Cluster media briefing
7 July 2006
We are glad as the Social Sector Cluster to get an opportunity update on the
activities of the cluster with regard to the Government Programme of Action for
this year. Overall, the cluster is making steady progress on various
fronts.
Social security
The overall target set by government for extending the child support grant
(CSG) to children under 14 years was 3,2 million children by end of March 2006.
Over 3,4 million children now receive the grant. In the age cohort seven, eight
and nine and 10 years, the targets have been exceeded. In the age category 11
to 14 years there is still a shortfall of 119 000 children that need to be
registered. It is estimated that the 1,2 million target for 11 to 14 years will
be reached by the end of the 2006/07 financial year.
The Cabinetâs position to shift the social grants function from the
provinces to the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has been
implemented. The agency is now accountable and responsible for the full
management, administration and payment of social grants. In the provinces where
additional capacity is required, the agency has entered into a services
agreement with the provinces to provide human resources, finance and other
support until the agency has full capacity.
SASSA has successfully completed a pilot project in three offices and
achieved an average of between one to three days turn around period in
processing applications. SASSA will now investigate the feasibility of full
implementation of these processes in all regions.
A tender was issued for the procurement of mobile units to render services
in remote and rural areas as part of the efforts to improve accessibility of
services in these areas.
Provision of basic services
The target for eradication of historic buckets in formal settlements is
December 2007. To date the programme has eradicated approximately 62 000
buckets. There are still 166 000 buckets to be eradicated in formal settlements
and the majority of these are found in the Free State. Government is confident
that these will all be eradicated by the set date.
South Africa has generally done well in eradicating its basic water services
backlogs. In terms of basic water supply, SA has already halved the backlog in
2005, thus achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on access to water
well ahead of schedule. At least 35,7 million of the targeted 37 million people
had access to free basic water.
The sector is looking at various interventions to address challenges and
accelerate delivery to meet the 2008 target and improve management and
sustainability of services.
Twelve pilot municipalities have been targeted to improve the full continuum
of municipal billings systems with particular attention to improving the
financial and economic viability of municipalities and improving public
confidence in the system of municipal billing.
Municipalities involved range from two metropolitan (Johannesburg and Nelson
Mandela) to small rural and remote municipalities. It is anticipated that the
project will yield models that can provide policy and operational guidance to
other similar municipalities.
Promotion of national identity and social cohesion
Work is going on with regard to preservation of Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) materials and research, victim assistance and 10-year
celebrations of the TRC process.
With regard to education, guidelines for education reparation are being
refined. An allocation of R5 million for victims who testified before the TRC
and requested education support has been transferred to National Student
Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Joint project plan between Justice Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) and
Social Service (SS) Clusters has been developed to deal with social crime
prevention. The Department of Education and South African Police Service (SAPS)
continue to collaborate in order to render schools safe from crime.
The Department of Education continues to work in the schools to lay
foundations for a non-racial society. A Racial Integration Strategy (RIS)
document has been distributed to schools and a booklet, South Africa My
Country, which deals with national symbols and their meaning, has been
published.
Earlier social cohesion campaigns continue to be implemented by departments
including; The National Symbols Campaign which includes the Flag in Every
School Campaign; the Arts in Prisons Campaign; Youth Expressions Programme with
major learnership dimensions for both rural and urban youth and moral
regeneration.
Comprehensive health care
A total of 1 250 primary schools and 9 835 crèches have been visited to
strengthen implementation of the health promoting schools approach. Workshops
to empower educators to deal with health related barriers to effective teaching
will commence soon.
The importance of growth monitoring and the use of Vitamin A supplementation
are being highlighted in a media campaign which commenced in May 2006. This
campaign will be complemented by a focus on breastfeeding and nutrition.
Co-ordination of school sport programmes to promote healthy lifestyle,
physical activity, social cohesion and implement a national crime prevention
strategy is proceeding well. Guidelines on the prevention and management of
drug use/abuse by learners have been published.
The Department of Health will be intensifying its immunisation campaign in
the districts that remain below the national average in terms of polio
immunisation. This is part of the efforts to ensure that the country remains
polio free. The Department will continue to collaborate with the Department of
Health of Namibia to support the efforts to respond to the reported cases of
polio in Namibia.
As part of the implementation of the National Tuberculosis Crisis Management
Plan, a media campaign "Hola 6" was launched emphasising that tuberculosis (TB)
can be cured, if you take your medication for six months. The campaign
consisted extensive television and radio flightings in all 11 languages and
extensive use of community radio stations and billboards.
On malaria, preparations are being made to commence in-door residual
spraying in August 2006. Health promotion material on malaria prevention is
currently being finalised and will be used ahead of the malaria season to
mobilise communities around malaria and its prevention. An audit aimed at
strengthening health promotion activities on malaria was conducted in the three
provinces where malaria is endemic.
