Madam Speaker
Honourable Premier and colleagues in the Executive
Deputy Speaker
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
Madam Speaker and Honourable Members, I would like to quote the wise words of our Great Hero: Nelson Mandela, where he says in his book, Long Walk to Freedom "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
Now that we are free, and we have received a fresh mandate from the majority of the people of our country to run this government, we have to strive together as a team to enable our people to access the services of our government. We must work together to fight poverty, unemployment and imbalances of the past. The Department is committed to doing what it can to fight poverty. That is why we are part and parcel of the War on Poverty Campaign.
The vision of the department is to "enhance the quality of life through an integrated system of Social Development Services". The department is committed to the promotion of Developmental Social Welfare Services and Community Development to people of KwaZulu-Natal in partnership with stakeholders. That is why the name of the Department was changed from being the Department of Social Welfare and Population Development to Social Development.
This means that the department will now focus on developmental social services to ensure the provision of transformed, equitable and quality developmental social services throughout the province. In the execution of our duties, we will adhere to the values of people centred development, equity and fairness, courtesy and commitment, integrity and honesty, transparency and accountability. We will promote good family values.
Working relationship with South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, I would like to welcome Advocate Nhlanhla Ngidi as the new head of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in the province. I wish him everything of the best on his new appointment, and I hope that the working relationship between the Department of Social Development and SASSA will improve drastically under his management.
I would like to reiterate in this house that Social Development and SASSA are two different entities with different responsibilities. No matter how different our responsibilities are, we are partners in the fight against poverty. SASSA is an Agency established by the Department of Social Development nationally to focus on social grants administration and payment and Social Development focuses on enhancing the quality of life through an integrated system of Social Development Services and Community Development in partnership with other stakeholders.
However, I, as the MEC and a representative of the community, have an oversight role on how SASSA runs its business. There is legislation in the pipeline which seeks to strengthen the oversight role of MECs for Social Development in as far as SASSA is concerned. I am also pleased to report to this house that the National Department of Social Development has made R150 million available for Social Relief of Distress (SRD) this financial year.
This programme will, among other things, include the identification of indigent and vulnerable people and families who would be considered for social assistance in the form of food parcels. Needy and eligible school-going children would also be considered for the supply of school uniforms.
In the light of the above, the role of the Department of Social Development will be to conduct household surveys and profiling. The information gathered will be given to SASSA for finalisation of the process and then hand-over the food parcels, vouchers, and school uniforms to deserving beneficiaries.
Transfer payments to non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
The department has implemented strict control measures to govern the payments made to non-profit organisations (NPOs) so that there is compliance with the Section 38 (1) (j) of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Treasury Regulation 8.4.1 and 8.4.2, and also with the NPO Act of 1997. In the 2008/09 financial year, transfer payments to NPOs were temporarily suspended.
The department conducted a thorough assessment on all the prescripts guiding the eligibility of such institutions for funding, and payments to non-compliant institutions were suspended thereafter. Transfer payments have now been reinstated where all requirements have been adhered to, by these institutions.
A standardised Service Level Agreement (SLA) has been developed. The Department has conducted extensive training in capacitating the NPOs, for them to comply with the Government prescripts. We also conducted workshops for all the NGOs on the standardised SLA.
It is our intention to employ staff (social workers) that will be dedicated to deal with those organisations that are not well developed. Most of the underdeveloped organisations, which are Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres and Service Centres for the Older Persons, are found in rural areas.
Financial management
As part of the provincial governments' cost containment exercise, the Department has complied with the budget cut of 7,5% on goods and services. In addition to this, we have reviewed each expenditure item within Goods and Services. We are implementing strict control measures such as limiting costs on logistical support funding for our Departmental functions. Attending official meetings outside the province will now have to be approved by the Head of Department, and all other accommodation will have to be approved by the Chief Financial Officer. The value for money theme is also emphasised in all procurement processes.
The department will also seriously look into the issue of rationalisation process of service offices. Responsibility Managers have been requested to review all requests for procurement carefully to ensure that the items requested are needed.
