Hansard: Debate on Vote No 19: Sociol Development (OAC)
House: National Assembly
Date of Meeting: 07 May 2013
Summary
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Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 1
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 2
"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,08 May 2013,"[Take-2] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][ct].doc"
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Mrs Y R BOTHA: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister of Social Development, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, ladies and gentlemen and members of the executive councils of provinces, as the Minister said, we are gathered here today to debate Vote No 19 on Social Development.
An HON MEMBER: How is the court case going?
Mrs Y R BOTHA: Financially, it is quite a substantial budget, but it is also crucial for the wellbeing and developmental needs of society, since the budget of the department is focussed on addressing poverty, unemployment, inequality and other social ills that are plaguing our society and our country as a whole.
Since the vision of the department is to provide, through a caring and integrated system, services that facilitate human development and improve the quality of life for all, especially vulnerable South Africans, we as Parliament have to ensure that this indeed does happen.
Afrikaans:
Dit is 'n spesiale dag vir Suid-Afrikaners want ons praat en debateer oor geld wat na die armstes van die armes gaan. Dit is maatskaplike toelaes, of welsyn soos dit in die volksmond bekend staan, maar ook maatskaplike welsynsdienste wat die samelewing, veral weerbare mans, vroue, gestremdes en die jeug baie nodig het.
As ons vandag terugdink aan hoe dinge gelyk het in 1994 toe ons as die ANC aan bewind gekom het, en hoe dinge nou lyk, wil ek net beaam wat Bokka, wie 'n vrou in my kiesafdelings is, vir my gesê het. Sy het gesê dat die regering omgee en dit is hoekom hulle die vrymoedigheid het om te kom kla, want hulle weet dat hulle gehelp sal word. Tog is dit nie 'n maklike pad nie. [Tussenwerpsels.]
English:
An HON MEMBER: Some politicians help themselves.
Mrs Y R BOTHA: No journey, especially the one called social transformation, was, and is not easy. We inherited a divided society that was grossly unequal for hundreds of years. Deprivation was rife and discrimination was entrenched at every level of society, in the workplace, in services of government, education, at home and in private life. Sadly, there are people who miss the good old days of apartheid, saying it wasn't so bad. Were they living on Mars while we were living here in hell on earth, created for us by those who created their own nirvana at our expense, the majority of South Africans?
There is another belief that in order to correct the evils of the past, all that we have to do ... [Interjections.] ... is just to give everyone equal opportunities, especially those who benefited for hundreds of years.
An HON MEMBER: Or put your finger in the till.
Mrs Y R BOTHA: It doesn't matter if the economy will then remain in the hands of a few. It doesn't matter that the rich grow richer and the poor stay poor. [Interjections.] No mess ... [Inaudible.]
Afrikaans:
Dit is oëverblindery.
English:
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Order, hon members!
Mrs Y R BOTHA: It's disgraceful ...
An HON MEMBER: It is disgraceful! [Laughter.]
Mrs Y R BOTHA: ... to a society that has triumphed over great adversity to attain freedom. [Interjections.] That is why the ANC ... [Interjections.] ... remains committed to the ideals ... [Interjections.] ... of the Freedom Charter ... [Applause.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Order, Order!
Mrs Y R BOTHA: ... to build a society where South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. [Interjections.] The attainment of social transformation will only happen ...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Hon Botha, please take a seat. Hon members, I am not happy with the noise here. Give the member a chance to be heard. [Interjections.]
Mr S B FARROW: Chair, I rise on a point of order.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): What is your point of order?
Mr S B FARROW: The point of order is whether it is proper for the hon Minister who is currently under allegations of corruption, to talk about ... [Interjections.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Order, order!
An HON MEMBER: Chairperson, can we ask the DA to behave? [Interjections.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Order! Members, please don't turn this House into a circus. [Interjections.]
An HON MEMBER: It was a circus before we arrived.
Mrs Y R BOTHA: Let me remind colleagues that I am not the Minister, but the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development. [Applause.]
An HON MEMBER: But you are corrupt.
Mrs Y R BOTHA: Let me continue.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON :(Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Continue!
Mrs Y R BOTHA: The attainment of social transformation can only happen if people can lift themselves out of poverty, whilst creating adequate social nets to protect the most vulnerable in our society. For maximum impact we have to persist with comprehensive programmes which deal with poverty, inequality and underdevelopment, but in the same breath, we also have to protect and advance the rights of all.
The National Development Plan forms the foundation of a long-term plan to build a national democratic society that is nonracial, nonsexist, democratic, united and prosperous. The portfolio committee has deliberated on Budget Vote No 19 that is the Department of Social Development and its entities, and has also looked at their strategic and operational plans. The budget of the department consists of five programmes. It is a considerable budget of R120 billion, which is quite substantial. The increase of 7,4% is noted, and 99,5% consists of transfers and subsidies which include the substantial transfer of R113 billion for grants.
Without wasting time, let me discuss the committee's observations. We concluded that not enough focus is being given to programmes dealing with people with disabilities. We feel that it should be part of the department's priority areas. The department must ensure that its programmes are geared towards the protection and rights of people with disabilities. Early childhood development, ECD, centres for children with disabilities are still too thinly spread in our communities. We need more daycare centres and more aftercare facilities. We need more investment in specialised care for our disabled children. I want to emphasise that there should be an intentional investment in skills development for disabled youth, so that they can participate in our economy and be mainstreamed in all levels of society, government and the private sector.
Turning to the National Development Agency, NDA, we were very concerned about it a few years ago, but ...
Afrikaans:
Hulle kry nou hul huis in order en dinge kom nou bymekaar.
English:
The budget of the NDA needs to be increased. It is totally inadequate to carry out its mandate. We always complained about its presence in provinces. Now we can see it, but vacant posts must be filled timeously. There should be interaction between the Minister and the Minister of Finance, to lobby for more money for the NDA. The capacity building role that the NDA can facilitate for non-profit organisations, NPOs, should be strengthened and they have to ensure that the NPOs are compliant.
We welcome the presence of advisory centres in provinces because that is going to assist. As I stated previously, the R171,7 million allocated should be increased. We noted the critical vacancies in the department and raised the fact that it could affect service delivery in the long term. However, we are happy with the announcements that the Minister has made.
The capacitating of NPOs, speeding up their registration and there compliance, etc was another concern for the committee, so more focus should be placed on monitoring and evaluation. We note the shortage of social workers, especially with regard to the Children's Act, the scholarship programme initiated by the department and innovations to make the programme a success. The use and training of social auxiliary workers through learnerships should be considered.
The absence of foodbanks in our rural areas is a concern to the committee, as is there concentration in urban areas. Food security initiatives like foodbanks in our rural communities could significantly improve the quality of life of our rural communities.
Another concern worth mentioning is the fact that the funding models in provinces differ substantially from each other. The court challenges underway in the Free State are also noted. Yesterday or the day before another nongovernmental organisation, NGO, in the Free State again threatened to go to court if the subsidies to children's homes are not paid. As a committee, we will be watching and following that process in the Free State very closely. Hopefully, the finalisation of the financial awards policy will normalise the confusion that exists at the moment.
Turning to the recommendations, the Minister should ensure that the youth programmes be rolled out to six other provinces. These programmes have only been rolled out to three provinces. The programmes are aimed at empowering the youth to be agents of change. It's crucial that the other provinces also benefit from this initiative.
We further recommend that the target of 66 000 social workers be reviewed. The committee is awaiting a detailed report on the social work scholarship programme. As I said, we as a committee are concerned about the vacant posts at senior management service level within the department itself, and we are glad that today we received a newly appointed director-general, DG, and I think there is also a deputy director-general, DDG, who has been appointed in the department.
Turning to the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, we recommend that the implementation of a biometric system for Sassa officials should be prioritised. Dormant accounts should be resolved. As the Minister said, the attempted robbery and shootout at the paypoint at Lindelane in Kwazulu-Natal was upsetting, especially since it resulted in the death of a pensioner. Sassa should ensure that security at paypoints is strengthened, although it is not their function but the responsibility of the contractor. They should make sure that there is a security plan for all eventualities at paypoints.
The increase in state capacity will ensure that the comprehensive social security strategy of government can be fully implemented. The fact that social assistance has reduced the poverty gap by 63% is an indication that the provision of social assistance is making a difference in the lives of our people.
The provision of the child support grant to children of school-going age, coupled with the school nutrition programme, has had a positive impact on school attendance. These initiatives, and the school uniform assistance in some provinces, make it virtually impossible for children not to be in school.