Authority has been delegated to hospital CEOs in all nine provinces.
However, national situation analysis of these delegations is being conducted,
looking at the various factors including the extent of the delegations given to
CEOs, barriers impeding the process of delegations and the capacity of CEOs to
practically implement the delegations. The situation analysis will be completed
in August 2006.
Housing
Following numerous engagements by the Minister of Housing, the principal
officer of the Financial Sector Charter Council and the Managing Director of
the Banking Association South Africa (representing the banking sector) the
issues covered in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Minister,
the MD of the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) and the CEOs of the
four major banks viz. Standard Bank, Nedcor, FNB and ABSA on 31 March 2005 and
concluded within the auspices of the Financial Sector Charter into which
process it had been collapsed have been adequately addressed.
The banks confirmed that they will as a first phase originate R42 billion in
housing finance by 31 December 2008 and the banks have advised that they have
already started originating in the target market and have confirmed that as at
30 September 2005, they had lent R16,7 billion to the target market. This level
of lending has not been verified. The banks are to submit reports to the
Charter Council giving details of their respective engagements in the target
market to enable the council to confirm the level of lending that has taken
place. Based on the success of this phase, agreement has been reached, as a
second phase of this initiative, subject to possible risk sharing mechanisms,
the creation of mechanisms to raise funds in the market through an appropriate
conduit which will be guided in line with principles set by housing and the
intervention of the Ministry of Finance, the banks will increase their
investment beyond the R42 billion in the target market.
Engagements in the charter process continue on a regular basis with
representation by the Department, National Treasury, community, labour and the
banks through the Sectoral Low Income Housing Committee. The work of this
committee is far advanced as compared to any of the other committees
constituted in terms of this process.
A generic consumer education programme aimed at informing potential
borrowers of their rights and obligations and the rights and obligations of
banks will be flighted through various media by the banks as will an awareness
campaign to the target group of the existence of this initiative and the basis
on which they can access affordable housing finance products and subsidies from
the Department of Housing. Government has initiated a programme to bridge the
gap as identified by the banks as a barrier to entry to affordable housing
finance products and has developed a programme of financial support for
households with incomes ranging from R3 501 to R7 000.
The successful implementation of these initiatives will also address the
challenges of the duality of our economy and unlock the latent potential of the
property market in areas previously under-performing and especially the
dysfunctionality in the target market, i.e. those households earning between R1
500 to R7 500 per month. The Director-General of the Department of Housing and
the MD of the Banking Association will form a joint committee to monitor the
implementation of this agreement.
Piloting of rental housing stock for the poor
Rental housing stock for the poor provides the persons who may wish to rent,
the choice and options for mobility if they have a family home in one area and
wish to work and live in another. It also makes it possible for persons who do
not qualify for subsidised housing or who may live in informal settlements to
be housed in decent accommodation.
Research that was undertaken to understand the rental needs for the poor has
established, inter alia, that about 1,8 million South African households in the
middle to lower income groups are catered for in rented accommodation as
compared to about 5,2 million households who own property and that 45 percent
of the households at national level have a monthly income of between R0 to R800
per month, while 45 percent of the households at metropolitan level fall within
the R801 to R3 200 income bracket. It was also established that 71,14 percent
of households rented accommodation nationally, that 71,76 percent renting in
metropolitan areas live in formal structures and that black households are the
largest percentage of renters followed by coloured renters. In addition, it was
found that the demand for rental housing nationally should increase by about
105,670 units per annum until 2006 in the middle to lower income groups.
In view of the dire need for rental housing for the poor, various options
have been identified and in this regard it is believed that municipalities
should consider a range of options for public housing stock, including
selective transfer to SHIs for rental or ownership (via co-operatives) and
transfer to individuals for ownership via sectional title. Importantly, also
the options of retaining stock and demolition with rebuild have been
identified. Hence the linkage between public housing stock strategies and
municipal housing delivery programmes are considered. This has assisted in
paving the way for a public housing policy and a public housing programme.
Furthermore, addressing a housing benefit and indigency targets those who ca
not pay and in so doing creates a more supportive environment for rent
collection and enforcement and for addressing the problem of undesired
evictions.
At the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality a programme of decanting hostels
to create transitional housing, redeveloped one, two and three bedroom self
contained units and the redevelopment of hostels into integrated sustainable
human settlements is already underway. Rental payable range from R55 per person
per month in a hostel with electricity to R70 per person per month for a partly
converted hostel with electricity. For redeveloped self-contained units,
payments vary from R70 per room to R220 for a three-bedroom unit. Funding for
this project is sourced from the Gauteng Partnership Fund, the National Housing
Finance Corporate (NHFC) and Institutional Subsidies. In addition, the
Municipal Council budgets for the maintenance of the hostels. Beneficiaries of
these units are all former hostel residents of that specific hostel and
constitute either local residents or people from other provinces and towns.
