be applied.
New guidelines on the review of all grant types have been incorporated in the proposed amendments.
We are also undertaking immediate measures to improve pension pay points. Pay points in the rural and urban nodal points have been prioritised and other pay points will be improved starting with those pay points that service more than 400 beneficiaries. These improvements will encompass the provision of security, first aid, water and toilets at pay points. In addition help desks will be established at pay points staffed by competent officials who are familiar with local languages and are equipped with laptops with downloaded information on beneficiaries.
A small-scale rollout of helpdesks has commenced at some paypoints in the Northern Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng and the Western Cape. A large scale rollout of help desks will begin no later than the 1st of June this year and at least all the pay points with beneficiary numbers in excess of 100 will be serviced by March 2002.
The MEC's and I have held a number of meetings with private pension contractors (CPS, AllPay and PQ Africa) to discuss problems of poor service delivery. Existing contracts have been analysed to ensure that explicit standards are included for pension payment services to be delivered with penalty clauses for inefficiency and a lack of humane conditions. Private pension payment contractors have also been given an opportunity to identify how they intend improving service delivery. Respect for the human rights of their clients should be the hallmark of their service. I have stressed in the strongest possible terms that the current treatment of pensioners is unacceptable.
The National Department is completing work on uniform norms and standards to guide provincial departments and service providers on acceptable professional procedures that must be put into place to deal with the terrible conditions that are experienced by pensioners and other grant beneficiaries. The Social Security National Norms and Standards project is establishing national norms and standards to be applied across all nine provinces. The project will be complete in June 2001. A norms and standards manual and implementation strategy to address the differences that exist in grant administration procedures, grant application forms, human resource availability, payment facilities, payment methods, and levels of customer service between provinces will be included. The norms and standards manual will be published in all eleven languages.
An audit of welfare infrastructure will also be conducted to assess what resources exist on the ground. This audit is essential to ensure the co-ordination of government's infra-structural development programme with basic social service provision. In many of the former Bantustans, especially in the former Transkei, the lack of infrastructure is cause for serious concern. Public servants in these areas from both the Department of Social Development and the Department of Home Affairs work under extremely difficult conditions.
The Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive Social Security System will present its reform report to Cabinet in July 2001. It will recommend short to long-term measures that will ensure that our social security system is responsive to the needs of those who have experienced structural disadvantages, who are at risk and who are vulnerable. The committee is reviewing the national pension system and old age protection, social assistance grants, unemployment insurance and health funding and insurance. The central objective is to transform the social security system to enable all sectors of society - government, business and civil society - to address issues of poverty and inequality.
The committee has engaged in wide consultations and undertaken research, which include the costing of policy options. It is a significant intergovernmental initiative that is expected to enable government to link social and economic objectives.
As an occupational category, artists and cultural workers, have traditionally not had access to the same benefits when they fall sick, retire or die. I want the committee to ensure that this category of worker is also covered. The contribution of artist to society, especially during the struggle against apartheid, has been immense. Today, however, many are destitute or have left behind children or families that are destitute. The cases of Mr Nkabinde, popularly known as "Mahlathini", and Mr Ray Ntlokwana come to mind.
In the interim, I would like to suggest that the Honourable Members, Mr Tony Leon and Mrs Cupido, and Ms Helen Zille ensure that the children of Mr Ntlokwana remain in school and are given the necessary support. Their efforts to assist poor people in the Western Cape would be more valuable than a programme of continuous political point scoring
Madam Speaker, with respect to the transformation of the financing of social welfare services, a high-level task team consisting of MEC's for Social Welfare has been given the responsibility of reviewing and accelerating the implementation of the Financing Policy. Private voluntary welfare institutions receiving state subsidies in some provinces still operate within an apartheid paradigm and generally do not serve the majority in need. Certain welfare organisations have made little attempts to ensure that their Boards are representative in terms of race, gender, disability and the populations that they serve.
The task team will examine the implications of welfare financing, review the efficacy of the Financing Policy and identify criteria for funding to ensure social development services are accessible and available to people in rural, peri-urban and informal settlements. Moreover it will ensure equity in service provision is being addressed.
The financing policy is also expected to be the means to promote co-operative governance in social development. This includes working with and building the capacity of different spheres of government and civil society organisations. The Task Team will report its findings and recommendations in May this year.
A more comprehensive approach to child protection is also under consideration, as the current approach tends to focus mainly on child abuse. The drafting of comprehensive childcare legislation by the South African Law Commission is being accelerated and it is expected that a draft Bill will be available by July this year. When the new legislation becomes operational it will ensure that children's rights and development are brought into line with the Constitution.