Human Resource Management
The Department has managed to employ 186 social workers to mitigate the shortage in this profession which was a great milestone. We also managed to employ 257 social auxiliary workers from learnership programme which started in 2007 and completed in 2008. This learnership programme made a great impact in reducing the high unemployment rate among the youth.
I am pleased to report to this house that the implementation process of the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) agreement involving all the relevant stakeholders will be completed very soon. The department has budgeted R45 million for this exercise. I would like to thank representatives of various trade unions, officials of the department and other stakeholders for the manner they handled the negotiations.
In addressing the shortage of social workers, the Department awarded bursaries to 700 student social workers at the total cost of R10 million. We also had taken 60 unemployed graduates on internship programme to gain experiential training for the period of one year. The total number of 155 staff members with the qualification below matric level were enrolled on Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programme. The department will award bursaries to 494 new student social workers in 2009/2010. We will engage 65 unemployed graduates on internship programme for 2009/10.
Information management
One of the most important tasks of the Department is to promote access to information in terms of Promotion of Access to Information Act No. 3 of 2000 and Promotion of Administrative Justice Act No. 2 of 2000. The department will during the current financial year revise and publish the Promotion of Access to Information Manual which is a statutory requirement.
Copies will be made available to the public in three languages (i.e. IsiZulu, English and Afrikaans) through all departmental service offices and institutions. Workshops for staff and NGOs will be arranged to highlight the stipulations of the Act as well as assist them in developing their manuals.
Fraud and corruption
Following the forensic investigations on fraud, corruption, mismanagement and maladministration which were conducted by Mdladla Forensic Investigating team as announced in the previous financial year, I am happy to report that a number of members of staff were suspended. These staff members are suspected of fraud and corruption activities. They are expected to appear in court as soon as all the investigation has been finalised.
In view of the seriousness of these crimes, the department has decided to improve information and technology (IT) security measures and access control. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed at head and regional offices. The department will also install electronic biometric access control measures as a way of preventing fraud and corruption. This exercise will cost about R2,6 million. These measures will also be extended to the local service offices as time goes on and funds become available.
Social welfare services
The provision of integrated developmental social welfare services will be of paramount importance to the department. This will be informed by the National Strategic Priorities as well as the Social Cluster Priorities in the province. This will embrace prevention services, strengthening, expansion and monitoring of services, monitoring compliance to mandates, norms and standards, capacity building related to new mandates, protection services, continuing care services and rehabilitative services.
Children services
The department will, among other things, focus on Early Childhood Development services as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme in partnership with other Departments. During the previous financial year, the Department was able to establish early childhood development centres, and trained about four hundred (400) child care workers.
HIV and AIDS
Prevention and mitigation of the impact of HIV and AIDS is one of the priorities of the Department. We have been able to fund approximately 200 community care centres during the past financial year. An extensive prevention and awareness programme on HIV and AIDS was conducted to reduce the incidence of the pandemic and we also promoted the attitude of acceptance and support towards the infected and affected people. During this financial year, we will train a total of six hundred and five (605) youth serving as home community based care givers in ancillary healthcare.
Care and services to older persons
The department regards care and services to the senior citizens as essential element of human stability. During the past financial year, we established 461 service centres for the senior citizens. These centres provide nutritious balance meals, recreational opportunities, general information, spiritual and cultural activities, basic health services and skills development to 21 681 older persons.
I am pleased to report to this house that the rebuilding of the state of the art KwaBadala Old Aged Home in iNkandla has begun. It is expected to be completed in December this year at a cost of R33 million. It is armed with smoke detectors to avoid any fire disaster, and it is the second of its kind in South Africa. 12 elderly male pensioners died when the building was engulfed with fire on 7 November 2007.
Care and services to people with disabilities
We have established 32 protective workshops for people with disabilities. The main objective of these workshops is to provide skills for people with disabilities to help them supplement their social grants. The department intends broadening its services to people with disabilities with a special focus on services for children who need specialised care.