Lease agreements have been signed for all redeveloped units with the
municipality and private companies are hesitant to take on the management of
these hostels.
The Department has formulated an affordable rental-housing programme for
these persons in the low-income bracket and who may live in housing stock
arising out of:
a) provision made by previous own affairs department;
b) public sector hostels provided for the purposes of housing migratory labour
in the previous dispensation;
c) municipal rental stock which has not been transferred to the households that
inhabit the units and will continue to be used as rental accommodation because
of the low economic status of the households;
d) new high rise housing stock that will be built for the specific purpose of
accommodation low income households in rental accommodation.
This policy framework is being presented to the meeting of strategic
management on the 4 July 2006 before being taken through the consultative
processes which precede approval by housing MINMEC.
Piloting rental for the poor provides government with the opportunity to
test a municipalityâs ability to manage rental stock that has largely been
inherited and an also provide a basis for determining the first level of
accreditation for a municipality.
Food security and nutrition
Currently provinces are being encouraged to change the methodology and where
possible to phase out of agricultural starter pack programme into a sustainable
Household Food Production Programme (HFPP). This programme does not only focus
on starter pack distribution but also assist in the development and transfer of
suitable inputs, technologies, information as well as training and capacity
building.
A study has been commissioned through Wits University to do an impact
assessment of agricultural starter pack methodology in Gauteng Province.
Through the Household Food Production Programme more than 40 000 households
received agricultural production packs since the beginning of the first quarter
of the current financial year. The target for this financial year under HFPP is
62 000 vulnerable households.
Provinces have already prepared tender documents for the procurement and
distribution of power hoes which will be funded from approximately R30 million
allocations for food security. It is expected that more than 3 000
beneficiaries will be able to improve their agricultural productivity. The
programme is targeting mostly women and youth predominantly in rural areas.
240 Master trainers of food handlers in schools were trained in food safety,
health and hygiene and maintenance of food preparation areas. The programme is
feeding 298 323 learners in 801 ordinary schools and about 1 479 766 learners
in 5 902 nodal schools.
Land reform
By 31 March 2006, 89 percent of restitution claims had been settled. That is
a total number of 71 654 claims out of the 79 696 claims lodged by the cut off
date of 31 December 1998. The majority of outstanding claims are rural and for
restoration. These claims take longer to settle due to various challenges inter
alia with land owners, claimant verification and involving all relevant role
players to ensure sustainability of settlements.
The commission on restitution of land rights is focusing on key strategies
to fast track the settlement of the outstanding claims by 2008 as per
Presidential directive.
A technical task team has been established to develop a framework for the
review of the willing buyer willing seller principle and market based approach
for land reform. The task team developed a draft framework identifying the
following specific areas for the review:
* Policy and legislative underpinnings of the land and agrarian reform in South
Africa.
* Efficacy of the willing seller willing buyer principle as a basis for
accelerating land delivery in general.
* International experience with the implementation of this principle as a
mechanism for land delivery.
* South African experience with the use of the principle in question as a
measure for redistributing land in the past eleven years.
* Policy implications arising by comparing prices paid for land in the market
under the Restitution and Redistribution Programmes (RRP) respectively as well
as the land delivery trends between 1994 and 2004.
Further outlined in the review framework is the proposed policy direction
offering new models of land acquisition and the role of the State in the
regulation of land prices.
Second economy interventions: Social aspects of the Expanded Public Works
Programme (EPWP) and Integrated Sustainable Rural Development (ISRDP) / URP
The national Inter-departmental Steering Committee comprising of the
departments of education, health, public works, social development and
Presidency have worked with provinces to identify work opportunities.
The departments of health and social development have expanded Home and
Community Based Care (HCBC) by increasing the number of caregivers receiving
stipends and training more. In 2005/06; there were 62 445 caregivers. As part
of expanding HCBC and the Community Health Worker Programme (CHWP), provinces
have identified additional caregivers who will receive stipends and
training.
A nation wide audit of the network of Home Community Based (HCB) sites has
been completed and it provides a profile of the type and coverage of services
rendered. The findings indicate that the majority of HCBC projects are in urban
areas and most of the caregivers are women and youth. The majority of these
youth have formal educational qualifications. Although most of the caregivers
have received training, the training provided is neither standardised nor
accredited. The audit indicated that there is a dire need to provide additional
accredited training including project management.
