Benjamin, at the Budget Vote debate, National Council of Provinces (NCOP)
17 May 2006
Deputy Chairperson
Honourable Minister,
Honourable members and distinguished guests
50 years ago, the women of South Africa staged a historic march to protest
against the implementation of the pass laws and against the marginalisation of
the poor and rural masses of our country.
Yesterday we buried a South African woman icon, Comrade Ntombozana Stella
Sicgau who, until the last moment, strived to improve the quality of life
particularly of rural communities.
We salute the late Comrade Stella for her untiring efforts in improving the
quality of life for our people, particularly in the rural areas.
I am proud to be associated with Budget Vote 18 which represents the social
dimension of the age of hope and promises to deepen the efforts of this
department to improve the quality of life of all those who are marginalised,
vulnerable and excluded.
As part of our work to ensure the sustainability of the social assistance
system and translate the vision of development into action, we are looking at
ways to link social grants to economic activities. In close collaboration with
the Department of Labour, we are working to ensure that South Africans not only
have access to the right to social security, but also take responsibility to
enhance the capabilities to enjoy the dignity of gainful employment.
To this end, the department aims to expand the provision of social relief of
distress to support those who are vulnerable but do not qualify for the main
social grants. The vulnerable referred to here, includes people who face
particular barriers to entering, remaining in and progressing in employment,
including educated youth, the disabled, people with certain health conditions,
single parents and persons over 50 years of age.
I would therefore like to say to the Democratic Alliance (DA) that perhaps
they should look beyond the basic income grant to address the problems of those
people who are not eligible for grants, because the department is doing that.
The poorest of the poor and those who have given up hope of employment need
support to become gainfully employed.
For the poor, the dignity, self-confidence and respect that come with work
are important. The objective of the new framework is to redesign the role,
responsibilities and contribution of social grants in alleviating poverty but
predominantly in providing better
Opportunities for the poorest of the poor are to generate their own income
through self-employment or at least pursue job opportunities.
The poor need to be given the necessary support to achieve either
self-employment or to secure skills and or employment.
I would like to bring the attention of this house to the 2006 Homeless World
Cup Soccer, which will be hosted by The Big Issue, South Africa, from 24 to 30
September 2006 in Cape Town.
The Big Issue is a non-profit organisation established in 1996 as a job
creation initiative for unemployed homeless people particularly women and
youth. Our department will be hosting the Social Dialogues alongside the
Homeless Soccer World Cup to exhibit our programmes and to obtain public
commitment and action towards poverty eradication and the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals.
There is no doubt that substance abuse is touching the roots of our society:
For example, our children, our family lifes, increased criminal behaviour,
HIV/AIDS infection, poverty, unemployment, car accidents and other forms of
trauma, violence and other forms of abuse, loss of productivity and in fact
almost every facet of our social fabric.
Substance abuse is a scourge that threatens the future of our society and it
necessitates our urgent attention. During this Medium-Term Expenditure
Framework period, the National Drug Master Plan will go to Cabinet for
approval. The new plan proposes an array of drug control, prevention and
treatment initiatives, which will inform new legislation and programmes.
As indicated by the Minister, the Prevention and Treatment of Substance
Abuse Amendment Bill will be introduced to Parliament during this financial
year. The Bill will provide for the transformation of services in the field of
substance abuse, including community-based services. It places more emphasis on
community-based interventions to ensure that communities take charge of their
drug problems, and are capacitated to do so in an effective manner.
I am pleased to share with you that the department has developed and
approved the national minimum norms and standards for treatment centres to
standardise services, to facilitate transformation, ensure protection of human
rights and effective monitoring, and evaluation of these facilities. These
measures will enable the newly appointed Central Drug Authority and the
provincial MECs to ensure that drug-related services complying with minimum
norms and standards are provided in all areas of South Africa and communities
are mobilised to take care of their own drug problems.
The department further plans to host an international summit on substance
abuse during the third quarter of the 2006/2007 financial year in order to
share best practice at national, regional and international level in managing
the problem of substance abuse.
International Day Against Substance Abuse will be celebrated in
KwaZulu-Natal this year. The Youth Model for Prevention and Treatment of
Substance Abuse will be launched during this celebration. We commend the MEC
for the Northern Cape for the initiative in hosting a Substance Abuse Summit to
develop a strategy accepted by all role-players and stakeholders in October
last year. This year will see the rollout of an integrated strategy to address
substance abuse. We encourage other MECs to follow this example.
A policy framework for services to people with disabilities within the
social development context has been developed, and the research on the needs of
people with disabilities is being conducted.
In terms of assistance to people with disabilities, in particular
care-dependent children, the department has finalised the assessment tool and
guidelines for implementation in terms of the new Social Assistance Act of
2004. This will require a campaign to create awareness of the improved benefits
to recipients as well as capacity-building programmes for all officials to
ensure that they apply the new legislation correctly.
The 23,2% increase over the 2006 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period in
the social crime prevention sub-programme relates to the implementation of the
Child Justice Bill to improve the functioning of the integrated justice system.
Policies to promote the well-being of children will be aligned to the new
Childrenâs Act and implementation by all provinces will be managed and progress
evaluated. Programmes and policies for children awaiting trial are being
implemented, and will be monitored to assess progress and its impact. This
department is working towards the 60% reduction in children in police cells and
prisons during this financial year.
Norms and standards for secure care centres will be implemented and 40
assistant probation officers will be trained. Five hundred volunteers will be
trained as assistant probation officers as part of the National Youth Service
Programme during this financial year. A professional board for youth work will
be established.
With an 8,8% increase in the allocation of our HIV/Aids programme; the
department will strengthen and expand the role of home community-based care and
support, and will ensure that 50% of home community-based care projects comply
with the norms and standards of service delivery. Groundbreakers will be
trained and linked to the Expanded Public Works Programme on farms and in
informal settlements.
The delivery of developmental social services necessitates the creation of
an enabling environment for social service practitioners. To this end, the
Social Service Profession Act and the Social Services Act will be reviewed and
implemented. All professions in the social welfare services sector will be
graded appropriately, and job descriptions will be benchmarked for child and
youth care workers as well as social auxiliary workers.
Finally, the acute shortage of social workers in our country remains a major
challenge to effective rendering of services. In addition to the efforts of the
department, which includes a retention strategy and reviewing of salaries, a
limited number of bursaries for matriculants to enter the profession have been
made available. I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to the private
sector to make more bursaries available, particularly for matriculants from
rural areas.
Honourable members, delegates, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the
Womenâs March and the 30th Anniversary of the Soweto uprising, paying tribute
to our women veterans and our young lions, let us all, together, do our utmost
to promote economic independence and to give effect to building a better South
Africa and a better world.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
17 May 2006
Source: Hansard
