Tabling of the Budget Vote Speech in the Free State Legislature by the honourable member of the Executive Council for Social Development, Ms. S.H. Ntombela in Thaba Phatswa

Honourable Speaker & Deputy Speaker of the Free State Legislature
Honourable Premier of the Free State, Comrade Magashule
Members of the Free State Legislature
Executive Mayors, Mayors, Speakers and all leadership from Local GovernmentTraditional leaders in attendance
Leadership from business community
Social Development partners in all their formations
Heads of Social Development agencies
Heads of Departments and all in attendance
Community members from Thaba Phatswa
Distinguished guests, Comrades and Friends

Voordat ek kan verder gaan uitbrei, wil ek julle graag iets vertel van Thaba Phatswa. Thaba Phatswa is ‘n klein dorpie met twee honderd en twintig (220) huise en die populasie is eenduisend een honderd (1100). Daar is twee skole en net tien (10) leerlinge wat tans in matriek is. Ek hoop almal van hulle gaan goed slaag sodat hulle kan beurse kry om verder te studeer.

Daar is geen banke hier, geen slaghuis en geen petrol stasie. Die mense moet omtrent 30 kilometers loop as hulle geld moet kry, vleis koop en petrol in die kar moet gooi. Dit is waarom baie van hulle papsak en bier soos black label drink want dit is maklik bekombaar.

Today I feel persuaded to define and contextualise what Social Development truly is. However, before I do, it is important that I share with you what Social Development is not:

• Social development is not hand outs.
• It is not exclusively about the elderly, the disabled and people receiving social grants.
• Social development is definitely not about tjhelete ya letheka.
• It is not about separating children from their parents and dumping them with foster parents or at institutions.
  

Social development is about bringing services to the needy and the vulnerable communities of the Free State in partnership with other stakeholders.

Honourable Speaker, as we gather here today, I am pleased to deliver this budget vote for the Free State Department of Social Development under my leadership. This has been an exciting journey with good lessons, challenges and expectations all focused at touching and changing the lives of our people for the better.

Honourable Speaker, our budget for the financial year 2012/13 has been increased from Eight hundred and twenty two million, seven hundred and eighty seven thousand rands (R822 787 000) in 2011/12 to Eight hundred and sixty five million, four hundred and fifty thousand rands (R865 450 000). This reflects a six percent increase (6%) from the previous allocation.

This budget allocation will be mainly used for three programmes which are Administration, Social Welfare Services and Development and Research.

Programme 1 (Corporate Services)

Motsamaisi wa dipuisano, let us start by celebrating our successes regarding building an efficient, effective and development orientated public service. Re motlotlo ho tsebisa ntlo ena hore selemong sena re hirile di social workers tse 56 ra ba ra etsa bonnete ba hore ba fumantshwa dithusa tshebetsotsa di computers, cell phones, ba nang le dilaesense ba fuwe dikoloi ho etsa bonnete ba hore ditshebeletsodi fihliswa ka pele setjhabeng.

Ebile re motlotlo ho tsebisa hore selemong sena ho nale baithuti ba 101 ba fuweng dibasari tsa ho ithutela dithuto tsa bo social work. Re ipiletsa ho batjha ba rona hore ba nkele lekala lena, hoba le bohlokwa haholo ho fetoleng maphelo a batho ba ha bo rona.

May I also gladly announce that in September 2011, the department managed to appoint 39 youths who successfully completed the Social Auxiliary Learnership and 15 internal employees also qualified as Social Auxiliary Workers. They are now registered with the Council for Social Services Professions as Social Auxiliary Workers.

Furthermore, the department will introduce two streams of Learnerships in the new financial year targeting internal employees and youth with Grade 12 around the province. The Learnership streams are for Social Auxiliary Work and Child and Youth Care Work. An amount of R1.5million has been set aside for this initiative and the intake will be not later than May 2012. This public sector employment will contribute in meeting the set target of creating decent jobs.