Our children are our future. Therefore, we have to ... [Interjections.] ... expand our ECD programmes and aftercare, and place a special emphasis on child-headed households. Child-headed households should be prioritised because it is there where our youth are forced to be adults through no fault of their own, and where they have to fend for their siblings. Together with psychosocial support, we need to give them hope for the future, and therefore we will be monitoring the department's efforts to create opportunities and jobs for the youth of our country.
We welcome the universalisation of the old age grant, although the means test is administratively cumbersome and very expensive. Why should we have a phased-in approach if we can abolish the hated means test? This will ensure that everyone who is sixty years of age qualifies for it. It means that men and women can now apply for an old age grant on their own, thereby increasing household income and increasing social cohesion in households and communities. We will be saving money on administrative costs, staff training and systems.
Looking forward, we should consider the universalisation of the child support grant for all South African children, as stated in the Mangaung resolutions. This will greatly ensure that all children are in school and cared for. Children constitute 31,3% of the South African population. This is a significant number. Since the costing has been done on the financial implications, the impact will be felt immediately in our communities since no deserving child will be excluded.
In conclusion, allow me thank the staff of the portfolio committee; Yollisa, Lindiwe, Siyavuya and Nozuko, for their professional conduct in supporting the work of the committee over the years. I thank them for being there to ensure that we carry out our constitutional obligations. They are indeed part of the success of this committee. I wish to thank the Minister and Deputy Minister, as well as the management of Social Development and its entities, for their co-operation and presence at our meetings, for taking us seriously and for respecting us. Thank you. Let's make this financial year an unforgettable one where we achieve all our objectives as a committee and as a department. The ANC supports Budget Vote No 19. [Applause.]
Mr M WATERS / TH (Eng and Afr)/ END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 3
Mrs Y R BOTHA
Mr M WATERS: Chairperson, can I please start by welcoming the DA councillors from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality? You are welcome. [Applause.] They came down to see how a metro is supposed to be run, unlike Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng. [Applause.] [Laughter.] I cannot believe the hypocrisy of the previous speaker, the Chairperson of the committee, when she spoke about the upliftment of the poor when she herself is facing charges of corruption. [Interjections.]
Ms P N DANIELS: Hon Chairperson, on a point of order: The member is out of order. The previous speaker stood as a Chairperson of the portfolio committee, which has nothing to do with her charges. Therefore, the member is really out of order. Thank you. [Interjections.]
Mr M WATERS: Chairperson, may I continue? [Interjections.]
Ms P N DANIELS: I am sorry Chairperson, and the case is subjudicare, so he is out of order. [Interjections.]
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon members, order! I want to remind the hon Waters that the matter he is referring to was discussed by Parliament and this is not the platform for that. [Applause.] Mr Waters, you may proceed.
Adv T M MASUTHA: I am sorry hon Chairperson, can I please raise another point of order? A colleague there has just said that she has to be in jail. Can we request that she also be ordered to withdraw that statement?
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon member, I will look into that, and then I will come back to you. [Interjections.] Furthermore, I would like to find out if the member actually said that. If something like that was said, then I will take the matter up. Please continue Mr Waters.
Mr M WATERS: One also has to question the ANC's commitment to party corruption. Their own party policy says that if any member has been charged with corruption, he or she should be suspended. Why is the hon Botha not suspended?
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Mr Waters, please take a seat. Maybe, to make this matter come to rest, let me ask the member if she actually said that. [Interjections.] Hon member, did you say that? [Interjections.] Please stand up and tell the House whether you did say that or not. [Interjections.]
Ms C K K MOSIMANE: Chairperson, did my hands say she should be in jail? I never said that. [laughter.]
Mr D A KGANARE: Chairperson, on a point of order: I would ask you to look at the Hansard, as to whether the hon member did say anything. Hansard will proof that the member said nothing. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Order, hon members! I would like to emphasise that I do not think that it was what the member said. I did not here what she said. Therefore, Hansard won't have that record, and I would ask Mr Waters to continue.
Mr M WATERS: Helen Suzman once said, and quote:
I stand for simple justice, equal opportunity and human rights; the indispensable elements in a democratic society and well worth fighting for.
Today, the DA's vision of an open opportunity for all encapsulates the values of justice, equal opportunity and human rights. The DA's vision is one where people are given equal opportunities in order to better themselves and climb the ladder of prosperity and become whatever they choose to and not remain dependent on the state for their survival. The Department of Social Development has an important role to play in this regard.
Many South Africans need state assistance and have to interact with the department and the South African Social Security Agency, Sassa, on a monthly basis when they receive their grants. Sassa has embarked on a massive re-registration campaign in order to ensure that all those that should be receiving grants are, and that those that should not be receiving it are removed from the system.
By and large the results have been positive and the DA supports this venture despite some hiccups. I want to take this opportunity to thank Sassa's staff for responding to all the queries that I have sent through. I will not talk about the issuing of the R10 billion tender to the Cash Payment Services, CPS, for the administration of the grants as that is now before High Court. Once the legal process is complete I will be re-submitting my questions about this controversial tender.
Another area of concern for the DA is that of the regulations relating to the application for and payment of social assistance which are not being properly implemented. These regulations place conditions on caregivers to ensure that all children in receipt of a grant attend school and should provide the director-general, DG, of the department proof of this within one month of receiving the grant and every six months thereafter. This has not been done. The DG should have been receiving millions of school reports every six months. These conditions should not be seen as punitive but rather as a positive condition in ensuring that all our children attend school.
We do welcome the recent memorandum of understanding, MOU, signed between the Departments of Basic Education and Social Development where the data bases of the two departments will be compared in order to identify any children that are not attending school. If used correctly this information could be pivotal in ensuring all children actually complete school.
The question we should all be asking is why are so many people dependent on grants? The answer is simple - because of the failed economic policies of this ANC government in those ventures. There is a direct correlation between our country's current unemployment crisis and the large amount of people dependent on grants. There is a direct correlation. It is concerning that 16 million people are indeed dependent of social grants. We do recognise that many families' only income is from social grants which do alleviate poverty, but they do not eradicate it – and must be a distinction.
I want to assure South Africans that the DA will not take away any person's pension, child support grant or any other grant for that matter, when we become the government. This is a lie being spread by a desperate ANC, who clearly do not know how to solve the unemployment crisis facing our country. In fact, the DA goes beyond the call of duty, and we believe that there should be a safety-net for the poor.
Last year alone, the DA government in the Western Cape provided additional services to vulnerable people, by providing for nearly 1,300 people with disabilities to stay in state-funded residential facilities, and a further 23 000 people received non-residential support services. The province has also allocated 6 000 spaces in department-funded residential facilities for older persons and nearly 17 000 in community-based programmes. Furthermore, we provided 65 000 subsidised spaces in early childhood development centres for children between 0 and 5 years of old.
A DA government will ensure that we have a growing economy which will free millions from the shackles of poverty and allow people to move from welfare to work. The DA feels the pain of the millions that are unemployed, and we are determined to better their future. In fact, only two days ago the latest unemployment figures were released, indicating an increase to 25,2%, nationally.
When discouraged work seekers are taken into account the broad unemployment rate has increased to a staggering 38% - 7 million people. This means that there are 1,2 million more South Africans who are unemployed today than there were on the day Jacob Zuma became president. Furthermore, the DA-run Western Cape bucked the trend by creating 8 000 jobs during the same period. The DA has a plan, and the ANC clearly does not. [Interjections.]
Yes, we need a safety net for those who cannot look after themselves. However, we also need a growing economy with job opportunities so people can achieve their potential. The DA's 8% growth plan and specifically our proposed Youth Wage Subsidy will help to achieve this.
The department is facing a management crisis. When the budget was presented to us, 7 out of the 8 top management positions were vacant. We have heard that the position of the DG was finally filled. We would like to congratulate the new DG and we are looking forward to working with him. Out of the seven deputy director-general positions, only one is currently filled. Minister, you are the accountable officer for your department, and it is your responsibility and duty to ensure that these critical posts are filled and that your department fulfils its mandate - which it clearly is not the case.
There is a managerial crisis and it is having a direct impact on the functioning of your department. Some examples I would like to cite are: The Child Protection Register, which you did not mention, Minster. It is a complete and utter disaster. [Laughter.] You can laugh about it. Minister you can laugh about the Child Protection Register because it is a joke – not to mention an embarrassment to our country. Minister, why is it that last year a dismal 438 names appeared on the register, and that in April this year, it has declined to a pathetic 305 names? Why is it like that? How can someone's name be taken off the register? Can you explain 30% decline of names in the register? I don't think you can.
The Central Drug Authority is another example where the department failed in its duty. The department failed to ensure that Parliament was given ample time to interview and appoint the new Central Drug Authority board members. As a result, from September last year to just over a month ago, we had no board. We still do not have a national drug master plan.