Care and support services to families
The department is intensifying its effort towards family preservation, marriage counselling and enrichment as well as parenting programmes. We will now prioritise rural areas as well as marginalised urban areas where such services are scarce. The department will prioritise rural areas that the clustering programmes have identified.
Substance abuse prevention and rehabilitation
The department has established 36 Local Drug Action Committees in an effort to fight substance abuse and drug trafficking. We encourage all stakeholders including other Government Departments to work together with us in rendering co-ordinated substance abuse services. We have recently launched such a committee in uMlalazi Municipality and more committees of this nature will be launched throughout the province.
Crime prevention and support
During the past financial year, the Department has employed 54 probation officers and 42 assistant probation officers. However, there is a high turn-over of both probation and assistant probation officers. Another challenge is the limited implementation of the interim protocol on the management of children awaiting trial. Not all children in conflict with the law are referred for assessments. These matters are being addressed with the relevant departments and role players. The department wants to strengthen and increase the monitoring of diversion programmes and Home Based Supervision.
Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP)
The department has funded 14 shelters for abused women and children. These shelters provide temporary accommodation and physical protection to women and children. With the assistance of the national Department of Social Development, United Nations on Drugs and Crime, and the European Union as partners, we have been able to employ a provincial co-ordinator on Victim Empowerment Programme, and this has strengthened the programme on the ground.
The department wants to strengthen programmes pertaining to empowerment of women, families and communities. We will also deal decisively with issues of gender equity and domestic violence. The department will improve the co-ordination and implementation of these programmes among government departments and the civil society at large. We will need additional funding to enable the Department to deal with these challenges successfully.
Development and research
The purpose of this programme is to facilitate community development through the human-oriented and people-centred approaches of participation, empowerment and ownership of the developmental actions by the community to address and prevent deprivation. The programme enables the most vulnerable citizens to access opportunities for sustainable livelihood and it focuses on sustainable development, youth development and special programmes, development facilitation as well as population development and demographic trends.
Sustainable livelihood
Sustainable livelihood is about developing and implementing income generating projects. It ensures proper coordination and monitoring of projects which are established in a form of partnership with the people on the ground. It is very important that we ensure that these projects function properly and the Department gets value for money.
We are now beginning to put in place control measures which will ensure that there is proper management of funds and compliance with Section 38 (1)(j) of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The department is also in the process of strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation section that will deal specifically with the challenges of compliance.
During the past financial year, R63 million was allocated to this Sub-programme, and we were able to develop anti-poverty programmes which culminated into a number of community outreach programmes where the Department was identifying areas of priority intervention. During this campaign, a number of households were identified for provision of food and further intervention by other cluster Department. This campaign is regarded as the best practice model in our country.
A total of 134 poverty alleviation projects have graduated into sustainable independent entities. 36 of these projects are registered as Women Cooperatives and were handed over to communities. In addition to these projects, four youth development projects with a total number of 117 beneficiaries were established, thus creating 2036 job opportunities.
More than 20 000 people, including people with disabilities participated in poverty alleviation and sustainable livelihood projects. The department is going to intensify its involvement in the proper monitoring of Service Level Agreements and implementation of the anti-poverty strategy. I am pleased to report to this house that our flagship project at Qhudeni in iNquthu has begun bearing fruits. This project which was initially given R2,9 million, has begun producing chicken, eggs, and other products for the local market. The department has decided to give additional funding of R1 million. This is one of the most successful projects in the province which has generated a number of job opportunities.
The department has embarked on a pilot project aimed at assisting widows to collectively establish income generating projects. A project of this nature has been established in Nquthu, Osizweni and will be extended to other areas in the province. These projects have been given R50 000 each for a start.
Social Infrastructure – One Stop Development Centres
In the past two years, the department has identified the need to establish One Stop Development Centres as an intervention strategy to collate service delivery structures in order to address abject poverty in needy areas. These centres involve the development of an infrastructure where services for children, youth, women, and disabled, elderly as well as HIV and AIDS affected and infected are delivered in a basket.