Improved monitoring systems are also being introduced in other areas of social welfare. The primary function of the Central Drug Authority, which was established last year, is to oversee and monitor the implementation of the National Drug Master Plan. The Drug Master Plan aims to reduce substance abuse and its related harmful consequences. It strikes a balance between actions that bring about a decrease in the availability of drugs (control and law enforcement) and the demand for drugs (prevention, treatment and rehabilitation).
I am concerned about the relationship between increases in violence, gangsterism and substance abuse. Aspects of the Drug Master Plan that focus on youth are of critical importance. The Central Drug Authority will be reporting to Parliament in June this year on this and related issues.
During my travels I have witnessed the impact that the opening of casinos is having on our society. I wonder whether it is not time to have another look at our policies on gambling, especially casinos. We are a free and democratic society and government is obliged to review its policies when and where necessary. This review should be informed by research into the social impact on the poor and vulnerable, especially the elderly. It is not a question of moralising but of helping people to make informed decisions
As in other areas of social development, during my provincial visits, I saw community projects and met people who are making positive contributions to addressing the range of social problems in our country. I would like to single out the contributions made by Pastor Zacharia Motaung and his team at the Carroll Shaw Memorial Centre at Zuurbekom, Gauteng. Their alcohol and drug regeneration program for young men also provides life skills training and is linked to a HIV/Aids project.
During the course of this financial year the department will be undertaking a comprehensive review of all social welfare legislation to determine their relevance and adequacy to the current challenges facing the sector.
The department has been systematically undergoing a transformation process. We have changed the paradigm within which we operate from welfarism to social development as reflected in our change of name. We seek to promote services and programmes that enable people to move out of poverty. We have restructured our programmes, systems and processes to accelerate social service delivery. A Human Resource Development strategy in line with the Ten Point Plan and strategic direction of the National department is also being developed for social development services. This strategy is expected to identify the gaps in human resources given the changed socio-economic context and the provision of basic social welfare services that are required of government. The strategy is to cover critical areas of skill deficit and re-orientation of officials to social development.
Madam Speaker, our understanding of social development is also informed by the principle of international solidarity and we will continue our efforts on this front. Last year the Ministry of Social Development was requested by Cabinet to take the lead in the mobilisation of humanitarian assistance for the people of Angola. This campaign resulted in the formation of a partnership with faith-based organisations and private sector organisations committed to solidarity with the Angolan people. We hope to extend this solidarity to encompass other parts of Africa, especially the Great Lakes region.
In this regard I would like to single out the contribution and work done by Muslim Relief Organisation and the Muslim community in general. Your contribution to the Angola solidarity campaign and the assistance you provide to poor people is a source of pride to our country.
We have also been involved in an initiative to place social development on the agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Within SADC, I had the honour of being appointed to act as the convenor of SADC ministerial meetings on the issue of social development. I also had the honour of being elected to chair the UN Commission for Social Development for the period February 2000 to February 2001.
The high point of this international liaison work was the preparation and tabling of the South African Country Report at the 24th Special Session of the United Nation in Geneva in June 2000. This resulted in strengthening commitments at the national, regional and global levels to address poverty and inequality within a social development framework.
Madam Speaker, I would like to end this Budget Vote speech at the point where I began it - the acknowledgement, protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of older people in our country.
The Moral Summits that have been held and the debates in the National Assembly on "Restoring the Moral Fibre of Our Society" have all reiterated the need to restore and sustain the ethic that "any older person is my parent" and that "any child is my child." It is vital that the steady transformation that is reflected in all aspects of our national life must improve the social and material conditions of older people and children.
We must all dedicate this year to building unity in action for change. We must not forget that the United Nations has declared this year the International Year of Volunteers. We need to ensure that all sectors of our society have a stake in the country. We must move away from the patterns of social exclusion and ensure social inclusion and solidarity. In this regard, we appeal to and encourage our youth to participate with the same commitment and dedication that they showed in the struggle against apartheid.
Thousands of older people throughout our country have spoken out during public hearings and given evidence to the Ministerial Committee. I am humbled by your experiences and assure you that government has heard your cry. We cherish your continued contributions to the well being of families and communities in the face of extremely testing social and material conditions.
The members of the Ministerial Committee on the abuse, neglect and ill treatment of older persons have travelled the length and breath of our country and persevered in their difficult task. In addition to a main report, the committee has produced detailed provincial reports that will assist provincial governments in protecting older persons from neglect, abuse and exploitation.
I thank you for your commitment and the work you have done. Because of your work it will not be said that the mothers and fathers of the nation are the forgotten people.
Madam Speaker, from all of the foregoing it clear that we are building a caring society together.
To close, I wish to thank the Director-General of the Department of Social Development, Ms Angela Bester for what she has accomplished under very difficult circumstances. The staffs in the Ministry and the Department have been dedicated and selfless in their efforts, and I also thank them. Although we still have a long way to go, there has been a great improvement and I am confident we can continue to provide better services and support to our people.
I thank you.