T Xasa: Eastern Cape Social Development Prov Budget Vote 2007/08

15 March 2007

Honourable Madam Speaker and Deputy Madam Speaker,
Honourable Premier,
Members of the Executive Council,
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

I would like to acknowledge the presence of the MECs for Social Development
of the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and the MEC for Agriculture and Land
Reform of the Northern Cape. Madam Speaker, we recently sadly witnessed the
passing of one of the icons and giants of the struggle in the person of Mama
Adelaide Tambo. She has left a legacy that will permeate the hearts and minds
of future generations. She was not only the mother of the nation but a leader
who lived and died for the cause of the poor.

Athi ke yena uMqhayi waseNtab'ozuko xa ebonga Umntwan'egazi uRharhabe
atsho ngamazwi afanele ukukhapha eliQhawekazi lase Afrika:

"Gungxula ntwana zigqumayo,
Gongqoz' indlela yaseNtshona-langa,
Kant'ukhawulel’izithunywa zoxolo
Sikhukukazi siqoqosh’amantshontsho,
Siqoqosh' izizw’ ezifikayo.

Makubenjalo!!

Introduction

Madam Speaker, my department will always be guided by the principles of the
"People’s Document" – The Freedom Charter. We are conscious of our obligation
to continue to raise the quality of life of the people of the Eastern Cape,
especially the disadvantaged vulnerable children, orphans and those who have
special needs. The President, in his State of the Nation Address, and the
Premier, in her State of the Province Address, highlighted the need to sharpen
poverty reduction strategies and build social cohesion. The Department of
Social Development is ready and able to play a meaningful role in deepening
delivery in these areas.

It was so inspiring to be reminded by our President in his 8 January
statement about some of the ground breaking tasks that we were given by our
fellow citizens, one of which was "to continue to work to bring together as
many people and groupings as possible into a common struggle to build a better
life for all."

It is therefore appropriate that the theme of my policy speech this year is
"Intensifying the fight against poverty through sustainable livelihoods." As a
new approach to social service delivery, social development transcends the
traditional approach, which has been dominated by social welfare thinking in
the past. The social development approach aims at collective empowerment and
facilitating processes that help the poor to regain power and control over
their lives.

It is designed to promote the social well-being of people through a process
of planned social change, to promote people's welfare in conjunction with a
comprehensive process of community development. In practical terms this means
that the department needs to meaningfully deliver both developmental social
welfare and community development services and strive to integrate these two
imperatives in an innovative manner.

Poverty Reduction and Community Development

During the State of the Nation Address President Thabo Mbeki explicitly
spelt out the importance of sharpening government's poverty reduction
activities: "none of the great social problems we have to solve is capable of
resolution outside the context of the creation of jobs and the alleviation and
eradication of poverty and therefore the struggle to eradicate poverty has been
and will continue to be a central part of the national effort to build the new
South
Africa."

As the Premier indicated in her State of the Province Address, the
Eastern
Cape has been privileged to see first hand successful poverty reduction
programmes in South America. Already on 7 January 2007 EXCO adopted a set of
resolutions aimed at better integrating and co-ordinating poverty reduction in
the Eastern Cape. There is a lot being done in terms of poverty alleviation and
poverty reduction in the province, but the lessons from Chile are that the
fragmented project-driven approach needs to be welded into a coherent and
sustainable programme if it is to have a higher impact. During 2006 there was
considerable discussion of the Presidency Macro-Social Report, A Nation in the
Making. We in the Eastern Cape undertook our own research on poverty and
inequality in the province. This research revealed that some 64% of the
population of the province are living below the minimum living level of R800
per month.

The Presidency is spearheading research and development of a comprehensive
national poverty reduction strategy that will take forward the President's
clarion call to action in reducing poverty. This will include, as the President
indicated, clearly defining the poverty matrix; developing a proper database of
households living in poverty; identifying and implementing specific
interventions relevant to these households; monitoring progress in these
households as they are graduated out of poverty and addressing all indigence,
especially for women; co-ordinating and aligning all anti-poverty programmes;
and accelerating training of social workers to ensure identified households are
supported and monitored.