This concept has come as a result of realisation that communities in rural areas do not have access to social development services. This concept is ideal for the migration of Social Development Services to poor and under resourced communities. The main objective is to provide access to social development services to marginalised communities of KwaZulu-Natal. Services rendered by other sister departments like SASSA, Home Affairs, SAPS, Labour, etc, will also be mobilised to increase accessibility and integrated service delivery.
In this regard the department has constructed and implemented the following One Stop Development Centres in the province:
* Mboza One Stop Development Centre (Mkhanyakude)
* Mamba One Stop Development Centre (uThungulu)
* Mbonomuhle Sinkonko One Stop Development Centre (Zululand)
* Tulwane One Stop Development Centre (Uthungulu)
* Prophet Isaiah Shembe One Stop Development Centre (eThekwini)
* Inkosi Mbongeleni Zondi One Stop Development Centre (uMsinga)
The total cost for the construction of these centres was R62 million.
The department intends to construct another twenty seven (27) similar structures in the Province. These include Qhudeni, Mkhuphula, Machunwini, Maswazini, KwaNjoko, Mpumazi, uMsinga Top, and many other areas. A total amount of R47,5 million will be set aside for this project.
Community gardens will become part of the development and expansion of these centres, and we will encourage local communities to have gardens at their homes in support of the "one home, one garden" campaign. These One Stop Development Centres will become a market where the local communities will sell their produce. In the execution of this campaign, the Department will work closely with other stakeholders including the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
National Food Emergency Programme
In 2007/08 the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health developed a business plan and Implementation plan for the Food Emergency Programme to provide Food Relief to vulnerable individuals and households. The two Departments identified 49 054 beneficiaries for this programme, however, the Food parcels were not distributed because the Provincial Treasury could not authorise the roll-out of the funds earmarked for this purpose. These beneficiaries have now been targeted to benefit from the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) programme which is the responsibility of SASSA.
Youth Development
One of the challenges facing our country is youth unemployment and poverty. Our commitment to youth development has led to the establishment of the Youth Development and Special Programmes Directorate to ensure the integrated approach in implementing programmes for youth, gender and people with disabilities.
In the past financial year, we funded various youth development projects to empower young people to cope with life and various social and economic challenges. We will now focus on strengthening existing youth development projects to ensure that they are sustainable and become independent entities.
We will also roll-out the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme (MYPP), which is another contribution to the National Youth Service Programme. This programme seeks to recruit, train and absorb unemployed and out of school youth and utilise them as development resources to provide services within their communities.
We have recruited 410 youth who have received training on data collection tool for conducting household surveys. These young people will receive further training when the full curriculum has been finalised. There is a bilateral agreement between Cuba and our country with regard to the training of young people in various skills, including social work, and other related skills. A similar agreement has been signed with Argentina.
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)
The department is fully engaged in the Expanded Public Works Programme in the Province. The programme is aimed at utilising the public sector budget to reduce poverty and unemployment. We have identified HOME/COMMUNITY BASED CARE AND EARLY CHILD HOOD DEVELOPMENT THAT were selected as pilot programmes for the Social sector in an effort to create job opportunities. More than 13 000 job opportunities have been created so far.
The department will now focus on developing and implementing the EPWP Provincial Social Sector Plan for the next phase (2009 to 2014) in partnership with other stakeholders. We will focus on the following areas:
* Ratcheting up the implementation of Early Childhood Development (ECD) Programme as one of the national and provincial strategic priorities. We will work with other stakeholders to accelerate the registration of ECD sites, train ECD practitioners and conduct an audit of all ECD sites in the Province to ensure quality and equitable access.
* Expansion of Home Based Care Programme as part of the HIV and AIDS Strategy for the province of KwaZulu-Natal 2007 to 2011. We will train 605 youth on Ancillary Healthcare as part of the National Youth Service Programme.
* Identification of other areas of expansion. We will identify new projects that have a potential of creating more work opportunities for the poor and unemployed.
