Social Development, to the National Assembly, Cape Town
28 March 2007
Madame Speaker
Honourable Deputy President
Honourable Minister of Social Development
Honourable members
MECs for Social Development
Distinguished guests
Members of the community present here today
Ladies and gentlemen
As we enter the second half of our term of office, the major achievement of
the department is the provision of social grants to almost 12 million of our
people who are poor and vulnerable. These grants are now administered by the
South African Social Security Agency which is to be launched this coming
weekend. The President, in his State of the Nation address has called on us to
renew our pledge to implement the programme of government to build a better
life for all.
Budget Vote 17 in the 2007 financial year aims to do this by implementing
the other pillars of Comprehensive Social Security by addressing the needs of
those who continue to fall into the poverty trap and to strengthen services to
improve social cohesion and eradicate poverty. These developments are in
keeping with resolutions from the African National Congress in both the 1997
and 2002 conferences.
Part of this is the development of a system of mandatory retirement savings
to improve the quality of life of many elderly persons who retire from
employment without medical and retirement cover.
Madame Speaker, whenever our people ask, what it is that the Department of
Social Development does? The easiest explanation becomes that, it is the
department of pensions and grants. However, the department's work includes
social developmental services to all vulnerable South Africans including
abandoned babies, orphans and vulnerable children, to children in conflict with
the law, support to victims of crime and violence, to persons with disabilities
and elderly persons. In addition to services to vulnerable persons, the
department focuses on empowering, mobilising and developing the poor and
marginalised. These include programmes which develop skills to enable
sustainable livelihoods, building social cohesion through strengthening
families and communities and building a caring society.
Provision of developmental welfare services are, however, hampered by a
shortage of social service professionals, some of whom had been enticed by
strong dollars and pounds, while others have found the difficult work
conditions and low salaries unbearable and have left the profession.
Chairperson, whilst the allocation of grants positively affected the
likelihood that recipients may engage in economic activity, the department in
conjunction with South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is looking into
ways of linking grant recipients with economic activity and sustainable
livelihoods and integrating information systems to ensure that grant recipients
also receive welfare and other basic services to remove them from the poverty
trap.
The President called for the deepening of social transformation, social
cohesion, eradication of poverty and reduction and eradication of crime. Social
grants must be supported by more effective social services if the social
liabilities accumulated by those who have been disadvantaged by apartheid are
to be addressed. Redressing the historical under-funding of developmental
social services still remains the greatest challenge. The budget allocation of
R25 million for integrated welfare services is a positive step in addressing
this legacy.
Ladies and gentlemen, the department's approach to social welfare services
focuses on skills development and empowerment programmes. In order to give
effect to this approach our department, in collaboration with provincial
departments of Social Development and with the support of the non-profit
organisations, has a broad range of programmes to deliver the basket of
developmental social services. This requires skilled and experienced
professionals.
Moreover, this is what our partnerships in dealing with the effects of the
poverty trap are all about. Hence the strategy for recruitment and retention of
social workers has been accelerated by the allocation of R50 million this
financial year for scholarships for social work students to address the
shortage of social work professionals needed to respond to the demand for
service delivery and statutory obligations. One thousand four hundred and forty
three students have already been awarded scholarships and R105 million is
allocated for 2008/09 financial year, while R210 million is allocated to the
2009/10 financial year.
The provincial departments will train Social Auxiliary Workers (SAW) to
render support to social workers and relieve their workload. This category of
workers provides paraprofessional services and receives on the job training
through the learnership programme which is 30% theory and 70% practice. The
capacity of social workers within the sector will be enhanced when supported by
social auxiliary workers and community development practitioners.
Unfortunately this labour of love and care has been given so much negative
publicity. There are more than 11 000 hardworking and caring social workers in
this country. Instead of acknowledging and praising the wonderful work that
they do under difficult circumstances, one often only hears of the bad
conditions and the so-called brain drain.
The good news is that the department has reached its targets for training
and I want to encourage students to visit the social work profession stalls at
Career Fests held all over the country to learn about the merits of embarking
on this caring profession.
The department works closely with the Council for Social Service Professions
to create additional service professions such as child and youth care workers,
auxiliary social workers, and community development workers.
Honourable members, in addressing the increasing levels of serious
interpersonal violence, in particular domestic violence and the abuse of
children, victim empowerment programmes provides integrated services to victims
of crime and violence to strengthen families and communities for a better life
for all. These services form part of Department of Social Development's
contribution to 365 days of activism against gender violence. Programmes and
guidelines for children awaiting trial will be implemented through the roll out
of the department's secure care centre management system to be completed by
March 2008.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Departments of Education, Health and Social
Development drafted a national implementation plan known as the Integrated Plan
for Early Childhood Development (ECD), which was approved by Cabinet. This plan
forms part of the Expanded Public Works Programme. The inclusion of early
childhood development and home based care services targeting children will
improve their lives and deliver them from vulnerability, through the
determination of minimum standards for service delivery in this field.