But, Madam Speaker, the Chile Solidario programme that is so successful in
Chile in reducing poverty took some two years to design. We do not have the
luxury of spending two years designing a similar intervention. That is why the
Department of Social Development is adopting a two-phased approach: immediate
interventions and medium to long-term measures. Whilst the deeper structural
issues around a similar programme to Chile Solidario are being developed, the
department has identified immediate interventions in the 2007/08 financial year
which will have a huge impact on poverty in the province. As part of the
research into the Eastern Cape macro-social analysis, the department identified
and profiled the 10 poorest or least developed local municipal areas. These
are:

* Umzimvubu
* Nyandeni
* Mbizana
* Qaukeni
* Ntabankulu
* Mnquma
* Mbashe
* Ngqushwa
* Elundini
* Ngcobo and
* Intsika Yethu

To this list I would also like to add Ngcobo. We will also be paying special
attention to the Ngcobo Local Municipality as an under-developed area that has
suffered several natural disasters. Over and above its normal activities in all
parts of the province, the department has set aside an additional amount of R40
million for special interventions in these priority local municipalities, both
in community development and in developmental social welfare services. Working
with them we will strive to identify specific activities that will reduce
poverty, help the poorest of the poor to access their rights in terms of basic
services and integrate a spectrum of services from Early Childhood Development,
accessing grants to 40 income-generation ventures. Furthermore, a budget of
R5250 000 has been earmarked for a partnership with faith-based organisations
and traditional leaders for implementing high impact village-based development
projects, with a strong emphasis on reducing poverty in deep rural areas.

The department in the 2006/07 financial year successfully implemented 38
food security projects and 26 women's co-operatives that resulted in the
improvement of the nutritional status of 950 households and created income
opportunities for 390 marginalised and vulnerable women in the Eastern Cape,
utilising a budget allocation of R40 million. These projects have made a huge
impact in the lives of those they reach.

A typical case in point is the successful implementation of a charcoal
production project by 15 women of Rabula Valley near Keiskammahoek. These women
produce charcoal by removing wattle trees (alien vegetation). The project
entered into a partnership with silicon smelters who use the charcoal in the
smelting and shaping of metals, production of glass, purification of food,
water, odours and for fuel and energy sources.

This charcoal is transported to Limpopo and the group receives R19 000 per
32 ton truck. On average they export two truckloads of charcoal to Limpopo each
month. The department is committed to strengthen and replicate this type of
project in 2007/08 in partnership with Eastern Cape Developmental Corporation
in all the local municipalities that have abundance of wattle plantations. A
budget of R5 million is set aside for this. The project is both environmentally
sound and economically empowering.

In 2007/08 the department, in its commitment to contribute towards promoting
sustainable livelihoods and creating a better life for the poorest of the poor,
is also targeting implementation of 67 food security projects. This will
increase the number of households with sufficient food by 1 675 households in
all seven Districts in the Eastern Cape. An amount of R50 million has been set
aside to achieve that target.

Our macro-social analysis revealed a large number of women-headed households
in rural areas. Thirty women’s co-operatives, involving 450 households, will be
implemented in the nodal points and poverty pockets of the Eastern Cape. These
groups will be orientated to co-operative practices and mobilised to start
savings clubs that could later develop into viable credit unions in future
years. A budget totalling R15 million has been set aside to realise this
objective.

Of course, not all our sustainable livelihoods projects are focused on
women.
We also recognise that youth make up a significant portion of the unemployed in
the province. Young people between 15-34 years constitute 33,2% of the Eastern
Cape population, according to our macro-social analysis. Our Youth Development
programme aims to capacitate youth for self-employment and entrepreneurship
development. It targets out-of-school and unemployed youth. During 2006/07 the
department supported 29 youth development projects, targeting more than 400
out-of-school and unemployed youths.

Entrepreneurship development focuses on the emergence and growth of new
businesses with a motivation to make profit fully utilising basic business
principles and practices. The department has set aside a budget of R18 million
in 2007/08 to create sustainable job opportunities for 540 young people in the
province. In our revised structure we have also raised management of this
programme to senior manager level, so that it receives the full attention that
it deserves. We will also work closely with the Eastern Cape Youth Commission
to realise these objectives.

