PARLIAMENT
RESEARCH UNIT Of THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Social Development
The Social Development perspective on the 2008 State of the Nation Address
The State of the Nation Address identified the following strategic objectives,
which have implications for the Department of Social Development:
- To equalise the age of
eligibility to 60 years. The 2008 Budget will allocate for an increase in
the social grant system to accommodate for the equalisation.
- To complete the work on the
comprehensive social grant system.
- To examine interventions
required to deal with vulnerable children above the age of 14 years. This has
direct implications to the expansion of child support grant from 14 years
to 18 years.
- To intensify the campaign to
identify specific households and individuals in dire need and put in place
interventions aimed at alleviating poverty.
- To elaborate on integrated and
comprehensive anti-poverty strategy that addresses the needs of the
vulnerable groups, namely, children, women, youth, people living in rural
areas and urban settlements, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses
and the elderly. The strategy should requires collaboration between
Departments of Social Development, Provincial and Local Government, Trade
and Industry, Agriculture and Land Affairs, Public Works and Health. The
collaboration will also include provincial and local administrations,
non-government organisation (NGOs) and business sector. The strategy will
identify specific interventions required in households and be implemented
urgently.
- To improve services and assets
among poor communities and improve interventions for poor households.
- To intensify the Expanded
Public Works Programme (EPWP). This includes doubling the number of
children enrolled in Early Childhood Development (ECD) to over 60 000 in
1000 new sites with more than 3 500 practioners trained and employed and
increasing the number of care-givers. About R1 billion will be allocated
to EPWP.
- Set up a procurement system
that will ensure that the 30 day payment period is observed.
- Improve the machinery of
government so as to strength its capacity and organisation. This includes filling
up critical vacancies within six (6) months.
- Ensure that by May of every
year all senior managers should have filed their Key Performance Agreements
with relevant authorities.
- Improve the performance in the
public service by improving the quality of leadership provided by the
executive and senior management. This includes enhancing the commitment of
public servants to their duties. This will be done convening a Public
Sector Summit that will concretise the spirit of Batho Pele.
- Intensify projects falling
under the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) to
enhance skills development. The National Human Resource Development.
- Adoption of the second National
Anti-corruption Programme and an action plan agreed with organized business
is implemented.
Research
Unit I Author Name: Yolisa Nogenga
Sources:
State of the Nation Address of President of South Africa delivered on the Joint
Sitting of Parliament, 8 February 2008