B Cele: Ingwavuma service delivery visit

17 March 2009

We have come here today to say that as a provincial government, we work
together to ensure that our people have a better life. Their tomorrow is better
than today. Our government’s efforts in trying to push back the frontiers of
poverty are now known everywhere. Over the past years, we have been gradually
unlocking the economic shackles by means of innovative programmes that sought
to address rural challenges.

Our South African Constitution enshrines the rights and equality of women.
Our legal framework demands that we are diligent in our efforts to advance the
cause of women’s social and economic empowerment. We know that in South Africa
the poorest of the poor are found in women headed households. I do not have to
cite statistic after statistic that would validate the plight of rural women
and single mothers in particular.

It is for this reason that we established Zibambele Road Maintenance
programme which is a benchmark against which we can judge the progress we make
in the empowerment of rural women in particular. Our policy says that
contractors must be identified and selected on the basis of poverty in their
community and not on the basis of which political party they belong to. Our
Zibambele programme has been recognised as ‘best practice’ in South Africa. We
therefore cannot sit back and allow Zibambele to be neglected by anyone. We
have set the standards for the rest of South Africa and we need to take our
leadership responsibilities seriously.

I have been confronted by Ingwavuma Zibambele contractors regarding
deductions made on their social grants by South African Social Security Agency
(SASSA). The actual reasons for deductions were unknown. In 2004, the then,
Department of Social Welfare and Population Development took an initiative to
root out fraud and corruption in the social assistance system. One of the
initiatives was to interface the Social Pension System (SOCPEN) with Personnel
Salary System (PERSAL) with an aim of identifying government officials who were
receiving social grants fraudulently.

Database of all government officials who were in receipt of social grants
was developed and circulated to all local offices to investigate, cancel
fraudulent cases, recover overpayments if necessary and update the system
SOCPEN. In the development of the databases, Zibambele participants were not
excluded.

We have had meetings with SASSA and a long term partnership has been formed
between Department of Transport and SASSA. Both institutions have agreed to
assist each other to address the challenges facing our contractors.
From the investigation that was conducted, it transpired that provisions of the
legislation together with the guidelines set for the System interface project
were not properly followed; as a result, overpayment was raised to incorrect
beneficiaries. Zibambele beneficiaries are entitled to receive social grants
despite the fact that they are participants to Zibambele programme, as their
income levels are below the threshold as regulated.

All deductions effected for the grant recipients have been cancelled and the
correct amounts will be payable in April 2009, since the payments for March
2009 has already been generated and provided to the payment contractors.
Amounts owed to the beneficiaries have been calculated and will be paid as a
lump sum to all affected during the April 2009 pay period. I am proud to say
that Ingwavuma now has 821 Zibambele contractors. These contractors have formed
41 saving clubs and they have collectively saved R232,039,08 as at January
2009. All this is an indication of the potential and the power that exist
within poor people, especially women, when it comes to saving.

This government is committed to the development of poor communities in this
province and activities that deprive the rights of poor individuals cannot be
condoned.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial
Government
17 March 2009
Source: Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/)