In addition, the department is partnering with the University of Fort Hare
to train 200 unemployed youth as Auxiliary Community Development Practitioners,
at level five, on a one year certificate programme. Madam Speaker I cannot
leave this topic of non-profit organisations (NPOs) and community development
without paying tribute to the members of the Portfolio Committee for Social
Development. During the year the department has strived to ensure that our
community development projects deliver on their objectives and that fraud and
corruption are minimised. For the first time, we undertook an audit of our
projects during the course of the year. We insisted on receiving expenditure
reports and made sure that our controls were in place. Indeed, in a few
isolated cases, we detected misuse of funds and we acted promptly and
decisively. We will not tolerate misuse of funds intended for the poor. But
over and above this, members of our Portfolio Committee visited numerous
projects across the length and breadth of the province. Their report will
assist us a great deal in ensuring that funds voted by this House are used
appropriately and effectively.

Finally, on the issue of poverty reduction, we are also committing an amount
R1 million towards the research and development of a longer-term provincial
poverty reduction strategy. To this end we will be hosting a poverty reduction
summit before June 2007.

Developmental Social Welfare Services

The other major leg of the department's activities is developmental social
welfare services. This encompasses substance abuse prevention and
rehabilitation; care and services to older persons; crime prevention and
support; services to persons with disabilities; childcare and protection
services; victim empowerment; HIV and AIDS; social relief of distress, and care
and support services to families.

In 2006/07 the department implemented 53 home or community based care
facilities (HCBCs) focusing on care and support to orphans and children made
vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. Psychosocial support in the form of counselling,
food, clothing and school uniforms were provided. HCBCs that constitute our
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) contributed to poverty reduction by
creating 1 802 jobs. Nearly 16 000 orphans and other children made vulnerable
by HIV and AIDS benefited from the programme.

The fight against HIV and AIDS will be intensified. The department will
extend the integrated HCBCs, offered by community caregivers to affected and
infected persons. The budget for 2007/08 has been increased from R29 million to
R50 million. This will enable us to implement 67 HCBCs, spread across the 24
Areas. The target number of jobs to be created is 2 482, which further
contributes to the attainment of the PGDP goals of job creation and reducing
unemployment.

With regard to services to children the tariffs for children's homes were
increased from R985 in 2005/06 to R1 000 in 2006/07. To further enhance the
development and care of children the tariff will increase to R1 500 per child
per month in 2007/08. The tariff increases served to retain social workers in
the NGO sector, improved quality care of children in residential facilities and
brought us closer to the national norms.

In 2006/07 the Department also extended the employment of 72 contract social
workers. Overall, our social workers successfully placed 8 843 orphaned
children, who were in need of care and protection, in foster care. The
department participated in public hearings on the Children's Amendment Bill,
which were conducted throughout the province, creating awareness of communities
about services to children.

Madam Speaker, the issue of children is very close to my heart. The abuse of
children, the poverty-stricken circumstances in which children are growing up,
the prevalence of child-headed households and the unacceptable rate of teenage
suicide are phenomena that should concern us all. I was recently so moved that
I adopted two schools – Nompumelelo Primary and Upper Corhana Senior Secondary
School. We intend using these schools as centres for promoting development and
addressing these ills, both amongst the children and in the broader community.
I would like to extend and invitation to you all to do whatever you can,
wherever you can.

On the issue of Early Childhood Development (ECD), the subsidy paid per
child per day was increased from R2 in 2005/06 to R5 in 2006/07 and will
increase to R9 per child per day in ECD centres in 2007/08. Madam speaker in
this budget the 1 124 subsidised ECD centres in which 63 000 children
benefited, will be increased by additional of 225 centres across the province.
For us to succeed In 2007/08 we will revive the partnership with the Department
of Education to improve both the number of ECDs that we support and the quality
of services in these institutions. It is our firm conviction that the grounding
that children receive in ECD sets the tone for their later educational
development. We must, therefore, begin to improve the quality of services
provided by ECD. R78 million has been set aside for this. The number of ECD
centres funded will increase by 225 centres.

