2006/07 presented by MEC T Xasa
22 March 2006
Honourable Madam Speaker and Deputy Madam Speaker
Honourable Premier
Members of the Executive Council
Members of National Parliament
Permanent Delegates to the National Council of Provinces
Members of the Legislature
Executive Mayors, Mayors and Local Councillors
Traditional Leaders
Members of the religious fraternity
Our partners in Social Development
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
It is a great opportunity for me to address this house as this is the second
year of the second decade of our democracy. It is the time when the social
transformation is deepening itself through people participation and high
demands for accelerated service delivery. The budget policy speech I present
today is preceded by local government elections, which have been pronounced
free and fair by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The Department of
Social Development associates itself with the activities of local government,
which have to do with basic needs of our people.
Our department is one of the few departments that are in the coalface of the
service delivery and interaction with the public has afforded us with an
opportunity to review our mandate and come up with fresh mandates. This is in
keeping with the culture of the African National Congress (ANC), the only party
with a track record to carry the peopleâs mandate. This is demonstrated by the
resounding victory during the Local Government elections.
Madam Speaker, I table this budget policy speech when we have just
celebrated the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter. The
Freedom Charter, in the words of the former State President Mr Nelson Mandela,
is âa beacon to the Congress movement and an inspiration to the people of South
Africaâ. It demands an equal say for all in the process of making and
administering laws, equal access to houses, security and comfort for men and
women, regardless of their race, colour or creed etc.
The budget policy speech will demonstrate how my department has begun a
journey to align its targets with the commitments articulated in the Freedom
Charter and in government priorities both at national and provincial
levels.
We have gone a long way in ensuring that the fundamental principles set out in
the Freedom Charter become a reality for our people particularly in my
department, where the Freedom Charter states clearly that the aged, the
orphans, the disabled and the sick shall be cared for by the state.
In the State of the Nation Address on 3 February 2006, the President stated
that the government has to move faster to address the challenges of poverty,
underdevelopment and marginalisation confronting those caught within the Second
Economy. This is a direct call to the departmental mandate to positively
respond to these challenges.
Given the magnitude and complexity of challenges facing the vulnerable
groups and the poorest of the poor who have been confirmed by the populace, the
department has redefined its role and reconfigured its operations to be better
able to deal with the scourge of poverty, the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, and the
high levels of unemployment. These high levels of underdevelopment,
unemployment, poverty and vulnerability to opportunistic diseases require
government machinery capable of promoting sustainable livelihoods, empowering
and developing communities as well as with capability to mitigate social risks.
This has resulted into the development of new Service Delivery Model, which
puts emphasis on the development paradigm.
The key features of this Service Delivery Model include the three pillars of
service delivery which are:
(a) development focusing on empowerment and development of communities
(b) care provision of care and support to vulnerable groups
(c) protection provision of basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing to
the poor and the vulnerable.
The delivery processes will be made through integrated and developmental
approaches delivered through a decentralised community development initiatives
in which people will participate in their own development.
The department sees its role as that of striking a fine balance between
economic and social development, championing the developmental approach in
service delivery and mediating between welfare and development. The department
has refocused itself from social welfare to social development, hence the name
of Department of Social Development.
This clearly highlights a movement away from programmes that promote
dependency, but to focus more on programmes that facilitate self-reliance and
social cohesion.
Highlights for financial year 2005/06
The department consciously followed a path that sought to ensure the
provision of comprehensive social services against the vulnerability and
poverty to as many deserving people as possible. The majority of our people
accept that much work has been done in the area of social development, however,
we need to consolidate our efforts towards ensuring sustainable
livelihoods.
The following are the highlights of 2005/06 financial year:
* The department has managed to develop its Service Delivery Model, which is
aligned to National Service Delivery Model and the new paradigm shift.
* The development of organisational structure.
* The department has intensified its fight against fraud and corruption, which
has resulted in non-qualified beneficiaries being removed from Social Security
System. Whilst pursuing that route of removing non-qualified beneficiaries,
some qualifying beneficiaries were erroneously removed and major steps have
been and are being taken to reinstate them to the system. Through interaction
with law enforcement agencies, the department has managed to deal with the
syndicates targeting our social security system.
* The department has intensified its implementation of child support grant
(CSG) expanding from 11-14 years. The uptake on the CSG has been well on target
and the department has through this programme managed to contribute to the
reduction of child poverty.
* The department has served as a centre of service excellence in the field
of
information technology in which the department has been sharing its expertise
on management information systems with the provincial counter parts.
* The department has received accolades nationally and was also shortlisted
internationally.
* To deal with food shortages the department successfully implemented
National Food Emergency Programme in which 96 001 poor households
benefited.