Given the destruction that substance abuse is causing throughout our communities it boggles the mind that you have allowed this to happen. It is an absolute disgrace. If you look at the newspapers, any day of the week, the Star, for example: "Mothers' drug hell". What people are going through on the ground everyday due to substance abuse, and how it is ravishing our country, is an indictment on your department.
Other areas of concern are around the slashing of funding to core issues. Can the Minister explain why funding has been cut to the sub-programmes for substance abuse by 18% - despite the scourge, Youth by 29%, older persons by 33%? I do not accept the explanation given by officials that these cuts are due to efficiency savings through non-core functions such as advertising, venues and travel. I do not accept that these sub-programmes had that amount of fat in them in the first place. You have gone for the soft targets, Minister.
Another area of extreme concern for the DA is that of social workers. We all now agree that we need 66 000 social workers to implement the Children's Act alone. The department reported and admitted that their current policy on the training of social workers is an absolute failure and that it will take decades to reach the target. I am pleased to say that the committee recognises this and has in its report called on the Minister to review her policy and report back to the committee on how she intends to achieve those targets.
If the Minister and her department really wanted to cut the fat and wasteful expenditure she should have looked no further, than the National Development Agency, NDA. Everything the NDA does, from early childhood development centres to food programmes, the department is already doing. Yes, the DA wants poor people to benefit from such programmes but why do we need an additional organisation that is top heavy and delivers very little compared to the amount of money they receive?
Let me elaborate that the NDA receives a budget of R171 million. The 125 employees are paid on average R519 000 per annum - the staggering salary bill of R64,8 million or 38% of the total budget. It has become an employment agency. In addition to that, 26% or R43,8 million goes towards goods and services, which includes a 600% increase for the boards expenses. Payment for capital assets is R3,2 million, which includes a 1000% increase for furniture and fixtures. Once you have paid the fat-cat salaries, board expenses and bought new furniture we are left with 35% or R59 million for actual projects - one in every R3.
The NDA should be closed down with immediate effect. The department can simply continue to deliver what the NDA is not. It will make no difference. If we are to stand for simple justice, equal opportunity and human rights, the Minister and her department need to do some deep soul-searching. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms N P GCUME.../TM / END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 4
"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,08 May 2013,"[Take-4] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][ct].doc"
Mr M WATERS
Ms N P GCUME: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Cope has been saddened by the brutal killing of Miss Sithembile Sibiya of Umlazi H township in KZN. Her body was dumped in Isidingo Combined School J section in Umlazi two weeks ago. She was not only stabbed...
IsiZulu:
...wahlinzwa njengesilwane, wabekwa itshe ekhanda.
English:
We send our deepest condolences to her family. The trauma the pupils of Isidingo went through after seeing the body is beyond imagination.
We urge everybody in the House to fight these satanic and barbaric acts in our society.
IsiXhosa:
Noxa ababulali bengekafunyanwa iintsuku zabo zibaliwe.
English:
Miss Ngwenya was brutally killed by her boyfriend who is a police officer and buried her on a vegetable garden. The new planted vegetables were covering her grave. After nine months her body was found. What a shame.
Abuse against women and children is the talk of the country. We pretend as if we do not know the perpetrators but it is obvious that they are our partner's sons, fathers, brothers, nephews and uncles. Sometimes it does not make sense when people blame substance abuse. It is a normal person who takes drugs for a certain reason best known to him and at the end the government has to waste large sums of money helping somebody who took a decision to abuse drugs. It makes one very angry when the country has so many social ills to deal with.
It is high time that the departments led by the Department of Social Development conduct awareness campaigns in all nine provinces working with the civil society, traditional and community leaders. Those campaigns will assist the country to wake women up. Statistics on women and child abuse are alarming. South Africa is a leader in violence against women. Official statistics show that around 65 000 sexual offences were committed in 2012. On average, in South Africa every minute a woman is raped. The Department of Justice also estimates that one in four women in South Africa is a survivor of domestic violence. At least one woman is killed every six days by her male partner and one in every six women is murdered by her male intimate.
It will be vital to consult with communities than seeking a solution for this scourge. It is clear that government efforts are not enough and do not bear fruits. Aba bantu bayazana [these people know each other.] We applaud the work done by the South African Social Security Agency, Sassa, to improve their services. There has been a great improvement compared to the previous years although there are still challenges in service delivery. For the first 10 years Sassa received a qualified audit report. Sassa continues to recover millions on fraud and corruption cases. Some offices have been renovated but there are still staff shortages in local services. They have to pull their socks. [Applaud.]
We commend the good work done by the chief executive officer, CEO, Miss Peterson and her unannounced visits in the provinces. Her visibility gives hope for a better service. [Applause.] The reregistration period should be extended until all beneficiaries are registered. In some offices beneficiaries are turned away and told to come back the next day. Some in rural areas pay a lot of money to travel to Sassa offices.
The department has to look at closing down the district offices because they are not serving any purpose. Capturing and applications are done at local service offices and are completed there. It will assist the department to have a local service area, LSA, and regional offices and the staff to be sent to either the LSA or to the regional offices. The National Development Agency, NDA, has an important role to play in service delivery. It is amazing to notice that the number of young beneficiaries is rising, especially child support grants beneficiaries. The beneficiaries are young, energetic and economically viable. If they depend and live on grants now, how long will they receive the grants, until the child is 19 years old?
What experience will they have if they no longer receive grants? Will they be employable? The answer is no because every job advertised requires work experience. We once suggested that child support grants must be conditional and education to both the mother and the child should be one of the conditions. We therefore urge the NDA to consider funding projects which can improve the lives of the poor by creating more jobs.
Farming and agriculture remain the best sectors in our country. We have rich and arable land which can feed the country and export surplus. There are men and women who can farm and produce on a large scale. We have to overcome the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. These challenges were not created by God, they are man made and we will only overcome them by not talking but by implementation. Many children under the age of five years will die due to lack of access to drinking water and basic sanitation.
The department is responsible for registering early childhood development centres, ECDs, subsidise the centres, cover the cost of poor children and to develop quality programmes. Most of the time more money is spent on prisoners, about R200 pays for a prisoner in prison per day. However, for a child in the early childhood development centre roughly R13 or R15 is paid. The Minister has to consider this because it is the reason why our education system sometimes does not have a solid foundation especially with regards to literacy and numeracy.
There is a serious problem with the disabled. There are no statistics for disabled people around the country. It shocked me when I discovered a certain lady, Bonelwa Mvakwendlu, in Munitata Building in Mthatha who had to walk three floors up to her office using crutches. The lady is disabled. I asked myself why she is not offered an office at the ground floor. It means that the working place for the disabled is not friendly to them.
Improvement of the community development programmes, CDPs, can assist so that they identify the disabled and inform the department. Most stay in shacks with no one to attend to them, no wheelchairs and they are bedridden. They have to be given a priority in housing and other services like user-friendly sanitation facilities. We urge the hon Minister to intervene in the closing down of the chronic, physical and mental caring homes due to the withdrawal of funding by the Department of Health in KZN. There are people who were admitted at the age of 15 years there and now they are 51 years old and have nowhere to go.
The Drug Authority board has to provide information to the department. What are they actually doing because we still see taverns close to schools, drunken youths on streets and unlicensed alcohol dealers? They have to... [Time expired.]
Ms H N MAKHUBA / JN / END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 5
Ms N P GCUME
Ms H N MAKHUBA: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, social development remains core to building a free and equal society in South Africa. It provides for those who cannot provide for themselves and is the department that holds the very conscience of our society. This department is at the coalface of poverty alleviation and social wellbeing, and, as such, must always function both efficiently and effectively.
The IFP supports Budget Vote No 19 and is positive about the overall efficiency and outputs of the department. [Applause.] However, we would like to highlight the following issues which we feel require additional attention.
Reregistration for social grants has been rolled out relatively successfully throughout the country. However, there are still a few departmental offices whose staff appear not to have the required training, or rather, are not interested in assisting beneficiaries encountering problems, and are thus unable to serve the citizenry effectively. We request that staff and customer surveys be completed in these instances in order to ascertain which offices are consistently weak and require additional staff training.
Another problem experienced by beneficiaries was that they were being paid on their SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, card and had to then transfer their funds from their Sassa accounts into their bank accounts in order for their debit orders to go through. We were pleased to see the programme published in the media where beneficiaries can now call a number in order for them to have their funds paid into their bank accounts directly. This programme is an excellent initiative, as it alleviates the problems mentioned above, and we hope that it reaches all beneficiaries, even those in the deepest rural areas.