With regard to services to the aged in 2006/07, the department funded 55 old
age homes, 115 service centres and three social service organisations,
targeting 64 852 older persons in our seven districts, to provide care and
support, residential care, economic empowerment to older persons and life
skills to young people through inter-generational programmes. The total budget
for this priority programmes was R60 727 000. Following the promulgation of the
Older Persons Act 13, Act No of 2006, which seeks to promote the rights of
Older Persons and encourages healthy and independent living among them, we have
increased the budget to R77 million. The programme will increase its subsidies
to Older Persons in the following manner:
* old age homes – R 1262 to R1500 on a sliding scale
* service centres – R90.00 to R200.00
* volunteer stipends – R600

Furthermore, 72 new initiatives, which include Service Centres,
inter-generational programmes, income generating programmes, home community
based care and old age homes will be implemented. With regard to people with
disabilities, community based care programs were implemented with a total
budget of R17,8 million in 2006/07, which was spent on 23 homes for the
disabled, 30 special day care centres, 11 protective workshops, 12 social
service centres, 6 hospices and 11 income generating projects. The programme
aims to contribute to economic empowerment, care and support, skills
development and rehabilitation for people with disabilities. A total of 52 014
people benefited from this programme

Madam speaker and the honourable members in this budget 2007/08 we are
strengthening the program for the people with disability with R28, 714 000 for
the provision of skills development, care, support, economic empowerment,
preventive and promotive services in all seven district municipalities
targeting people with disabilities in the service centres. The monthly tariffs
for subsidised homes for the disabled and protective workshops will be revised
from R1 260 to R1 500 and from R164,25 to R200 respectively.

In 2006/07 moral regeneration was allocated R1,5 million. The department
started with awareness campaigns in the form of workshops in all the District
Municipalities and the Metro. The key aim was to spark dialogue within
communities, identify issues of moral decay, work out strategies of addressing
social ills, and promote moral regeneration and the key value system of ubuntu.
These workshops culminated into a MRM Indaba, which was held at the Mngqesha
Great Place. This was followed by the official launch of the Eastern Cape
chapter of Heartlines as a partnership between SABC, Department of Education,
Social Development and Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture to
promote good values such as compassion, forgiveness, unity, discipline and
reconciliation among our young folk.

In pursuit of our quest to build a caring society R7 million is allocated to
achieve this cause in 2007/08. Madam Speaker the moral regeneration will
therefore form a thread which runs through most of the department's activities.
We need to intensify building stable families. R7 million will be utilised
towards the promotion of the family unit as a base to promote moral values and
social cohesion. This will enable us to roll out family resource centres and
the family preservation programmes for training on parenting skills and thus
providing a protective environment for the children.

As we enter the 2007/08 financial year we recognise that one of the critical
challenges which contribute to family disintegration, moral degeneration,
increasing level of HIV and AIDS crime and conflicts among the families is
abuse of alcohol and drugs. This programme will intensify its advocacy
programme, nationally branded as "Ke Moja". Our intervention strategies on drug
abuse will incorporate implementation of community-based models, reintegration
and support programmes as well as the establishment of the first state
treatment centre in Chris Hani for substance abuse in the Eastern Cape. A
deliberate focus will be on teenagers who are the most vulnerable group on
substance abuse. A total budget of R8 million has been set aside to deliver on
prevention and treatment of substance abuse.

On crime prevention and support, 50 probation officers were employed to
strengthen the implementation of the Child Justice Bill. Bosasa, a service
provider, was engaged to run the Sikhuselekile Place of Safety for Children
awaiting Trial in Mthatha. The Bosasa Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the
department highlights the need for the provision of an environment more
conducive than a prison that will equip young offenders with life skills to
ease their re-integration into the societal mainstream.