* Twenty two (22) home community-based care (HCBC) centres on HIV and AIDS
were funded. This HIV/AIDS programme was intensified to provide care and
support to 22 000 orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS;
* Fifty eight (58) projects targeting youth development, women co-operatives,
income generation and food security were implemented.
* One hundred and fifty (150) social workers were appointed to strengthen the
service delivery arm of the department As a result of this massive recruitment,
our recorded backlog will be reduced.
* The victim empowerment centre at Kwa-Nobuhle in Uitenhage was officially
opened as a government intervention strategy to provide care and support to
survivors of violence.
Budget priorities 2006/07
Our department is strategically positioned to facilitate and maintain
sustainable livelihood of our people who fall within the bracket of the second
economy.
Madam Speaker, key to the success of building a caring society is the
ability to enable those functioning in the second economy to take advantage of
opportunities presented by the first economy. This is the thrust of our social
sector plan for the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Through this
Programme we will continue to provide appropriate skills and work opportunities
to our people in the Province.
Honourable Members as you are aware that, our Premier, Hon. Nosimo
Balindlela in her State of the Province Address stated that in 2006/07
financial year there will be a process of crafting a Macro Social Development
Strategy, which would accelerate the provision of basic services to the most
poor and marginalised. As the Department of Social Development we will be
playing a pivotal role in implementing this strategy.
The Department has been allocated a budget of R762,8 million for the
financial year 2006/07. This figure excludes the budget of South African Social
Security Agency (SASSA). This allocation reflects a 41,4% increase compared to
previous allocation of R539,4 million, which excluded SASSA budget. Of
importance to be noted for the year ahead is a change in programme structure of
the department. We now have three programmes viz. Administration, which is
allocated R182 million, Social Welfare Services is allocated R448,9 million and
Development and Research is allocated R131,7 million. It will be noted that the
budget allocation to the programmes is comprised of 23,9% going to programme 1
(support service) and 76,1% going to programmes 2 and 3 (core business of the
department). The changes in programme structure are aligned in concert with
National Treasury Budget and Programme Structures for Publication 2006 Budget,
which have been issued by National Minister of Minister of Finance, Mr Trevor
Manuel.
The department is championing Social Sector Expanded Public Works Programme
(EPWP) in the fronts of Home Community Based Care (HCBC) and Early Childhood
Development (ECD). This is done through cluster collaboration with the
Departments of Education, Public Works, Health and Arts, Culture and Sport.
Through this programme the department will create jobs for caregivers and
provide stipends to 960 volunteers who will be placed in HCBC sites this
financial year. The programme will facilitate provision of care and support to
40 000 orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. An amount of R11,8
million has been set aside for HCBC.
In the area of Early Childhood Development, 2 472 ECD practitioners will be
appointed while 964 will participate in learnership programmes and receive
stipends. An amount of R22,4 million is allocated for job creation in the ECD.
This funding will not only contribute to job creation and skills development,
but it will also benefit 63 000 children who will participate in psychosocial
care and intellectual development programmes.
HIV AND AIDS
Madam Speaker, my department has recently developed a new model for Home
Community Based Care (HCBC) as informed by the paradigm shift of the department
from clinical and welfare approach to a community development and empowerment
approach. The new integrated Home Community Based Care model will allow
sustainable provisions of comprehensive services through holistic approaches.
These include health, socio-economic and development services offered by both
formal and informal community caregivers to HIV/AIDS infected and affected
persons.
The department in this new financial year will pilot the implementation of
sustainable and developmental HCBC model to all 24 areas. These areas are
aligned to local municipalities and this alignment is going to assist in
mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS in our province. An amount of R17,7
million is set aside for the implementation of home community based care and
management of HIV and AIDS Programme for the department. The total allocation
for HIV/Aids is R29,5 million.
Child, family, care, support and protection
Our mandate as the department is to sustain and improve the effectiveness of
social development programmes aimed at providing a cushion of support to those
most exposed to vulnerability and the threat of abject poverty.
The department realises that the future of the country is doomed without an
investment on children. The first five years of human development is crucial
for future growth and development of human beings. In realisation of this, the
department will increase the tariffs of Early Childhood Development from the
lowest tariff of R2,45c per child per day to R5,00 per child per day across the
board. A change will also be effected in child-care institutions in which the
tariffs will be increased from R985 to R1 000 per month.
This is a phased-in approach, which is in keeping with the requirements of the
new costing model and policy on financial awards.
Madam Speaker, the department will also subsidise the posts of social
workers at the current rate within the child care institutions to strengthen
Cluster Home and Safe Home concepts in areas that are previously
disadvantaged.