Sassa needs to put in additional security measures in order to guard against unscrupulous departmental staff being able to generate fraudulent cards, as has been reported. We were also pleased that departmental action in these instances was swift, and that the culprits were quickly discovered.
The National Development Agency's mandate is to contribute towards the eradication of poverty and its causes through the granting of funds to civil society organisations to enable them to implement projects. It is also responsible for capacitating other organisations and for providing services to poor communities. When funding is granted to community-based organisations, CBOs, this creates employment opportunities. The IFP therefore feels these nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, and CBOs should be assisted by giving them training in order for them to sustain themselves rather than to deregister them due to noncompliance. NGOs play an incredibly important role in our fight against poverty alleviation and all other manner of social ills.
The IFP welcomes the decision by the Department of Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal to open daycare centres for elderly people after a spate of gruesome attacks on elderly women last year. These daycare centres play a pivotal role in not only protecting our elderly people, but also by providing them with a safe place in which to engage in social activities. We would like to see more of these kinds of centres throughout the entire country, as well as more homes for the aged in our rural areas.
Food security is the right of every South African and must therefore remain foremost in our thinking. Vulnerability to food insecurity only exacerbates nutritional problems, which can lead to a host of other physical, emotional and mental ills. Food security and the provision of nutritional food to all is the first line of defence in keeping our nation healthy and productive.
Social ills, such as teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol use and abuse, must remain the target of our social education campaigns in our schools, universities and communities. We are losing the war on drugs. This adversary is such as we have never faced before. It will take a concerted and focused effort to eradicate same from our land. It should remain one of the department's foremost goals. The Central Drug Authority, CDA, must be adequately resourced and assisted wherever it can by the government in achieving its goals. This challenge will never be addressed by the Department of Social Development and CDA alone.
We all need to come together as a nation and join hands in the fight against substance and drug abuse. Our children are the ones affected and we are under solemn obligation to protect them. They are the future of our country.
The IFP supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT/Robyn/ END OF TAKE
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The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr A MLANGENI)
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: (Ms B M NTULI): Hon Chairperson, Minister of Department of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, hon Members of Parliament, representatives of civil society and distinguished guests, let me greet you all in the wonderful name of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Seventeen years ago in this day, 8 May, the National Assembly first adopted the Republic of South Africa Constitution Bill, ushering in an era of a human rights centred approach for our country. I am proud to state that hon Minister, Dlamini, and I, as serving Members of Parliament in 1996, was part of that process and voted in favour of the most progressive constitution in the world. [Applause.]
Therefore, holding dear the values and enshrined in the Constitution of this beloved country, I ask that you join me in support of Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development. Let me keep our promise and remain determined to deliver on the legitimate expectations and aspirations of our people.
Hon members, the ultimate goal of government's social development strategy is to improve the quality of life of all South Africans. Budget Vote 19 reaffirms the commitment of this government to build a South Africa that cares for all those who are vulnerable, including children, youth, people with disabilities and senior citizens.
With this budget, the government will continue to support initiatives that seek to and strengthen community development, provide opportunities for youth and contribute to national efforts to prevent and mitigate the psychosocial impact of human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome, Aids.
Over the last years, it has become clear to us that a new approach to community development is required to truly improve the lives of our people as envisaged in our Constitution. Former President Nelson Mandela once said:
Fundamental to the success of all our efforts at reconstruction and development is community action and participation.
For this reason, we intensified the campaign to take social development to communities with particular focus on rural communities where the need for government services remains high. The success of this approach can be seen in inspiring stories like that of Ngobi Village in the North West Province. Together with its entities, the department has brought much-needed services to this village and the people of Ngobi are reclaiming their lives by participating in their own development. [Applause.]
Another success initiative worth a mention is Bana ba Kgwale Project in Jericho, also in North West Province. From its humble beginnings, the project today supplies fresh vegetables to major retailers and also donates their products to local schools. These initiatives are just an indication of how much we can achieve when communities are empowered to take charge of their own development.
As per the commitment we made to this august House last year, we embarked on the Kwanda Talk Programme in partnership with Soul City, Seriti Institute and the South African Broadcasting Corporation to promote active citizenry and give voice to communities. We are privileged to have participated in this initiative because it promotes citizen participation, action and leadership at community level. The most important lesson we have learnt through these initiatives is that given the necessary support, local communities are capable of resolving of their own development challenges and therefore be instrumental in every developmental initiative.
Community development requires passionate and knowledgeable people. In this regard, we will continue to train community development practitioners in areas of integrated development planning to ensure that social development services are not neglected at local municipal level.
We will continue to strengthen our interventions in preventing the spread and mitigation of the HIV and Aids epidemic on individuals, households and communities. This is part of our contribution to the National Strategic Plan on HIV and Aids, sexual transmitted infections and tuberculosis. With regard to prevention, an amount of R48 million has been allocated to Love Life to implement prevention programmes targeting young people including those in rural and farming areas. This will assist with sustaining our national prevention efforts.
In addition, we will strengthen the implementation of Home Community Based Care Programmes, especially the provision of psychosocial support services and the rollout of the monitoring and evaluation system.
To date, we have expanded Home Community Based Care, HCBC, services to over 370 000 vulnerable households, benefiting 450 000 orphans and vulnerable children, including 25 000 youth headed households.
A number of research publications state that young people constitute the majority of South Africa's population. The youth bulge represents both a challenge and an opportunity for South Africa. The National Development Plan, Vision 2030, advocates for the prioritisation of policies that will improve the capacities and life chances of our country's youthful population.
During December last year, we hosted the first national youth leadership camp in the Free State with young people from across South Africa. The camp gave young people a unique opportunity to interact and learn from their peers and also to shape their own lives. We aim to reach over 10 000 young people through the youth clubs and national youth leadership camps over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period.
The recent conference of the Social Sector Expanded Public Works Programme emphasised the need to implement the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, beyond 2014 deadline. In pursuit of government's priority to create decent employment opportunities, we aim to contribute to the target of 255 000 job opportunities for this sector during this budget period.
We have seen an increased demand for the registration of nonprofit organisations with an average rate of 14% per annum. This number has ballooned to over 105 000 by the end of April, this year. In recognition of the role of the nonprofit organisation sector, we hosted a series of provincial dialogues which culminated in a national summit in August last year. The summit adopted a number of key resolutions relating to the nonprofit organisation, NPO, sector. These are the legislative regulatory framework, transformation of welfare services sector, funding and resource mobilisation, capacity building and partnership.
The summit also resolved that government must commit and create an environment which will focus on training and development. This commitment means that the NPOs entrusted with the responsibility of training and development, must contribute towards capacity building of other emerging organisations.
Pursuant to the outcomes of the summit, a Ministerial Task Team which consists of representatives of government and the NPO sector was established. To its credit, the task team has finalised the plan of action which was approved by Minister and Members of Executive Council, Minmec, last month. Over the MTEF period, a key focus will be on creating efficiencies in NPO registration and on investigating the feasibility of establishing a regulatory body for NPOs.
The National Development Agency has been allocated an amount of R186 million over the MTEF period for capacity building. The focus will be on provision of management services for poverty eradication projects at national, provincial and local levels of government as well as the private sector.
At the beginning of this year, a large number of NPOs were deregistered due to noncompliance with the NPO Act. Minister Dlamini intervened and gave the NPOs a grace period in order to comply with regulations. The majority of these organisations provide much-needed services with a particular bias to organisations in rural communities.
The International Conference on Population Development Programme of Action remains a blueprint in the implementation of the South African Population Policy. In this year, during which we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Cairo Consensus, we will continue to work with the academic institutions and civil society organisations... [Interjections.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr A MLANGENI): Order, I regret the hon Deputy Minister, your time has expired.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: (Ms B M NTULI): Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Ms F E KHUMALO / NN / END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 7
Ms F E KHUMALO:
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Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 8
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr A Mlangeni)
Mrs C DUDLEY: Hon Chair, after years of drawing attention to the importance of adequately funding the nongovernmental organisations, the NGOs, that are providing statutory services, the ACDP is pleased to see that at least some increased support for them.
NGOs are however still raising concerns about specific funding allocations. They believe that more money should have been allocated to organisations and programmes that support rape and domestic violence survivors given the high numbers of rape and violence in the country. They also raised a concern about the need to create more capacity in the NGO sector to deal with these issues, even if these amounts have to be ring-fenced in some way to make sure it happens within the provinces.
It is our understanding that there will also be additional funding to increase the number of state social workers – something the ACDP has continuously been calling for over the years. We welcome all the efforts in this direction. But there is, to date, no relief on the ground where shortages of social workers seriously disadvantage children.