I am glad to announce that one of our institutions was renovated namely Thekolohelong Old Age Home and Tshireletsong Child and Youth Centre got a new home. In Thekolohelong the Department of Correctional Services and Public Works provided their artisans and inmates to renovate the structure. Realeboga!

Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Honourable Speaker, Early Childhood Development (ECD) is one of the key programmes delivered by the department to provide a nurturing and caring environment to ensure a balanced and healthy childhood. This is very close to my heart, because it is the foundation on which we develop responsible citizens. Research has also taught us that those children who have had an opportunity of accessing ECD programmes when they enter mainstream education they progress well.

It is against this background that we prioritised this service by increasing the allocation from 172 000 000 million in 2011/12 to the amount of 176 000 000 million in 2012/13.

We will support the 922 Early Childhood Development sites as compared to the 810 funded in the current financial year. The funding will benefit 46 000 children compared to 43 000 in 2011/12.

We will provide training to 450 practitioners on Pre-Grade R curriculum in 2012/13.

The department provided a nutritional breakfast to 500 children in Kopanong and Mohokare Municipalities in the Xhariep District and 946 children in Heilbron Ngwathe Municipality in Fezile Dabi in 2011/12. In this financial year, this nutritional project will be extended to Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo as part of the towns targeted for provincial government’s flagship programmes.

All the other centres are expected to provide the nutritional breakfast out of the allocation from the department. The department in partnership with the department of Agriculture and Rural Development will initiate a “One ECD centre, one Food Garden project in funded ECD centres.

We are in discussions with reputable companies for the provision of provident fund and funeral scheme for our ECD practitioners and matrons.

Honourable Speaker, We will invest R11 000 000 to build eight new structures for ECD in our five Districts and re-furbish the seven new structures under construction. These new structures will prioritise towns as identified in the State of the Province Address. We are currently constructing seven and renovating four ECD structures from the 2011/12 budget. The building and renovation of ECD structures is done in partnership with the National Development Agency (NDA).

I would like to express our sincere gratitude to NDA for their involvement in the ECD sector and for building two ECD structures in Jacobsdal and Bultfontein and renovating one existing structure in tweeling, utilising their budget in the last financial year. Ek is baie bly om vandag vir hulle se dat NDA sal vir ons help om een kleuterskool hier op Thaba Phatswa te bou.)

Honourable Speaker, I want to also thank Al-Imdaad Foundation for donating an ECD facility in Batho Location, Mangaung which will be operational from the 1^st of June 2012. This centre will serve as a first model for a centre of Excellence in our Province. The Foundation together with Sedgars Group will also partner with the department in launching the Winter Warmth Project 2012. This project, which will distribute blankets to the needy, will be launched in June in QwaQwa. Siyabonga ka khulu ningadinwa nangomso!

Let me acknowledge and thank ABSA for their role in the ECD sector, especially in relation to their annual ECD awards, the training and the equipment they provide to various ECD centers.

Rural and farming communities, where abject poverty is not theory but part of life, are usually under serviced. The department will continue with innovation by providing Mobile ECD centres with toy libraries to rural and farming areas. Fezile Dabi will be provided with a mobile unit at the cost of R 700 000 in 2012/13. Selemong se fitileng, re entse tse pedi (mobile ECD centres with toy libraries) Xhariep le Qwaqwa.

Child Care and Protection Services

Honourable Speaker, we have witnessed with sorrow and sadness in our hearts the daily abuse and violence perpetrated against children and women. Eight hundred and ninety eight cases of child abuse, neglect and exploitation were reported for the period April 2010 to December 2011. It is regrettable that the alleged perpetrators in the cases reported include amongst others, stakeholders entrusted with the responsibility of caring and protecting our children.

The department will start implementing the child protection register. The register will have names of all those who are entrusted with care and protection of children yet have committed gross violations against children.

Honourable Speaker, the reduction of foster care backlog will remain a priority. Our target is to resolve all the backlog of 22 904 by the end of December 2012. We have declared Foster Care Wednesdays to mobilise and deploy relevant professional and support staff in a massive way to address this challenge as per district project plans.

