Honourable Chairperson
Honourable Minister of Social Development, Mme Bathabile Dlamini
MECs of Social Development here present
Chairperson and Members of the Select Committee on Social Services
Mr Vusi Madonsela, Director-General of the Department of Social Development and senior officials
The CEOs of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and National Development Agency (NDA)
Representatives of civil society organisations
Ladies and gentlemen
On 18 May this year, the people of our country overwhelmingly chose that, the movement who historically has been at the forefront of the struggle for liberation, continue their mandate in building a caring society with the goal of a better life for all.
Mindful that the Month of June has a special place in the history of our country, it is with a deep sense of humility, that we table Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development before this august House today.
Honourable Chairperson, tomorrow we commemorate the thirty fifth anniversary of the June 16 Soweto students uprising, a turning point in the struggle for liberation in our country.
In memory of the youth who were killed in 1976 and the turbulent years that followed, that we commit ourselves here today to better the lives of, especially our young people. It is a historical debt we carry, it is a debt we have every intention of honouring.
Ladies and gentlemen, it was also in the Month of June that the Freedom Charter was launched in 1955. Despite many people laying claim to this event it was the progressive forces in the country at that time led by the African National Congress who were responsible for the birth of the Freedom Charter. That is a historical fact!
The rights of all people but especially the vulnerable was a salient feature of the Freedom Charter, these rights have been reinforced in the Constitution of our country.
Our people come first in all government development programmes. No matter how our economy fares, we cherish each and every member of our society. Exactly what our Constitution demands.
We remain conscious that the socio-economic challenges facing us are not just figures on paper, but the livelihood and well-being of every single citizen, family and community.
The mandate of the Department of Social Development is to ensure effective protection against vulnerability by creating an enabling environment for the provision of a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable social development service.
Community development holds the key to people’s full participation in development initiatives and to improvement of conditions for their survival and social progress through sustainable development. To this end, we will embark, during this financial year embark on a nation-wide campaign of, “Taking Department of Social Development (DSD) to communities”.
This campaign seeks to create greater public awareness of the department’s services and programmes. It is our intention to reach the most vulnerable communities to inform of the services offered by the department and its entities.
The National Development Agency and South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) will be key partners in this campaign.
The campaign was approved by the Social Development MINMEC and we look forward to working together with provincial departments as well as Honourable Members of this House in rolling out this programme.
Ladies and gentlemen
Social security is meant to provide initial basic material assistance to poor, vulnerable and needy individuals. On the other hand, programmes under community development such as sustainable livelihood, emphasises self-reliance and people’s participation in their own social and economic development.
We will intensify efforts to facilitate implementation of policies, guidelines and norms and standards to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of community development services and programmes.
Recognising that employment is vital to people’s livelihoods and knowing that it is young people who are the greatest number of the unemployed, President Zuma declared 2011 a “Year of Job Creation”.
In line with this priority, the department will work closely with local government to facilitate employment opportunities through the Community Works Programme.
We will also focus on recruitment and training of a cadre of Community Development Practitioners at local levels to enable our people to access the fruits of democracy.
To this end, the process of standardisation of the training of community development practitioners has been completed with the production and registration of a 4-year Bachelor of Community Degree.
I am also pleased to report that the National Community Development Policy Framework has been developed and will be finalised during the course of this financial year.
Honourable Chairperson, in keeping with the theme of Youth Month, “Youth Action for Economic Freedom in our Lifetime” we will endeavour to provide training and employment opportunities to young people through the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme.
We will continue to work in collaboration with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and other partners in the sector to create opportunities for young people.
Honourable Chairperson, non-profit organisations (NPO) are an important partner in the provision of social services. The department is responsible for the administration of the NPO Act which seeks to create an environment in which NPOs can flourish.
In this regard, I am pleased to inform this house that during the 2010/11 financial year, the department registered a total of ten thousand five hundred and forty two (10 542) NPOs. Ninety seven percent of these organisations were voluntary associations; two percent were Section 21 companies and the remaining one percent was trusts.
I am happy to report that we have improved our services to non-profit organisations. Registration times have decreased, all nine provinces have been assisted with structures for the support of registration of NPOs’ and we have developed funding guidelines.
We will during the course of this financial year pilot the NPO on-line registration and compliance monitoring system. I am also pleased to report that all provinces have set up structures to register and monitor NPO compliance.
These new initiatives are aimed at ensuring that our people can get government services closer to areas where they live instead of travelling long distances to register their organisations in Pretoria.
We urge members to encourage communities to register their NPOs, not only to access funding but in order to operate with a sense of integrity.
During this financial year, we will double our efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS on families and communities through the implementation of the Home Community Based Care and prevention programmes.
This includes the roll out of community conversations as part of our contribution to the National Strategy on HIV, AIDS, TB and Malaria (NSP 2007-2011). We will also continue to work together with loveLife to implement HIV and AIDS prevention, focusing on behaviour change programmes. Other priorities include:
- Training of 63 community capacity enhancement facilitators
- Building the capacity of 50 community organisations on management skills as part of the capacity building programme
- Facilitating the training of 100 organisations, including Early Childhood Development centres on HIV and AIDS management
- Rolling out manual and computerised Home Community Based Care data capturing system. Currently the system is being utilised in the following provinces: North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Northern Cape
- Implement the agreement between department and the German Development Bank focusing on renovation and construction of community centres as well as skills development programmes for child headed households
Ladies and gentlemen, the department will host the 6th annual Population Association of Southern Africa (PASA) conference from 6 to 8 July 2011. The conference seeks to raise awareness of population-related issues and their role in development especially in the Southern Africa region.
The department will also host various activities of the Partners in Population and Development (PPD) including the Partners Country Coordinators meeting, international conference on population Dynamics, Climate change and Sustainable Development as well as the 16th Annual Board meeting from 31 October to 3 November 2011.
PPD is an intergovernmental organisation of 25 developing countries dedicated to the promotion and strengthening of South-South Cooperation in population and development. Choosing South Africa as host country says that the international community recognises our own efforts in dealing with the issues of population and development.
I know that we can and will contribute substantially to the successful organisation and outcome of these upcoming global events.
We are acutely aware that the challenges that lie before us are great, as outlined in the National Planning Commission’s diagnostic review report released early this month.
Ladies and gentlemen, on more than one occasion the people of this country has shown that we can overcome, often what seems like insurmountable challenges.We need the collective wisdom of government, civil society and community based organisations.
I also take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our partners for their tireless efforts in addressing the needs of vulnerable South Africans. To the numerous organisations, your contribution is sincerely appreciated.
I call upon the members of this august house to take up the challenge at this important time and work with us to ensure that our nation’s limited resources are utilised effectively to meet the objective of improving the lives of our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, budget vote 19 reflects the seriousness with which government has set about addressing poverty and underdevelopment in our country. I ask that you support the budget.
Ke a leboga.