The ACDP is concerned about the pitiful increase of R60 in grants for the elderly, a huge disappointment, especially when we consider that grandmothers are often sole carers for grandchildren and that many families rely totally on them.
For the ACDP, an important outcome specified in the budget is to promote and strengthen families in South Africa by facilitating the establishment of family service forums in three provinces, in order to co-ordinate services to families at provincial level by March 2014. It appears however that for the next four years, the budget for a family would remain the same as the previous four years - a rather meagre 1,5% of the total budget.
The White Paper on Families has been developed in 2012-13, and a key activity over the medium-term will be to provide training on the White Paper, yet the budget for this programme has been reduced.
The National Development Plan, the NDP, which does not mention the White Paper anywhere at all, calls for more research. On page 424, the commission suggests a full review of the state of South African families that should be undertaken by 2015. So we are asking: Where will the extra money come from to conduct the review and then to implement whatever recommendations that might arise.
Consultant Russel Wildeman in his keynote address, on early childhood development, to the SA Human Rights Commission, the United Nations Special Session on Children and Budget said: Additional allocations for the Isibindi Model and the early childhood development, the ECD, programme that were promised in 2012 for the years 2013 and 2014, were not highlighted in the Budget Speech, the Budget Review or the department's budget vote. And he asked whether provinces will still prioritise these areas if they do not receive high level political attention.
The ACDP calls on the Minister to take responsibility in ensuring that the ECD services are provided and sufficiently funded. It will be to ensure that quality ECD services are available for all children, with priority given to the marginalised children and children with disabilities, even if this means again ring-fencing the money that goes to provinces. The ACDP will be supporting this budget.
Mrs I C DITSHETELO
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EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 8
Mrs C DUDLEY
Mrs I C DITSHETELO: Chairperson, we appear to have attained political and economic stability, but poverty and inequality stubbornly deny us the stability. In spite of a number of legislative developments that saw a steadily growing black middle class, the majority of black people still live in abject poverty and mass unemployment.
It is time that we rethink strategies that we could employ in social development, as they have not yielded impressive results thus far. It does not mean that nothing has been done; of course, we acknowledge the many strides that social development has taken in creating better livelihoods for mainly the vulnerable groups.
However, we continue to contend with multiple crises of unemployment, landlessness, homelessness, lack of basic services, HIV/Aids, food insecurity and, unacceptable levels of crime and violence. If we are ever going to meaningfully change this, we must first acknowledge that we are indeed in a crisis.
More than ever, we need collaborative leadership amongst various stakeholders in development. We must acknowledge the potential that the civil society and business have, and thus invite them with their set of skills and resources to assit government to think on how to handle the crisis of poverty and the growing inequality.
We acknowledge progressive policy frameworks and positive partnerships that already exist. However, the department and its stakeholders must work towards attaining efficient utilisation of resources. The department must do away with constant bureaucratic red tapes that make it difficult for the ordinary citizenry to access services. Communities must be empowered and the department must work towards building meaningful public participation in its programmes.
We have a beautiful Constitution which gives us a common vision of a just society that has entrenched civic and socioeconomic rights, leading to a truly democratic and developmental state. We must all participate and ensure that such a vision is visible in our lifetime. The UCDP supports Vote No 19. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mr R B BHOOLA
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 8
Mrs I C DITSHETELO
Mr R B BHOOLA: Hon Chairperson, on my oversight to a rural police station, I found a great number of people deregistering from fraudulent child support grants, thus responding to the Minister's call against fraud and corruption. Hon Minister, wherever you go, you leave an imprint of honesty, integrity and hard work. [Applause.]
Those who pretend as though nothing has been done are walking in the dark and will therefore never seek the light or our democracy and, will subsequently take nothing to their constituencies that endure hardship while they play to the gallery.
Social development and economic opportunities cannot be viewed as success when only the privileged receive help whilst the broad suffering masses continue to suffer.
With the injustices, inequalities and particularly, the brain drain stigmatised by the apartheid regime, honestly, Minister, your department has a demanding exercise and you indeed have a mammoth task.
I have approached the Minister regarding some of the social ills in KwaZulu-Natal. The MF applauds you for your swift response of coming out to see for yourself, and implemented measures to show that those who were threatened are currently receiving delivery and improvement.
Hon Minister, we must acknowledge the scourge of teenage pregnancy, drugs, alcohol abuse, etc, which must be combated. Resources must be directed to bring relief. We must include every sector of the society, and faith-based organisations can play a pivotal role to fight the evils.
However, they are dependent on the day-to-day activities and the sustenance of their organisations on donations. We must help them in order for them to help us. They all can do an excellent work in our society. The Zion Christian Church's, the ZCC's, impact is a formidable one, the Hindi Shiksha Sung, the Hindu Maha Sabha, the Muslims and Christian organisations all can play a powerful role.
Just look at the Gift of the Givers that started of small. Today it is internationally acclaimed, living up to the Batho Pele principles.
The Minister is doing her bit, and criticism will always be there. The country is too big, and our institutions are too little. We need to reach out through education to build a kind of society that we all want.
We are dealing with people who cannot read and write; they are being suppressed by the apartheid regime. We need to make our social institutions, organs of democracy and social justices accessible to the general public.
Minister, all your efforts are laudable. Social grant beneficiaries must be assisted. The department should look at schemes like the small home-based institutions and take heed of government's procurement plan so that they can become self-sufficient. This will teach them to supplement their income and become little entrepreneurs with little effort.
We must also look at the widows and widowers grants, and these people end up with no source of income.
The MF calls for a complete audit of programmes to analyse its success rate. This will speak to the challenges of social workers' funding, for community-based organisations, CBOs, nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, early childhood development, ECD, day-care centres, etc.
I have found the Minister's doors open. [Time expired.] The MF will support the budget. [Aplause.]
Mrs M V MAFOLO / ARM / END OF TAKE
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Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 9
"Old Assembly Main", Unrevised Hansard,08 May 2013,"[Take-9] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][ct].doc"
Mr R B BHOOLA
Mrs M V MAFOLO: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon MEC, director-general of the department, CEO of SASSA, South African Social Security Services and NDA, National Development Agency. Hon Chairperson, allow me to quote our former President, Nelson Mandela:
I have walked that long walk to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered a secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment to rest to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I vac only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended. [Applause.]
When the great icon of our liberation struggle, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela uttered these words many years ago, he was reflecting on the material conditions of the poor and marginalised at that time. These prophetic words have resonance for our situation today and set as a cloven call for all of us to march forward with a sense of purpose and stewardship. Indeed, the long walk has not ended.
The gallant heroes and heroines of our struggle envisaged a democratic dispensation that we will improve the quality of life of our people regardless of the geographic space where they find themselves in. They envisioned that all citizens will enjoy the fruit of liberation and would not be called "refugees" in their own land of birth. They laid their lives for a united, indivisible South Africa where all citizens have equal opportunities. They would have indeed frowned upon the new terminology of professional blacks, which deligitimises the rights of black people to raise legitimate issues in provinces where they feel unwanted and alienated.
It is really a disgrace to hear the Premier of the Western Cape calling people refugees in their own land. We don't have refugees here; everyone has the right to move wherever. South Africa belongs to all who lives in it, black or white. She should be grateful that at the end we have included them, to say that. Refugees are those who have came with Jan Van Riebeeck here in South Africa. [Applause.]
There are those amongst us who do not have an experience of going to bed hungry by virtue of their middle class and privileged upbringing. They tell us that, NDA, have no business focusing on the issues of food security but offer no credible alternative for the food insecurity problem in our country, particularly in the rural areas.
They speak from the vantage of Stellenbosch and care less about the African child in Muyexe, Giyani; Mncwasa in Elliotdale, uMsinga and Verina in KwaMhlanga. This is hypocritical of the DA. How can you say that the NDA is not important? You are - in Setswana we say...
Setswana
... seilakgaka se nwa moro.
English
You amend the report and then you don't adopt it. How dare you do that?
Setswana
O seilakgaka senwa moro, bo mabina go tsholwa. [Legofi.]
English
The NDA has a significant role in working with Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, to alleviate poverty in poor communities. In fulfilling this role, the NDA has allocated from its budget R186 million for the next three years to support CSOs. In addition, the NDA will mobilise R165 million from partners for this purpose over the same period. During the previous financial year, the NDA managed to mobilise over R80 million from partnerships with various development partners.
