Issued by: Departement of Social Development
29 October 2001
Heads of UN Agencies and their representatives,
The Director of USAID,
Fellow participants,
Invited Guests.
Allow me first to express my gratitude to all the donors and other partners who have provided assistance and collaborated with the Department of Social Development over the past two and a half years. The material assistance, expert advice and co-operation has assisted us in effecting a strategic re-orientation of the work of department which is now more focused on an integrated approach to poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Building on the foundations laid since 1994, we are now concentrating on making sure that programme implementation improves the quality of life of the poorest of poor and the most vulnerable people in our society.
This requires the deepening of previous assistance and collaboration, and a more structured compact of partnership and co-operation. In the near term, resources and expertise have to be concentrated on the implementation and monitoring of programmes directed at: poverty eradication, the social integration of marginalized and vulnerable people, better research into population and development issues, and the combating of drug and alcohol abuse.
Because of our focus on poverty eradication, sustainable livelihoods and social integration - the Department of Social Development has been requested to co-ordinate the assessment of the impact of government programmes at the grassroots of society. There is an urgent need for verifiable information on the impact we are having on the quality of life of poor people. Cooperation and assistance in developing indicators and conducting household surveys on the impact of government programmes is crucial. In addition to informing on-going policy and programme review, these participatory assessments will form a vital part of our report in 2004 on poverty eradication during ten years of democracy.
An important challenge in the coming year will be to consolidate and increase the scale of our inputs into the nodes of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme and the Urban Renewal Strategy. We will also have to ensure that the Integrated Development Plans being developed by all 284 municipalities make sufficient provision for social development issues.
Parallel to this will be the consideration of the options presented by the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive Social Security System. Based upon an examination of the social and economic imperatives facing our country, the committee will provide government with an empirical basis for considering a range of policy options. These options will address the gaps in the present system and issues of social inequality, income poverty, asset development, food security and diminished capabilities. Advice on finding ways to implement the options will be needed.
The long delayed comprehensive childcare legislation that the Law Commission has been developing will be tabled next year. When the new legislation becomes operational it will ensure that children's rights and development are brought into line with the Constitution. Ensuring the implementation of children's human rights will be a key task over the medium term and an important area of co-operation.
The imperative for accelerated work in all these areas has been brought into sharp focus during my visits to the poorest communities across South Africa. I have been shocked by the conditions under which people live. I have also been amazed at the resilience and determination displayed by them in their efforts to overcome poverty.
My on-going visits and imbizos in the provinces have underline the need to both enhance the capacity of provincial departments and extend our partnerships with faith based organisations, the business sector, organised labour and other non-governmental organisations. These partnerships are especially crucial in combating HIV/Aids and poverty eradication.
With respect to combating HIV/Aids, it is now three years since then Deputy President Mbeki launched the Partnership Against Aids in October 1998. We have made remarkable progress in achieving high levels of Aids awareness and ensuring a broad-based and multi-sectoral societal response. Young people, particularly women, between the ages of 15 to 35 are the worst hit by HIV/Aids because of poverty, economic hardship and unequal power relations that make them unable to negotiate safe sex with their partners. Of great concern are child headed households and the estimated half a million children who have moderate to severe disabilities, many of whom live in rural areas.
As part of the National Integrated Plan for Children and Youth Infected and Affected by HIV/Aids, the Departments of Social Development and Health are jointly implementing a programme to support community and home based care of children affected by HIV/Aids and other infectious diseases. Although implementation of the community based care programme has begun, the pace and scale of the programme is inadequate.
With respect to poverty eradication, the Council of Social Development Ministers has been decided that for the current financial year projects will be selected for inclusion in the poverty relief programme according to the following seven criteria:
1. The development of household food security through the establishment of food production clusters in communities, with a particular focus on households affected by HIV/AIDS.
2. The provision and maintenance of social support structures in communities where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and poverty are high.
3. The broadening of the skills base and the promotion of work opportunities for young people.
4. Support for the income generation activities of rural women.
5. Support to community-based childcare initiatives that use and support the creative resources of older people.
6. Support to initiatives that help to mainstream people with disabilities into the Poverty Relief Programme. And,
7. The development of locally based options for social financing to assist poor households with capacity.
I would like to conclude this brief formal presentation by reiterating the importance government attaches to partnerships. At the continental level, this commitment is encapsulated in the "New Partnership for African Development" launched in Abuja, Nigeria last week. At the regional level, this commitment is expressed in the "SADC Statement of Intent on Social Development" and the provision of support for acts of solidarity between the people of the region.
At the national level, this commitment is evidenced in the importance government attaches to a healthy and vibrant civil society, and the actions we have taken to strengthen partnerships directed at enhancing service delivery and policy implementation.
The government has made significant progress in establishing an enabling regulatory and financial framework for the development of civil society organisations. This enabling framework includes the Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) Act, the National Development Agency, the National Lotteries Act, and amendments to the Income Tax Act.
The Ministry of Social Development is planning a number of sector-specific summits during the course of next year to define the terms of our partnerships and ensure that the benefits of such partnerships are also experienced by the poorest sectors of our society. The first of these summits will be with the business sector, which is planned for early next year.
I take this opportunity to invite you to attend and participate in this series of summits where we will look at how to further deepen our relationships.
I thank you.