Substance abuse

Substance abuse continues to be a cancer that destroys the fabric of our society. Its additive powers destroy families and leave trail of broken dreams. What is worrisome is that the age of addicts and abusers is getting younger by the day.

Ke Moja “I am fine without drugs” continues to be our prevention flagship project. In 2011/12 we reached 75 schools. The department will use the 26 June 2012 to commemorate International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking in Odendaalsrus. We intend building up on successes and lessons learnt from the event held last year in Odendaalsrus in which 3000 people were reached.

District Summits and dialogues targeting youth and woman will be held in Bronville, Edenville, Bethlehem and Thaba Phatswa.

Honourable Speaker, we will train 150 youth as activists for substance abuse and 20 supervisors for support, mentoring and monitoring. These young people will act as advocates in their communities. This intervention will be supported through funds from Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the activists will receive a stipend.

Moral Regeneration Programme (MRM) is a critical pillar in rebuilding the moral fibre of our society. The National launch of MRM will take place in July 2012 in our province. The provincial chapter of MRM was launched on 25 November 2011 in Kroonstad. The districts of Lejweleputswa and Thabo Mofutsanyane (the event was last week) launched their chapters. Outreach and life skills programmes have been developed and are being implemented.

Care and Services to Older Persons

Hounarable Speaker, Older Persons in the Republic of South Africa are protected in terms of the Older Persons Act No 13 of 2006. The Department of Social Development is the custodian of the said Act. The Act devolves a number of functions, management and accountability to provinces. Maqheku a rona ke batho ba bohlokwa, re the ke bona. Re ipiletsa ho setjhaba ho tlohela hlekefetso ya bo nkhono.

Ho hlekefetsoa ka thobalano, kappa ka ho ba nkela tjhelete ya bona. Bana ba rona, moriri o moputsoa o ya hlomphuwa!

Services to Persons with Disabilities

Motsamaise wa dipuisano, Batho ba sa itekanelang, conferenseng ya bona mane Lejweleputswa ba ne ban a le discipline and order e makatsang. Ke lakaletsa be khethiweng mahlohonolo le katleho.

This field of service is one of the departmental compact of priorities. We acknowledge that the service needs a serious overhaul. Funding for services will be increased as follows:

• Residential care facilities will increase from R 2 300 to R2 400 per bed per month.
• Subsidy for Day Care Centres for children with disabilities will increase from R15 to R16 per child per day.
  

We will be working hand in glove with organisations of People with Disabilities to develop a charter and a transformation plan for the sector.

Crime Prevention and Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP)

Honourable Speaker, the department will continue funding 12 VEP shelters in the province and will extend the scope of these centres to address human trafficking.

HIV and AIDS

Honourable speaker, HIV and Aids continues to be most single threat with the capacity to reverse our democratic gains. We will claim our lives back by presenting advocacy and prevention programmes on HIV and AIDS. Our campaign will start in Harrismith, Ventersburg and Winburg. We will work with other sector departments and stakeholders towards attaining the vision of HIV and Aids free generation in our life time.

Isibindi Model

Honourable Speaker, allow me before I conclude on social welfare services to briefly reflect on Isibindi Programme. This programme is the initiative of our Honourable Minister: Mme. Bathabile Dlamini. This programme is meant to provide psycho-social support to orphans and vulnerable children. Child and Youth Care Workers will be trained and deployed, using EPWP approach, to communities of the Free State to implement this programme.

This financial year will be dedicated to develop a comprehensive provincial plan for the roll out in 2013/14.

In the previous financial year we trained 230 young people through our National Youth Service on Child and Youth Care Work. Isibindi programme will provide job opportunities for these young people.

Programme 3: Development and Research

Honourable Speaker, allow me to outline our plans regarding development and research. This programme aims to provide sustainable development programmes which facilitate empowerment of communities through poverty eradication and formation of social capital.

Sustainable livelihoods

Due to challenges we experienced in the execution of some projects we committed to last year, we were not able to deliver on our promise of Popular Restaurants and Cemetery Management. We apologise for our short comings.