Setswana
Modulasetulo, go na le bopaki jo bo tletseng, jo bo supang gore batlhoki ba dirisa madi a bone a a ko tlase go reka dijo. NDA e tsweletse ga jaanong go diragatsa lenaneo le le bidiwang Household and Community Food Security Programme. Ke karolo ya letsholo la Food For All programme. Maitlhomo a lenaneo le, mo gare ga a mangwe, ke go atolosa dijo tse di nang le dikotla mo go di ECD, Early Childhood Development, le go dira kgolaganobontsi ya batsayakarolo go fokotsa seelo sa tlala mo ditlhopheng tsa batho tseo di nang le matshosetsi a go amiwa ke tlala jaaka e le karolo ya Integrated Food Security Strategy, eleng leano la mmuso. Sejo sennye ga se fete molomo.
English
In 2012-13 alone, the NDA impacted on 3768 beneficiaries of food security programmes. Apart from working with the provincial Departments of Social Development, the agency is working closely with the Department of Agriculture to source capital, expertise and collaboration in project implementation.
Freedom from hunger represents one of the greatest gains of our liberation struggle. We can only rest when the nutritional status of the women and children in Taung, North West; Mbashe in the Eastern Cape and Nkqubela township in Langeberg, Western Cape, improve. Yes, hon Members, Western Cape is still part of South Africa.
Unfortunately, whilst everybody is talking about increasing the democratic space for critical engagement, the Western Cape government is closing the space for civil society participation in policy formulation. Whilst the country celebrates the social accords that have been brokered at Nedlac, the Western Cape government has dissolved the Provincial Development Council and has reduced funding for progressive organs of civil society.
They do not value partnerships and meaningful consultation for development. They do not recognise the pivotal role of CSOs in democratic transformation and therefore careless about their voice in critical matters that affect their lives.
As an agency of government, the NDA is tasked with the responsibility of strengthening CSOs, as an important sector of our society, to deliver services to the poor. The NDA focuses on strengthening the institutional and technical capacity of civil society organisations in South Africa.
The institutional capacity strengthening programme uses a combination of training and mentoring to ensure that the CSOs are sustainable and effective. The NDA also provides training and support to CSOs to improve their technical skills such as farming and various skills in early childhood development.
In the last financial year, the NDA managed to capacitate 223 CSOs benefiting 3 831 members. The CSOs were trained on how to better manage and provide quality services to communities they serve. The agency also assessed improvements shown by the capacitated CSOs on what they were trained and mentored on, 77% of the CSOs showed significant improvements in their operations. This is undoubtedly a positive result from the NDA capacity building programme.
The major challenge facing the NDA and CSOs is the coverage of the capacity building programme. The resources allocated for this work has not been enough to allow the NDA to increase its coverage. However, the Ministerial Committee, through the leadership of the hon Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, took a decision that the NDA will work with provincial Departments of Social Development to capacitate NPOs in all the provinces.
Through this directive, the NDA will target 14 371 NPOs, Nonprofit Organisations, in all nine provinces to be provided with training, mentoring and incubation. The targeted NPOs provide social development services in poor and remote areas of South Africa.
Setswana
Jaaaka karolo ya go diragatsa tekolo mo go NDA, Komiti Ya Tiro e dirile dikatlenegiso di le mmalwa tsa setheo tsa go tokafatsa go dira tiro ka manontlhotlho, ka nako le ka tsela eo e bonalang mme e na le tshosometso.
Mo go diragatseng dikatlenegiso tse, NDA e okeditse go banally le go nna mosola ga yona ka go bona mafaratlhatlha a diporofense le go thapa badiri bao ba feleletseng go tokafatsa go fitlhelesega le go tsibogela ditlhokwa tsa pothook. Go feta fop, NDA e setse e bone mafelo a kabo ya diterelo mo nageng mo ngwageng wa matlole wa 2013-14 go kgontsha setšhaba go fitlhelela tshedimosetso ya tlhabololo ya seloago.
English
We ask you hon Minister to lobby enough funds for NDA. We wish to recognise the significant role that the new board of the NDA and the CSOs have played in stabilising the organisation. They have provided much needed strategic leadership and guidance, resulting in better developmental outcomes on the ground. We indeed wish to acknowledge the progressive improvement in the performance of the agency and derive confidence from the testimonies of the poor and marginalised in various communities who have been touched by its services.
As I conclude, I just want to remind the opposition that, in the words of Cesar Chavez, an American activist and labour organiser,
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others for their sake and for our own.
I want to say to you in Setswana, Minister ...
Setswana
Kgomo mogala tshwara ka thata, e se re o utlwa sebodu wa kgaoga.
English
The ANC supports the Budget Vote No 19. Thank you. [Applause.]
Ms E MORE / EKS/ END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 10
Ms A MFULO
Ms E MORE: Chairperson, hon Minister, deputy Ministers, hon members of the House and guests, I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate the Department of Social Development in obtaining an unqualified audit particularly the South African Social Development Agency, Sassa, in improving their services as we all know that the social grants are the only means for income for most beneficiaries.
Irrespective of that, Minister, more still needs to be done in terms of the long queues at the paypoints, the dilapidated infrastructure especially in rural paypoints and the safety and security of the elderly that needs to be strengthened urgently on these pay days.
Almost every month we learn about the devastating crime committed at these paypoints and unfortunately some ending in deaths.
Preventative measures against fraud and corruption should be strengthened and strict and consistent monitoring and evaluation of these strategies to be adhered to by management. These include the internal record management, the urgent recording of the Biometric data of the Sassa staff and the combating of social grant fraud among illegal refugees.
Fighting fraught and corruption effectively will save the department plus or minus R50 million to R55 million per year which could help in feeding more poor and eligible people.
Chairperson, so far, only R1,1 million of the debt has been recovered from staff and others, which is very low as compared to the defrauded R60 million reported.
Hon Minister, the challenge with regards to the processing and finalisation of court orders for the foster care grants, particularly the lack of social workers to specifically work on Social Services Group, SSG, is a huge concern.
The challenge of locating and paying child-support grants to the 2 million children who were reported missing in the social assistance system, needs to be dealt with decisively and urgently.
South Africa is becoming the world's largest welfare state. The ever increasing unemployment statistics released by Statistics SA recently poses a more bigger challenge to the food security of the country and a threat to the zero-hunger programme, as less people are not economically active, resulting in diminishing tax bases and a declining number of taxpayers.
The SA Institute of Race Relations, SAIRR, deputy CEO France Cronje, writes: "... It is important to understand that work is dignity and so employment is key to realising constitutional values."
The effect of the epidemic triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality has been immense. A substantial increase in the number in demand for grants poses a big threat and will undermine the mandate and potential of the government to address the huge gap of unemployment and inequality.
Therefore the government needs to come up with a comprehensive long-term plan of transferring most young grant beneficiaries into the economically productive stream through the creation of opportunities as the DA slogan says: 'An Open Society for All' where the government creates an enabling environment and promote equal opportunities for citizens to shape their lives, improve their skills and follow their dreams.
The shortage of social worker professionals impacts negatively on services. According to the survey by the SAIRR, by last March 2012, we had 16 740 social workers and these include both those in private and government institutions. And in our government we only have 6 000, not withstanding the fact that we need 66 social workers to work on only one Act, the Children's Act. It imposes a threat in terms of delivery.
Hon Chairperson social programmes are under major pressure, especially, as there is no adequate social foundations and healthy systems that are the cornerstones of productive and functioning economies.
Mathematically we need more than 72 000 social workers in our public stream. And these include those who would specialise in Faith Christian Groups, FCG, correctional services, health care, HIV/Aids and in many other programmes of government.
According to the Integrated Service Delivery Model developed by the Department, Minister, the case load for social workers should be 60:1, but currently it has double if not tripled.
Hon Minister it is not always about the money, if the working conditions are very unbearable we will remain in a vicious cycle.
There is high failure rate of students given bursaries to study in this field. And in some years, like 2011, over 50% of students failed the course and some extended to finish the course. For example, 918 students were enrolled and 444 finished the course and 474 failed. In 2008, 1462 students were enrolled, 806 made it and 656 failed. The intake criteria should be revised as well.
The reduction in the funding allocation for social worker scholarship will also impact on us reaching the required qualified social workers numbers. And therefore the country is far from implementing the Children's Act effectively and offering quality social services.
The Department through the National Development Agency, NDA, has a role to play in terms of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal No 1. But this will not be achieved because, this entity spends more than 60% of the budget on administration and this includes bonuses. Their spending pattern is much skewed and therefore if they continue in this way they may never achieve their objectives.
The review of the Non Profit Organisation's, NOP's, financial award policy should be fast tracked to ensure that funding of the NPOs rendering services on behalf of the department continue receiving the money particularly those who comply with the norms and standards and the NPO Act.