This is more of a community based model aligned to the strategic direction of
the department to de-institutionalise and promote Community Based Care
approaches. The budget of R123,1 million has been set aside to implement the
programmes on Child Care and Protection.
People with disabilities
The department realises that in its service delivery processes there will
always be those special groups who will fall through the cracks of the safety
net. It is our mission to mainstream people with disabilities in both economic
and developmental programmes. In order to meet their unlimited needs with
limited resources, the department has set aside an amount of R17,8 million for
this sub programme. Community based care models will be utilised as means of
providing care and support to these vulnerable groups. This programme will be
accompanied by skilling of caregivers and engaging these designated groups into
economic development initiatives. The total budget of R82,6 million has been
set aside to finance residential care, welfare organisations dealing with
people with special needs, and implementation of home community based care
models. In this financial year, the department will be rolling out home
community based care programmes to the rural areas to address the service
delivery backlogs.
Older persons
An amount of R60,7 million is set aside for care and services to older
persons. The department will engage in a collaborative strategy with other
stakeholders and cluster partners to extend base care and support services to
the senior citizens of the province, to ensure that they continue to enjoy
equal rights and freedoms. As part of intensifying the moral regeneration
movement, the department will keep a close interaction with the older persons
to advance and fast track moral regeneration programmes.
Crime prevention
The mandate of the department in crime prevention is to facilitate processes
in which children are diverted away from getting deeper into the Criminal
Justice System through implementation of diversion, empowerment and restorative
justice programmes.
As one of our priorities for the year ahead, the department through its
programmes will facilitate processes that have potential to divert the young
people away from Criminal Justice System. We will establish secure care centre
at Qumbu in Mhlonto Local Municipality. The implementation of the provision of
Child Justice Bill is budgeted for R37 million for year 2006/07. The programme
will turn around its interventions to facilitate skills development, economic
empowerment and provision of diversion programmes to youth in conflict with the
law. To strengthen the delivery of this programme, 50 Probation Officers will
be appointed this financial year and 100 Assistant Probation Officers who have
already been recruited as volunteers will be absorbed as permanent employees
through proper selection process.
The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA)
process has also helped the government by highlighting the concerns of women
with regard to their economic aspects, among others, the women have pointed to
the need for the department to focus on issues of finance, developing
co-operatives and fast tracking women artisans. The programme will further
strengthen leadership development of women to address the gender-based violence
linked to economic issues. Women co-operatives targeting survivors of violence
linked to economic challenges will be implemented as a strategic focus. The
emphasis will be on crime prevention, care and support to survivors of violence
through outreach programmes and economic empowerment for women. The budget
allocation for Victim Empowerment is R14 million.
Moral regeneration programme
The department as one of the drivers of this programme in the provincial
administration, has a duty to promote a caring society, build stronger family
structures, and encourage respect and assistance for the vulnerable members of
our society. This programme is cutting across all programmes and specific
budget to drive it is R1,5 million for this financial year.
Sustainable livelihoods
The Premier highlighted in her speech that there is a need for us to expand
our small, medium and micro-enterprise sector, paying particular attention in
this regard to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and the
development of women and the youth.
The department will take giant strides in improving the challenges of
poverty, underdevelopment and marginalisation, which affects predominantly the
rural poor and women. Our intervention will be through establishment and
improvement of sustainable livelihoods based on a Community Development
Strategy.
To achieve the mission of the government to improve better life for the entire
department has set aside an amount of R73,2 million, which will be utilised in
establishment and strengthening of sustainable livelihoods in the province of
the Eastern Cape. This budget will finance 38 food security, 26 women
co-operatives and income generating programmes, in support of government
commitment to Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) and AsgiSA.
Youth development
The department in its programme to grind poverty will engage youth on
entrepreneurship programmes in all seven district municipalities and an amount
of R18,1 million has been set aside for this financial year. One of these
entrepreneurship programmes will commence at Alicedale in Cacadu District
Municipality as a pilot project.
Improvement of social security system
The judicial decision compelled the department at a national level to review
its administration of social grants. This has resulted in the establishment of
South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) with effect from 01 April 2005.
This Agency establishment will be implemented in a phased-in approach at a
provincial level starting from 1 April 2006
Seen from another angle, the Agency is another strategy of the government to
address absolute hunger and the time bomb of poverty. The department will play
its oversight function so as to ensure that there is smooth transition.