The National Youth Commission (NYC) and Provincial Youth Commissions are in
the process of implementing the Community Care Worker Youth Service Project
(CCWYSP). The programme involves the appointment of young people to train as
community care workers while they provide services related to their training in
their own communities. In addition to receiving accredited training in HCBC,
the young people also receive accredited training on youth development, life
skills and entrepreneurship. Currently about 800 young people are participating
and the programme will be expanded accordingly.
The grant agreement between Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and
the social sector has been finalised. The object of the agreement is to
co-finance the undertaking of a detailed study on additional areas of expansion
and the required capacities to manage the EPWP in the social sector. This
agreement will enable the sector to produce an evidence-based scenario of the
potential of the sector to meet the EPWP goals as well as the management
capacities required for effective implementation.
Cabinet has mandated that the various categories of workers in the social
sector be harmonised. Nine categories of workers from nine departments were
identified such as community development workers (CDW), community development
practitioners, mid level worker, community caregivers, community health
workers, child and youth care workers, youth worker, probation
officers/community service officers, ECD practitioners. A detailed study to
look at harmonising these workers has been commissioned.
A monitoring and evaluation framework integral to the successful
implementation of the EPWP has been designed. The framework combines ongoing
reporting and monitoring using existing departmental channels and a number of
new evaluation tools to measure the impact of the programme.
Improving provision of general education
Various initiative are under way to improve provision of general education
including target 529 schools to double the maths and science higher grade
graduate output to 50 000 by 2008. 400 schools identified as Dinaledi schools
for 2006.
The Department is engaged in a process to update the schools register of
needs and ensure safe classrooms and healthy environments such as access to
clean water and sanitation. By 31 May 2006, 47 percent of the estimated 30 000
sites had been audited and 15 percent had been captured. Full report will be
available by March 2007. A monitoring tool on safety in schools Hlayiseka has
been piloted in Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. Final report
awaited.
All schools with âso called learners under treesâ identified in September
2004 have been addressed. The Department continues to monitor the school
infrastructure development programme with a view to improve facilities that are
currently not suitable for learning and teaching. A National Education
Infrastructure Monitoring System (NEIMS) is currently under development and
will give details about the profile of each school in the country.â
To ensure that all schools to have access to clean water and sanitation the
Department of Education (DoE) has provided Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry (DWAF) with lists where schools do not have clean water and
sanitation. DWAF is assisting in ensuring that backlogs are dealt with DWAF is
assisting in ensuring that backlogs are dealt with. As of March 2006, 2 688
schools were identified as having no water facilities. To date 21 of these
schools have since been provided with water. With regards to sanitation 2 238
schools have been identified as needing sanitation. The DoE is pursuing
mechanisms for fast tracking the provision of water and sanitation in
collaboration with other departments.
The DoE has embarked on a programme to allocate more resources to
interventions in education and training, including additional support to poor
areas (QIDS-UP). A minimum resource package to support the poorest schools has
been compiled to include labour saving devices, office equipment and supplies,
fully equipped libraries and reading materials, science kits and security
related resources. To promote reading 5233 Primary Schools that have Foundation
Phase classes have been provided with sets of 100 storybooks.
During 2006 approximately 9000 schools agreed to become âno-fee schoolsâ
based on an adequate level of per capita funding of R527,00 per learner per
annum. This covered over three million poor learners. More schools will be
determined in 2007 towards a target of 40 of all schools.
The DoE together with role players from the Presidency and targeted
stakeholders in the Department of Labour (DoL) and other government departments
is working on a strategy to increase youth participation in Adult Basic
Education Training (ABET) programmes that facilitate access into further
learning & other development opportunities. The A Secondary Education
Curriculum for Adults (ASECA) programme will be piloted for a limited number of
youth who are beyond ABET level four, but do not have a grade 12 qualification
as an alternative to the senior certificate.
The Ministerial Committee on Literacy has completed its report, which makes
recommendations for the massification of ABET literacy, using lessons learned
during the study tour to Cuba, Venezuela and New Zealand.
A strategy to enrol 5 000 volunteers to act as mentors to vulnerable
children and increase youth participation in national programmes that enhance
social cohesion will emerge from the Policy Framework on Safety Nets for
Vulnerable Children.
With respect to social crime prevention the module, Opening Our Eyes, has
been distributed to schools to equip the educators to deal with gender-based
violence and all forms of discrimination in schools. The DoE and SAPS have
undertaken the training of trainers on the signposts for safe schools.
Consultations on the school safety policy framework and the Policy Framework on
Safety Nets for Vulnerable Children are currently being undertaken.
Conclusion
The cluster believes that progress has been made in the implementation of
the Principals Officers Association (POA) over this reporting period.
Issued by: Department of Social Development
7 July 2006