The government's plan to expand the Early Childhood Development, ECD, programme through the NDA, Minister, should go not only hand in hand with the training, as we have spoken of the ECD practitioner, but must also with the investment infrastructure. And should not overlap or compromise the ECD services offered by the Department of Social Development to the 0-4 years old and the one offered by the Department of Basic Education to the 5-9 years old.
There was a request from the government for the Department to reduce spending by 1% and it is unfortunate that the Department of Social Development chose to reduce the budget on Programme No 4, which talks to: sub-programmes dealing with substance abuse; vulnerable groups, that is, elderly persons people with disabilities and children, your youth, your families, HIV/Aids; social crime prevention victim empowerment; and social work scholarship instead of reducing on consultants.
The ANC led government's efforts in addressing grass root issues has not responded adequately to the interrelationship between socioeconomic development, economic justice and basic service delivery. Perhaps the ANC led government can learn a thing or two from the Western Cape, DA run province, on the successes of our jobs campaign which has seen more than 8 000 jobs created and reducing the unemployment rate in the province.
The National Development Plan, NDP, is the only hope for South Africans and only if is implemented and adhered to.... [Interjection.]... is it? Ok!... Eh!...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Eh!... Hon members, order!
Ms E MORE: Ok!... I would also like to emphasise that the election myth that says: "If you do not vote for my party I will take away your grant" ...it's not true... [Interjection]...come 2014 the DA will take over in Gauteng. I thank you.
Mrs P TSHWETE / /Sam / END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
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Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 11
"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,08 May 2013,"[Take-11] [Old Assembly Main][90P-4-082A][ct].doc"
Ms E MORE
Mrs P TSHWETE: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, hon Deputy Minister, Maria Ntuli, hon Deputy Minister of Police, Maggie Sotyu, hon members, guests in the gallery, including Mcebisi Skwatsha, I seek from you this opportunity to explain the critical distinction of the Department of Social Development under the ANC-led government and the historical social services that were offered by the apartheid state. We believe that this clarification will help people understand why we budget social development and not just social services or welfare.
Social development is an expression of ANC intentions to recognise human rights and extending universal social protection to deserving beneficiaries. When the ANC came into power in 1994, we inherited a social security system that was generous to the white minority whilst excluding the black majority. I think this answers hon Waters' concern why people depend on grants.
In the quest to address this we took a conscious decision to use this social grant system as a potent weapon to kick poverty and deprivation in the teeth. The first change to be implemented by the ANC-led government was to ensure that all social grant beneficiaries receive the same amount and benefits every month. It should be remembered that in the past our black African beneficiaries received their grants only every second month and the amount was significantly less than that received by other populations. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
IsiXhosa:
Sihlalo, ndithatha eli thuba ndibulele inkonde nenyange leli lizwe uTat' uMadiba oyintsusa nonozala wokuziswa kwezibonelelo zabantwana kweli lizwe. Ubomi beli nyange busibonise indlela ebelizinikele ngayo ekuvuseleleni nasekukhuliseni amalungelo abantwana. Kuluvuyo ke ukubona urhulumente we-ANC eqhubeka njalo kumzila wale nkonde kuphuhliso lwabantwana nokwandiswa kwezibonelelo zabantwana ukuya kubantwana abaneminyaka eli-18. Ukubonisa indlela ekhathalelwe ngayo loo nto, abantu bethu bebeyimikrozo ukuya kufaka izicelo zezibonelelo.
Ngamanye amaxesha, loo nto ibangela izikhalazo ezininzi malunga nemigca emide kwezinye iindawo. Xa sijongisisa kakuhle unobangela wale migca ubukhulu becala, Nks More ohloniphekileyo, yintswelo-phuhliso kwiindawo ezininzi abantu bethu abahlala kuzo, kuba kaloku i-DA, kaloku ngootatomkhulu benu aba, yadala ucalucalulo ngokweendawo zokuhlala. Yiyo le nto izinto zinje. Urhulumente uzama kangangoko ukulungisa le mo. Umbono ngowokubonelela abantu bethu bafumane iinkonzo zabo kufuphi neendawo abahlala kuzo, ngoba kaloku baya kulahlwa ngaselwandle. Ukukhawulelana nale ngxaki, uMphathiswa wezoPhuhliso loLuntu uBathabile Dlamini, sele etshilo ukuba udederhu lweendawo ezisetyenziswayo ukuhlawula izibonelelo zakwaSassa ziza kwandiswa ukuze ziquke neevenkile zokuthenga ukutya namashishini amancinane.
Iziqhamo zaloo nto ke, kukuvuseleleka kophuhliso lwabantu noqoqosho kufuphi kwiindawo abahlala kuzo. Yile nto ke urhulumente we-ANC uzinikele kuyo kakhulu.
English:
The ANC-led government has been accused of creating dependency on social grants. This criticism comes from conservative colonists and particular political parties whose key concern is market and not the people who drive the economy. Rather than creating dependency the provision of social grants addresses poverty and is good for the country for a range of reasons. Firstly, listen, hon Waters,...
IsiXhosa:
...uza kuphoswa. [ you will miss out.] [Kwahlekwa.]
English:
Firstly, grants provide socioeconomic spin offs such as promoting economic participation and stimulating local industries which in turn contribute to micro economic growth. Secondly, they increase access to nutrition for households which may be vulnerable to food insecurity, by providing consistent and reliable income to buy food. Thirdly, grants promote educational performance for children and access to health care services. Furthermore, they enable participation in the labour market by providing the means to search for jobs. Last, but not least, they promote greater social cohesion in the country by reducing poverty and inequality.
The recent initiative by Sassa is to improve the integrity of our grant system and service delivery which will further restore the human dignity of our people who were denigrated by inhuman and exclusive policies of the previous apartheid regime. We take pride in the achievement of our government to establish social security as a right for all our poor people and not only a privilege for a few.
While we have prioritised these needs of the poorest members of our beneficiaries we have not been deaf to the complaints of those who have been able to make modest savings towards their retirement. Many have raised the fact that they have been excluded from the grant system due to our means test. We are therefore pleased to announce that the old age grant will be universal over the next three years. It is in line with our commitment to honour older persons for the great contribution that they have made in building our country and the role they continue to play as anchors of many vulnerable houses.
The fact that old age grant will be made universal will benefit more white older persons who have been in the fortunate position to make some financial provision for their old age and that demonstrates the ANC's commitment to a human rights culture that is not discriminatory and a social security safety net which provides for all citizens.
Social relief of distress is another key programme of this government. However, it is with great concern that we have noted attempts to politicise the plight of our people through this programme. In the Western Cape, an order was placed for procurement of 30 000 branded plastics to package food stuff. [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Andithethi ntsomi mna. Nazi ezi plastiki zisetyenziswa yi-DA zinegama labo, ifaka ukutya kwethu i-DA. [Interjections.]
English:
This is scandalous. This is corruption and they say they are the champions of fighting corruption. [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Nazi iiplastiki zemali karhulumente. Bafaka ukutya kwethu bahambe baye kujayivisa abantu ezilokishini. Iza kuphela loo nto sakufika.
English:
The provincial government has nothing to do with the procurement and supply of such food. The blatant attempt to take credit for the programme which that government itself criticised raises eyebrows. What a contradiction!
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Order, hon members.
Mrs P TSHWETE: As part of reviewing the social grant administration system, we have introduced the reregistration campaign which will also help us to reduce shortcomings in the payment system. However, this drive, led by the ANC, was aimed at exposing and curbing fraud and corruption taking place in Social Development. Not...
IsiXhosa:
...le plastiki! Iplastiki ngemali yethu! Iplastiki ngemali yethu! [Interjections.]
English:
Let me take this opportunity to remind this House about some of the benefits that Sassa ...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon member, take your seat. Order! Hon member, take your seat, please. Hon members,
let us keep the decorum of the House the right way, especially because there are guests. Continue, hon member.
Nksk P TSHWETE: Le plastiki inomdla, yiyo loo nto. Abantu banomdla kwezi plastiki. Ndinexhala ke, kuba kaloku ezi plastiki zixokisa abantu phaya ezilokishini nasemakhaya. Ezi plastiki zithi oku kutya kuphuma kwi-DA. Akutshiwo ukuba oku kutya kuphuma kurhulumente okhokelwa yi-ANC. Awu, sisengxakini madoda ngala masela! [Interjections.]
English:
The only thing that they know is to say they are fighting corruption.
IsiXhosa:
Bayenza phakathi kwisebe. Nazi iiplastiki zemali yethu. Siyayifuna laa mali, maselandini! [Interjections.]
English:
The issuing of the Sassa cards has enabled ordinary citizens to become bank account holders for the first time in their lives. They have become part of broader government financial inclusion. Beneficiaries can now withdraw their monies at any place any time.