To advance this programme for 2007/08, an amount of R70 million has been
identified for crime prevention and support, including to the implementation of
the Child Justice Bill. Madam Speaker this represents a 52% increase from R37
million in 2006/07. This will be utilised to implement skills development,
economic empowerment and diversion programmes of the youth away from the
criminal activities. This financial injection will allow the department to
establish:
* two One-Stop-Youth Justice Centres, one each in Mthatha and Mdantsane
* two Places of Safety for children awaiting trial, in Aliwal North and
Grahamstown
* one Secure Care Centre in East London

Each of these centres will accommodate up to 70 children awaiting
trial.
The re-integration programmes of ex-offenders will be implemented in all of our
seven districts. One hundred more assistant probation officers and 12
chief
probation officers will be appointed to strengthen the implementation of
diversion programmes and management of probation services.

The department's Victim Empowerment Programme remains a cornerstone of
fighting the abuse of women and children. The programme has received additional
impetus with the appointment of a senior manager to head the Victim Empowerment
Programme. A budget of R14 700 000 has been set aside for 2007/08. Two new One
Stop Centres for outreach programmes and for shelter purposes will be
established in the OR Tambo and Amathole Districts. Twelve new Safe Homes will
be established in "hot spot" areas for women and children suffering abuse.
Survivor Support and Community-Based Care programmes will be available in all
24 Areas. In partnership with other departments, the Department of Social
Development will participate in the establishment of a Restorative Justice
Centre in the Nelson Mandela Metro to address both the perpetrators and the
victims of violence.

Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, the recruitment and retention of social
workers is a major concern of the department. In a joint effort with the
national department we are offering scholarships to 422 Social Work students as
part of the strategy to recruit and retain scarce skills and to improve
provision of social services to the people of the Eastern Cape. In addition,
posts for 300 social auxiliary workers and 200 social workers will be
advertised in order to implement the objectives of the Children's Act. The
national Department of Social Development, with the nine provincial
departments, is working on a scarce skills and rural allowance scheme for
social workers. Once this is completed it will go a long way towards retaining
social workers in the rural parts of the province.

In a further effort to improve social services, the department has been in
discussions with VWSA to partner with the training of social auxiliary workers
at the Nelson Mandela Metro University. The commitment displayed by VWSA to the
province in this regard is appreciated and we look forward to this project
taking off in the coming year.

Building the Capacity of the department to deliver

Over the last year, the Department of Social Development has re-positioned
and redefined itself. From the 1 April 2006, the social security function was
removed to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). In this
regard
I must add that the establishment of SASSA in the Eastern Cape proceeded
smoothly and there was no disruption of the payment of grants. The department
and SASSA continue to work together. At District and Area level we still share
offices and complement each other's activities. The new mandate of the
department has necessitated that we put in place, in line with the new service
delivery model, institutional arrangements that will create an enabling
environment for effective service delivery. Madam Speaker, I am mindful that
the completion of the revised organisational structure and the filling of
funded vacancies are two of the resolutions adopted by this House. Like the
other resolutions, we have strived to comply. The department completed the
development of its new service delivery model and although we were not able to
fully complete the revised structure that this necessitated.

I am happy to state that the revised structure is now ready for submission
to EXCO and to the national Minister for Public Service and Administration and
for implementation in 2007/08. In our revised structure we have addressed
substantive issues like improving our anti-corruption capacity and creating
capacity in districts to implement delegated functions. Districts, as
envisaged, will perform back office support functions, in order for Area
Offices to focus more on the core business in the service delivery process. We
have also proposed to align the department better with local municipal
demarcation to ensure accessibility of services, maximum participation by
citizens and effective stakeholder engagements.

The department started the 2006/07 year with nearly 51% vacancies on the
existing approved organisational structure. A considerable effort was made to
address this. During the course of the year some 504 posts were
advertised.
I am pleased to be able to report to this House that as of last week, some 425
appointments have been made and more are in process. In February we advertised
another 500 funded vacant posts.

Included in these are posts for social workers, probation officers and
community development practitioners, as well as much-needed support staff. The
filling of these posts will place the department in an unprecedented position
to fulfil its mandate to provide care, protection and development for the poor
and the vulnerable. Monitoring and evaluation of service delivery remains a
challenge. The department has already begun appointing programme co-ordinators
in each of the seven District Offices.