Other programmes under the Expanded Public Works Programme include youth
development and skills development through the National Youth Service
programmes. For those children who are older than 14 years falling outside the
scope of the child support grant, the department is looking into ways of
providing support services to address their vulnerability.
Honourable members, the scourge of HIV and AIDS and other diseases have left
many children without parents. Together with our partners, the non-governmental
organisations, community-based organisations and faith-based organisations, the
department continues to make strides in improving the lives of orphans and
vulnerable children, to ensure that they have access to nutrition, social
grants, and are assisted by home based carers.
Chairperson, children should be protected and not hurt. Let me express my
abhorrence of violent crimes of a sexual nature against children which have
dominated the front pages of the media. I cannot imagine the childhood
experiences that could have caused the perpetrators to perform such cruel acts
against the young victims and my condolence goes out to the families of these
victims.
The Children's Amendment Bill provide for early intervention by
organisations and state officials to ensure the safety of children. Such
intervention will not be possible unless members of the public are vigilant and
adopt the strategy of your child is my child, and intervene wherever children
may be in danger.
The strategy for foster care will be implemented by December 2007. The
policy on child abuse, neglect and exploitation will be implemented and
monitored by 75% of offices during the 2007/08 financial year. The regulations
for the Children's Amendment Act and programmes for children living and working
on the streets will be in place by March 2008. All programmes for children are
inter-linked to ensure that the interest of the child comes first and guides
our service delivery in protection and care of children.
Ladies and gentlemen, alcohol and substance abuse is on the increase and the
abuse of methamphetamine in the Western Cape has reached epidemic proportions.
This toxic drug, to which children as young as eight years old have become
addicted, has been raging in the Western Cape province for more than five
years. Addicted teenagers are engaging in risky sexual behaviour, increasing
their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and their unborn children.
The recent murder of little Anastacia Wiese, which seems to have been
drug-related has caused tremendous agitation among the communities of
Mitchell's Plain. This incident has highlighted the role that needs to be
played by members of the community in combating substance abuse. In partnership
with government, vigilant members of the community can prevent such tragedies
arising from the neglect and abuse of children.
Chairperson, it is my contention that a concerted, highly visible,
protracted and integrated public awareness campaign must be initiated to inform
our communities about the National Drug Master Plan and provinces should
intensify their efforts to provide early intervention services to divert our
children who may be at risk, to appropriate activities in the fields of arts
and culture, sport, leadership camps, etc. To this end, R2,8 million has been
budgeted for the Ke Moja campaign in the 2007/08 financial year and we are
gearing up to embark on a massive public education campaign. Two hundred
service providers will be trained on substance abuse intervention and trends
during this financial year.
The department held its first Biennial Substance Abuse summit in February of
this year which was very successful. The summit resolved amongst others to
strengthen Ke Moja as a national awareness programme together with other
initiatives such as, South African National Council On Alcoholism And Drug
Dependence (SANCA), Love Life and Soul City; strengthen the Central Drug
Authority (CDA) support structures and consolidate the establishment of the
Local Drug Action Committees; Develop integrated intervention programmes for
the prevention of substance abuse amongst children and strengthen existing
programmes.
All provinces are directed by the National Drug Master Plan to formulate
plans to implement prevention, early intervention and treatment to reduce the
scourge of alcohol and substance abuse. To facilitate this, the budget of the
CDA which has a responsibility to oversee the implementation of the National
Drug Master Plan (NDMP) has been increased substantially. Most provinces have
launched substance abuse forums and municipalities are establishing local drug
action committees in which teachers, social workers, police, justice officials
and members of the community will formulate plans to combat substance abuse in
their areas.
The passing of the Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Bill later in
the year will make it incumbent on provinces to make prevention, early
intervention services and treatment accessible. This Bill will also provide a
framework to guide the implementation of the NDMP, to ensure compliance by the
relevant departments, with the provisions of the plan.
Madam Speaker, South Africa's two-year term as chairperson of the African
Population Commission of the African Union ends later this year. During this
term we promoted the values and priorities that underpin our population policy.
A definite highlight of our term was the recent Pan-African conference titled
Population and Development in Africa Research and Policy Dialogue for Action,
which we hosted in Mafikeng in collaboration with local partners, the African
Union, the United Nations Population Fund and United Nations, Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) Management of Social
Transformations Programme, of which Minister Skweyiya is the President.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the so-called Mafikeng
Declaration, which represents an inclusive and broad based commitment to
action, which builds on existing intergovernmental agreements in an
Africanised, engendered and decisive manner.
We have also explored how the recommendations on mother and child health
could strengthen the Southern African Development Community (SADC) programme.
Countries were encouraged to investigate the role of men in maternal and child
health by commissioning a country comparative study and to decide how best the
results can be used in maternal and child health programmes.
Ladies and gentlemen in closing let us renew our pledge to build a South
Africa in which every citizen can participate fully and actively, and be
treated with dignity and respect. We can achieve more if we work together to
improve the quality of life of all.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
28 March 2007