IsiXhosa:
Babedweliswa kalusizana torhwana abantu bethu Qabane uSmuts beza bakwamkela iiponti ezimbini ezineshumi emva kweenyanga ezimbini. Ngoku baya nakowuphi na umatshini wokukhupha imali. Qha le migca bathetha ngayo ...
English:
...these queues, they do not know they were caused by them, because...
IsiXhosa:
... akukho phuhliso ezilalini. Abantu bayanzeleka ukuba baye kufola kwindawo enye. Thethani inyaniso bafondini. Musani ukusixoxisa. Elokuqwela, Sihlalo, abantu bethu mabangavumi ukulahlekiswa ngoovuk' engceni babantu ababathembisa izulu nomhlaba nezi plastiki, abantu abazenza ngathi bayayazi intlupheko nendlala. Siyayazi thina. Nina kukhona niyifunda ngoku intlupheko. Xa bendisiza emsebenzini, Qabane uSmuts, ndibone iphetshana elindothuse! Lithi...
English:
...we fight apartheid. Which apartheid? When? When? Which apartheid? [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Niyabona ke, kufuneka silumke bantu basekhaya. Ndithetha nani bantu bakuthi. Kulumkeleni ukuthenjiswa izulu nomhlaba ngemali yethu efakwe eziplastikini ze-DA. Abantu bazenza ngathi bayayazi indlala nentlupheko.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Order! Hon member, take your seat please.
Mr S B FARROW: Would the hon member take a question? [Interjections.] Could I phrase it in another way?
Nksk P TSHWETE: Hayi andifuni.
Ms T B SUNDUZA: Chairperson, on a point of order. The hon member Tshwete said she will not take a question. She has refused. The hon member must just sit down, meditate on this plastic and listen.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon members, do not shout like this, please. What is your point of order?
Mr S B FARROW: My point of order is this, Chair. I come from the same town as the speaker here. I can assure you that what she is saying is misleading this House. You cannot compare the Eastern Cape with the Eastern Cape. You cannot even go there. Do not go there. Thank you, Chair.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): That is not a point of order. That is a statement. Continue, hon member.
Mrs P TSHWETE: You are wasting my time.
IsiXhosa:
Umosha ixesha lam torho. Lo rhulumente uphetheyo uwa uvuka uzama ukuvelisa amacebo okuphuhlisa isidima sabantu. Uzama ukubuyisa isidima sabantu. Ndinexhala yimibuzo yohloniphekileyo uWalters. Omnye wemibuzo yakhe ubusithi:...
English:
..."Why do people depend on the state to survive?" Can you imagine? [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Sithini? Siyeke abantu bafe yindlala? Ngaba bantu banye ke aba bahamba baye kujayivisa abantu bethu ezilokishini behamba noZille bedanisa naye. Ufuna balambe? Asizi kuyenza loo nto! Lo rhulumente uzama ukubuyisela isidima sabantu. Kodwa ke zona iziphako zakuhlala zikhona. Mphathiswa Bathabile Dlamini, qhubeka ntombazana umsebenzi wakho siyawubona thina.[Uwele-wele.]
Ndifuna ukuqwela ngokuxelela aba bantu be-DA bandicaphukisa kakhulu, into yokuba olu calucalulo lokuhlala alwanelanga nje ukuthatha abantu lubase ezilalini, lwenza...
English:
I have just confirmed with Dr Goqwana whether I am right to say I query dementia when it comes to hon Waters. Dr Goqwana, is that the right word? I was a nurse now I'm no longer in the clinic. Dr Goqwana said, "you are right, Mrs Tshwete." [Laughter.] Once it has been confirmed by the doctor, it is true. He is suffering from dementia, because he has forgotten that ...
isiXhosa:
... ucalucalulo olu bathi bayalulwa lulo olu lubangele ukuba kube nje.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon Tshwete, take your seat please. Take your seat.
Mr S B FARROW: Chairperson, I would like the hon mmber to withdraw that statement. That is a personal attack on an hon member in this House.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon member, please withdraw your statement. Please withdraw the statement against hon Waters.
Mrs P TSHWETE: I said query, which means it is questionable. [Interjections.] I withdraw my statement, Chair.
IsiXhosa:
Sihlalo, namhlanje yimini enkulu kakhulu kuba sixoxa ngeVoti yophuhliso lwabantu, sixoxa ngeVoti ejongwe ngamehlo...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Hon Tshwete, take your seat please.
Mr M B GOQWANA: I think something has been corrected here. It has been withdrawn, but we just wanted to clear this part that when you say you think ...[Intejections.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): Is that a point of order? [Interjections.]
Mr M B GOQWANA: Yes. I was trying to correct something...
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G NDABANDABA): That is not a point of order, it is a statement. Please take your seat. Continue, hon member.[Interjections.]
Nksk P TSHWETE: ...sixoxa ngeVoti ejongwe ngamehlo abomvu luluntu jikelele, unozala weeVoti, iVoti ke ngoko evuselela ithemba ebantwini bethu kuba uninzi lwabo luphila nezinxenxe zamanxeba afana nala aba bantu bakweli cala phantsi kocalucalulo. Bangakuxelela amabali abo ocalucalulo njengeengxwelerha anjengokuba balimala. Xa sithetha ngophuhliso ke ngoko, sithunuka izilonda ezinzulu. Musani ukusiqala nithi nilwela ucalucalulo. Ezo zilonda sinazo kuba singamaxhoba engcinezelo. Asiyiqoboli le nto siyithethayo. Yeka nje aba baphakathi kwethu badwabayo bethetha ngathi ingcinezelo bayayazi. Kubo ukusokola liphupha nje abalibaliselwayo. Ndiqinisekile ukuba balibaliselwa ngabasebenzi basekhaya bakumawabo ukuba yintoni ukuhlupheka. Masibayeke oodwabayo aba.
English:
The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. Time expired.
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT / NS / END OF TAKE
UNREVISED HANSARD
EPC – OLD ASSEMBLY CHAMBER
Wednesday, 8 May 2013 Take: 12
"Old Assembly Main",Unrevised Hansard,09 May 2013,"Take 12 [Old Assembly Main].doc"
Mrs P TSHWETE
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Chairperson, let me start by thanking all members for making contributions here today. I will not respond to some of the issues, because, for instance, Part A and Part B of the National Child Protection Register always come up as a question. I decided, because I knew that hon Waters would raise the issue of Part A and Part B of the register, that since I have the question, I would give it to him.
Secondly, before I get excited, I think we must also commend the heroic gesture of the two security guards who were at Lindelane when an old lady was shot at and who did not return fire, in an attempt to save the older person. If they had returned fire, many older persons could have died.
Hon member Yolanda Botha, we agree with you on universalising the child support grant. We have done a cost analysis, and it will take a period of between five and 10 years to implement the process throughout the country. We will require sufficient fiscal space for this development. We have three deputy directors-general in the department. The new ones are Mr Netshipale for Integrated Development, Ms Connie Nxumalo for Welfare Services, as well as Mr Magasela for Social Policy. He is going to be a doctor very soon. [Applause.]
I would also like to touch on a few other issues. We get excited easily. South Africa is not the first country to implement social security. After World War II, big countries like Germany had social security to intervene in their problems. There is the problem right now of an economic downturn. Countries like Greece, Spain, and even America have intervened in the problems in their respective countries. It is important for the rich to contribute towards social solidarity, because if they don't, we are going to have more poor people. That can turn into a very nasty situation. People must think about that. Those that think they can take over power through those means are just playing a dirty game. We must know that even the old National Party provided for the poor whites. So, this is not a new thing. [Interjections.] People must not behave as if this is a new thing.
When the chairperson of the portfolio committee spoke about the progress that the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, has made, I heard someone saying "corruption, corruption!" and then I related this to something that is always said about black people. Before you do something, you are always judged as corrupt. That has been happening throughout. [Interjections.] You must search yourselves; you can howl at me right now, but go and do introspection.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Order! Order, hon members!
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: What shocks me is that these people who are shouting at us today invaded our country. They stole our forefathers' land, and they stole their ... [Interjections.]
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Prof L B G Ndabandaba): Order! Order! Minister, take your seat, please. Hon members, please don't turn the House into a circus. Minister, you can use your minute.
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: I hope I will get my minutes back. Now, they also got what they have today through the sweat of our great-grandfathers.
The CHIEF WHIP OF THE OPPOSITION: I am not an invader!
The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Yes! Some of them have the audacity to come and shout at us here. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
The Committee rose at 12:23.
/Mia / END OF TAKE
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