Their role will include coordinating service delivery between the different
programmes, tracking implementation of projects, quality control, monitoring
and evaluation. The call made by the Honourable Premier to engage and utilise
the struggle veterans in the monitoring of the funded projects presents us with
an opportunity which will certainly take up. In December 2006, the Office of
the Premier tabled the results of a Rapid Impact Assessment of service delivery
in the Eastern Cape. The report, inter alia, made recommendations around
services to women, people with disabilities and the effects of migration on
rural impoverishment. It also raised the need for staff re-orientation and for
building partnerships with other departments. As a department we have analysed
the report and taken the findings on board. Many of the interventions I have
listed above begin to address the issues raised in the Rapid Impact
Assessment.

Another of the issues highlighted in the Rapid Impact Assessment is that
there is a poor flow of information to communities and poor communication with
stakeholders. It is our intention in the coming year to establish a Provincial
Stakeholder Forum and seven district fora that feed into it. This will
facilitate the two-way flow of information and enable us to communicate more
effectively with our NGOs and NPOs.

In similar vein, the department has reworked its Service Delivery
Improvement Plan. This will enable our stakeholders and clients to assess
whether we are indeed living up to Batho Pele. I have great pleasure in tabling
this here today, along with our Annual Performance Plan for 2007/08. The
department recognises that the appointment of new staff, in itself, does not
always fully address capacity problems. A tender has already been advertised
for a Project Office that will provide induction, mentoring and on-the-job
training in critical areas like human resource management, finance and supply
chain management.

It is my firm conviction that the success of our programmes will ultimately
rest on effective performance management in the department. During the 2006/07
year our senior managers all entered into performance agreements and some
reviews took place during the year. Notwithstanding this, the Performance
Management and Development System is still not second nature to our senior
managers. Until Performance Management and Development System (PMDS) becomes
second nature to senior managers we will continue to struggle with performance.
I am therefore re-committing the department to effectively utilising
performance management to improve service delivery in 2007/08.

Conclusion

In concluding, Madam Speaker I would like to re-iterate that the programmes
I have outlined today will make significant progress in realising the dream of
both the President and the Premier of reducing poverty and building social
cohesion. Building a socially stable and economically developed Eastern Cape
will be very sound preparation for hosting our visitors to the 2010 FIFA world
cup.

Allow me also to express a word of gratitude to my entire management team
under the visionary leadership of my newly appointed Head of Department for
their high sense of dedication to public duty. May I also express a special
word of profound appreciation to our social workers and community development
practitioners whose commitment to the service of our people has stood the test
of time. I would also like to record my gratitude to the many NGOs and NPOs in
the province who help to deliver our services. The tireless efforts of the
staff, board members and volunteers in NGOs and NPOs are appreciated.

Mandinqule, ndikhonze ndikwabulela ngokungazenzisiyo kwinkokheli yethu
inkulumbuso yeli phondo, uMaMntlane ngenkxaso enkulu asoloko eyinika eliSebe.
Ngekhe ndibalibale ooGxa bam kwisiGqeba esilawulayo kwakunye
namalungu onke aleNdlu yowiso-mthetho ngentsebenziswano engummangaliso.

Now is the time for all us to join hands and sing with one voice in concert
and affirm that we shall not abandon the poor. Finally, as I end, the wise
words said by our Honourable President in his first ever State of the Nation
Address come to mind: "If, by word and deed, we take our places among the
ordinary people who position themselves among a nation that is at work to build
a better life for all within a caring society, then should we expect that the
poor of our world will set a garland of grace on our heads and present each and
everyone of us with a crown of splendour."

Ndiyabulela

Summary of Budget Allocation per Programme 2007/08 (R 000s):
Administration: 2006/07: 197 638; 2007/08: 207 681
Social Welfare Services: 2006/07: 422 537; 2007/08: 580 398
Development and research: 2006/07: 120 627; 2007/08: 163 656
Total allocation: 2006/07: 740 802; 2007/08: 951 735

Issued by: Department of Social Development, Eastern Cape Provincial
Government
15 March 2007
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (www.ecprov.gov.za)