Development facilitation
The department is tasked to facilitate the NPO registration to enable them to access funding from donors and also to comply with the NPO Act of 1997. During the past financial year, the department registered about 1 000 NPOs, and provided institutional capacity to them.
We are also involved in the promotion of the Community Builder of the Year campaign which has seen a number of organisations from our province participating in a National competition. The competition is a joint project involving the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Old Mutual, Sowetan and our department. We have also signed memorandum of understanding with five district municipalities to improve co-ordination and service delivery.
Population development and research
The Population Development Unit facilitates and coordinates the implementation of the South African Population Policy within the context of KwaZulu-Natal province. The unit conducts research, builds capacity of stakeholders on the inter-relationships within population development and it also works in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to improve the quality of life of the people.
We have established joint programmes in the field of reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS, improving reproductive health and respect for reproductive rights, enhancing gender equality and equity and achieving population trends commensurate witH SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENt. The department is also involved in community and household surveys through which we are able to determine development needs within communities. We also encourage children and the youth to participate in poster competition to express their needs for development in their respective communities.
Conclusion
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, I would like to conclude by thanking all the stakeholders that assisted us during the past financial year. I would, in particular like to thank the Portfolio Committee for Social Development, Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Social Development staff, SASSA, Home Affairs, Health, SAPS, Local municipalities, traditional leadership, faith based organisations (FBOs), NGOs, NPOs, business sector and other stakeholders. They have all played a significant role in our service delivery exercise.
I would also like to thank the business sector for the valuable role they have played during the times of disasters. They assisted poor families to rebuild their houses in a number of areas, including Ofafa, Nquthu, Mboza, Mpumalanga and Gobandlovu.
Presentation of the budget for the 2009/10 financial year
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, I now present to you, the budget proposal for the 2009/10 financial year
Programme 1: Administration
Budget: R269,837 million
Percentage: 19,8
Programme 2: Social Welfare Services
Budget: R943,741 million
Percentage: 69,3
Programme 3: Development and Research
Budget: R147,702 million
Percentage: 10,9
Totalbudget: R1 361 280 billion
Percentage: 100
The department's total budget allocation for 2009/10 financial year is R1 361 280 000 (one billion, three hundred and sixty one million two hundred and eighty thousand rand) which represents an increase of 13,6% from the previous adjusted budget allocation of R1 198 113 billion.
Programme 1: Administration (R269,837 million)
Honourable Speaker, the budget for this programme reflects an increase from R251,549 million in 2008/09 to R269,837 million in the 2009/10 financial year. This is mainly due to increase in the number of personnel, upgrading of posts at district offices aimed at improving service delivery. The increase is also attributed to the cost related to hiring of office accommodation, additional capital projects, implementation of Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) and new appointments.
Programme 2: Social Welfare Services (R943,741 million)
It is also important to emphasise the fact that more than half of the allocation for 2009/10, namely, R943,741 million will be utilised to support and strengthen social welfare services rendered by the Department and its partners, the non-governmental organisations (NGO) sector. This represents a growth of 12,1% which is unprecedented in the history of this department which in itself is indicative of our intention to expand the delivery of services to the vulnerable groups and to strengthen our business relationship with the NGO sector, as well as the migration of services to rural areas.
Programme 3: Development and Research (R147,702 million)
For this programme we propose a budget allocation of R147,702 million which is greater than R117,133 million allocated in 2008/09. The department needs this financial resource to focus strongly on the issues of Youth Development, Sustainable Livelihood, Institutional Capacity for the NPOs, and the strengthening of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) with a view to creating more job opportunities in rural areas. We will also focus on the issue of monitoring and evaluation in order to ensure that all the NPOs comply with the Section 38 (1)(j) of the PFMA.
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members it is my pleasure and honour to now move that the amount of one billion, three hundred and sixty one million two hundred and eighty thousand rand (R1 361 280 billion) be approved for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development.
I thank you!
Source: Department of Social Development, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