Partnerships
In her State of the Province Address, our Honourable Premier highlighted the
essence of the spirit of co-operative governance and co-responsibility in
promoting and enhancing service delivery. Our department, as a leading social
partner is geared up to work hand in hand with non-governmantal organisations
(NGOs), (non-profit organisations) NPOs, community-based organisations (CBOs),
faith-based organisations, municipalities, private sector and other organs of
civil society in pushing back frontiers of poverty and in fighting fraud and
corruption, which pose as a threat to our efforts to eradicate poverty.
The department realises that it cannot deliver services alone, however it
has to draw genius and intelligence from partners in service delivery. These
are service providers who work with the department towards a common goal. Our
focus will be to provide the capacity building while facilitating the
implementation of transformation agenda as reflected on the Policy on Financial
Awards.
Funding for subsidies will be gradually transformed in line with the Service
Delivery Model, the Costing Model of Social Services as well as Policy on
Financial Awards over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework period.
The funding approach will take care of legacy of the past and address issues
of inequity and under funding. An amount of R2 million has been set aside to
pilot the new Policy on Financial Awards in the ten service fields.
Madam Speaker, support will also be provided to the NPO sector to become
partners of the department in promoting sustainable livelihoods in the
province. An amount of R10 million is set aside to build the institutional
capacity of the NPO sector to effectively deliver on our mandate. This
capacity-building programme will play a significant role towards effective
implementation of social welfare services and in facilitating community
development programmes targeting the reduction of poverty in the province.
The relationship with academic institutions in the province will continue to
be strengthened so that there is meaningful contribution by the department
towards the production of professionals who will be suitably prepared to meet
the demands of the New Service Delivery Model and be better able to serve the
communities of the Eastern Cape. In our view, the partnerships with the
tertiary institutions will not be limited to skills development, but will also
transcend to issues of research co-ordination, impact assessment and
implementation of pilots to enhance sound policy development and service
delivery innovations within the sector. An amount of R3, 5 million has been set
aside for research purposes.
The department will establish formal partnerships with the business sector
and strengthen its intersectoral collaboration with social needs department
with a view of facilitating co-operative governance. The critical programmes
that will be in the centre of our partnership will include: victim empowerment,
early childhood development and poverty relief programmes
Improvement of management systems
The department realises that its effectiveness and efficiency will be based
mostly on well established management systems and processes. We shall target
organisational development, improvement of organisational performance,
improvement of access and equity to services, infrastructural development,
improvement of systems of internal control as well as improvement of our
monitoring, evaluation and accountability processes. The department will
facilitate the implementation of a change management programme as an integral
part of transformation and rationalisation process.
In view of the SASSA excision, the department has reviewed its service
delivery model and an organogram based on this model has been developed. This
model is the product of intensive research done by the department in
consultation with our sister department nationally. This organogram will be
populated in a phased in approach with effect from 1 April 2006.
As articulated by the Hon. Premier in her State of the Province Address my
department will under no circumstances stand passive on matters of fraud and
corruption.
As part of improving our administrative machinery to efficiently deliver on
the departmental mandate, the department has adopted the guiding principles of
Project Khaedu. Project Khaedu principles direct the department to remove SMS
members from their âcomfort zonesâ to face realities at service delivery
points, not to get there as inspectors, but to be there as co-workers with
fieldworkers. Our strategic approach as a department is to take MECMAN meetings
to all seven districts municipalities on a rotational basis to provide SMS
members with an opportunity to face realities at service delivery points.
The Department of Social Development is a public institution that subscribes
to fundamental principles of good governance that seek to match best
international practices. Section 195 of the Constitution (Act 108 of 1996) of
this country makes itself loud and clear in terms of what encompasses basic
values and principles governing public administration. This is where the bells
of moral regeneration have to ring louder and clearer to all departmental
officials.
Mechanism and approach to monitor the expenditure of public resources in
accordance with policy directives will be done through improvement of internal
controls, strict compliance with Public Finance Management Act, No.1 of 1999 as
amended by Act No.29 of 1999 and staffing of internal audit unit with full-time
staff.
Conclusion
In concluding, Madam Speaker, the Department of Social Development is
presented with a golden opportunity for the first time of its existence to
focus on its core business. This as has been captured and reflected above will
go long a way in changing the dependency approach to a developmental approach
of the individuals and communities in the province of Eastern Cape.
The department will continue to build and maintain strong co-operative
governance as a contribution to make local government work better and improve
more on participation, monitoring and evaluation to ensure that better life for
all is realised.
Lastly, Madam Speaker, may I take this opportunity to pronounce a word of
gratitude and appreciation to all who have come here to listen to this historic
budget policy speech and my staff for the hard work they have done in ensuring
that the budget policy speech I have presented here today is a success.
Ndiyabulela
Issued by: Department of Social Development, Eastern Cape Provincial
Government
22 March 2006