In the financial year 2012/13, funded projects and programmes will take the form of social and business cooperatives. Cooperatives still remain a viable vehicle for fighting poverty based on collective power.

I am pleased to report that a total of 21 focusing on income generation and skills development were funded in 2011/12. The amount invested was R 11 000 000.

During the new financial year we will establish a soup kitchen in each district. This is the continuation of our Zero Hunger Programme. A budget of R 3 000 000 has been set aside for these projects. We will also establish and support feeder cooperatives to the Zero Hunger Programme.

We will open a shoe factory in QwaQwa to produce mainly school shoes. The factory will have a textile wing where school uniforms will be produced by cooperatives. An allocation of R 1 500 000 will be utilised for the operation of the factory. Women and unemployed graduates are targeted for employment.

Eleven million, seven hundred and ninety nine thousand rand is allocated for transfer payment. These funds will be used to initiate and support income generating and human development programmes in 2012/13.

Youth development

Youth Development is one of the priority programmes of the Free State Provincial Government. The Honourable Premier declared and I quote, “Youth unemployment is not only a statistical matter, but it is at the core of the quality of life, as it negatively affects the welfare, livelihood, development and progress of youth. There is obviously an imperative for us to act decisively to intervene and arrest the challenges of youth unemployment”.

Honourable Speaker, the department will be introducing the Youth Community Service Awards. These awards are launched in 2012 as part of the centenary celebration to recognise and honour the contribution of youth in the liberation of this country and the role they continue to play in the social development agenda. The programme will be launched in June 2012 in Welkom.

Honourable Speaker, skills development constitutes one of the critical pillars in investing in youth development. The department will expose 34 youth in training on accredited technical skills for 21 months. These young people will be trained on Electrical Maintenance, Motor Mechanic, Mechanical Fitting, Plumbing and Welding and Boiler-Making.

On completion they will form cooperatives which will be contracted to provide required maintenance services to the department and other sector departments. This project will be done in partnership with the Skills Development Unit in the department of the premier.

Honourable Speaker, we have partnered with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and National Institute on Community Development and Management (NICDAM) to establish Social Enterprise. We will initiate projects of Social Enterprise in Odendaalsrus, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu. These projects will offer exit opportunities to former participants of the National Youth Service who were trained on Child and Youth Care Work based in the above-mentioned three towns.

Honourable Speaker, our contribution to social cohesion will be carried out through youth clubs and outreach programmes. In 2011/12 financial year six youth clubs were funded. In 2012/13 financial year sixteen youth clubs will be funded. Weer, ek is bly om te se, een van daar die youth clubs sal hier in Thaba Phatswa wees.

An overall amount of R4 200 000 has been allocated for the purpose of supporting youth projects.

Research, Population Development and Advocacy

Following the successful launch of the State of the Population Report 2010 in July 2011, the Provincial Population Unit is currently in the process of developing a Population Strategy for the Free State. This Population Strategy will be launched on the occasion of the celebrations of the World Population Day in July 2012.

Regarding our research agenda, the department will commission and undertake research on high incidence of Teenage Pregnancy in the province. We will also research extent of the problem of orphans and vulnerable children in the province. Additional research projects focusing on nutrition and substance abuse will be undertaken within the department.

South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)

Honourable Speaker, I would like to reflect on the good work done by SASSA which is providing safety nets to the vulnerable and the poor. A total of 914 975 people in the province are benefitting from social grants at the cost more than R6 billion. The number of people benefitting make up 33% of the population of the province.

Conclusion

Honourable Speaker, to conclude, I would like to thank all our partners particularly the Friends of the Poor who have been working with us throughout the year and have made significant contributions which have touched and changed the lives of vulnerable and the poorest of the poor.

I must also thank our Premier, my comrades and colleagues in Exco for their unfailing support and guidance.

HOD le basebetsi bohle ba Social Development, key a leboha! Working Together we Can Do More!

To my family, I want you to know that I always depend on you and thank you for allowing me the time and space to serve our people. You always make me smile and encourage me to do more.

Honourable Speaker, I table budget Vote 7 for the Department of Social Development for the financial year 2012/13.