J Swanson-Jacobs: Service delivery imbizo

26 January 2009

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Gigaba
City of Johannesburg Mayor, Mr Amos Masondo
Community leaders
Government officials
Members of the Diepsloot community

Dumelang
Sanibonani

Good afternoon to all of you. It is indeed a pleasure to join you during
this historic week. 15 years ago South Africa inaugurated Nelson Mandela as its
first black President. On Tuesday, the United States of America followed in our
footsteps as we witnessed the inauguration of its first black President, Barack
Obama. Both inaugurations were founded on the need to change things for the
better, to restore hope for those in despair and to comfort those who are
afflicted. And that is what we seek to do here today improve the lives of the
poorest of the poor by ensuring that they have access to services. The global
recession affects even poor communities with rising food and transport costs
delivering an immediate impact on the pockets of the poor. While 15 years of
democracy has allowed the African National Congress (ANC) Government to bring
change to every community in this country, there is still much to do to
overcome over 300 years of colonial and apartheid neglect and suffering.

This visit follows the visit by Minister Zola Skweyiya here, on the
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in October last year. Like
many in this community, I was also brought up in a poor township.
Unfortunately, at that time, the government of the day did not care about the
needs of all South Africans. We are here today to say that this has changed.
Having lived in a township myself I am well aware of the challenges that
communities such as Diepsloot face. With over 50 percent unemployment,
overcrowded living conditions, and lack of economic opportunities being at the
forefront of these I understand that these are trying times for all who live
here. A high crime rate with many incidences of assault and burglary has only
served to compound the problems within this community. I am well aware that
many crimes are drug-related, with bank robberies and murder also topping the
list of crimes. I urge all our police officials to continue to work
relentlessly in the pursuit of criminals who wreak havoc in our neighbourhoods.
To the community I say speak out against crime and do not harbour criminals.
You can report crime to 32211 by SMS without identifying yourself. You also
have an important role to play in changing our country and creating a better
life for all.

Over the last 15 years the ANC-led Government has made remarkable
improvements to the lives of the indigent in this country, especially in the
provision of housing, water, electricity and homes to millions of our fellow
citizens. Our economy has grown, more jobs have been created than in any other
time in our history and we have deepened our democracy. We have extended social
protection to millions of South Africans through the provision of social
grants. Today over 12 million South Africans are the recipients of social
grants. These grants provide a lifeline to the nation’s poorest. We are well on
the way to building a new society, one in which the rights espoused in the
Constitution and the Freedom Charter, become a reality for all of our
citizens.

It is nevertheless necessary from time to time to accelerate the provision
of services to those most in need. That is the reason why we have over 500
government officials here today. Economic growth in this area has led to an
influx of people from throughout the province and further afield. The provision
of services has thus not kept pace with the ever-increasing demand. We have
thus decided to tackle this problem head on. We have identified a number of key
services that are essential to alleviating poverty and hardship in Diepsloot.
Among these is the provision of social grants, Identity Documents and Birth
Certificates as well as the distribution of information on opportunities
available to the youth. The Department of Social Development has thus partnered
with the Department of Home Affairs, South African Social Security Agency
(SASSA), the City of Johannesburg and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund to bring the
afore-mentioned services to you today.

The Department of Social Development provides many other services to our
people. In the social development sphere we have taken another step forward
towards the equalisation of the old age grant between men and women. Men from
63 years of age are now also eligible for the old age grant. And this phased
equalisation process will continue until both men and women of 60 years of age
receive the old age grant. From April 2009 men from the ages of 61 and 62 years
of age will be able to apply for the old age pension grant.

As of 1 January 2009 we have extended the child support grant to those up to
the age of 15 years. There are currently over 8,3 million poor children who are
benefiting from this grant. The means test for the grants has also been revised
and extended to those earning less than R2 200 per month in both rural and
urban areas. The plight of children has been at the heart of our initiatives in
the department this year and we have taken steps to ensure the implementation
of the Children’s Act. The Children’s Act further protects children by defining
the responsibilities of parents and caregivers and allows for a register to
protect children from abuse and neglect. The registration of Early Childhood
Development centres is on track and I urge you to ensure that children up to
the ages of 4 years old attend crèches and other care centres in your
neighbourhood. If you are the owner of such a centre please ensure that it is
registered as these centres are eligible for funding from our department.

Another initiative of the department for those in dire circumstances is the
Social Relief of Distress grant. You can apply for Social Relief of Distress
if:

* you are waiting for permanent aid such as a grant, Unemployment Insurance
Fund (UIF), provident fund money, Road Accident Fund (RAF) or Compensation for
Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COIDA) etc
* you are medically unfit to work for less than six months
* you are supposed to be getting maintenance payments, and you can't find the
person who is supposed to pay
* the person in your family who earns the money (the breadwinner) has just
died, gone to prison, treatment centre or hospital
* you have been affected by a disaster (for example, fire, tornado, or flood)
and the area in which you live has not yet been declared a disaster area
* you made application for a grant using an Identity Document (ID) or other
form of identification and are waiting for the grant to be approved and
paid
* you have appealed against the suspension of your grant.

I call upon civil society and faith-based organisation present here today to
inform their constituents of the availability of the Social Relief of Distress
grant. Together we can overcome poverty and create a better life for all.

As government, we consistently seek to improve the lives of the most
vulnerable by:

* making the creation of decent work opportunities and sustainable
livelihoods the priority of our economic policies
* the gradual realisation of free and compulsory schooling for all we are
presently on track towards ensuring that up to 60 percent of schools are no-fee
schools
* the realisation of healthcare for all, the National Health Insurance System
will be phased in over the next five years to ensure free quality
healthcare
* the escalation of rural development and the promotion of food security
initiatives, coupled with an improve land reform process, we will provide food
assistance and expand access to food production schemes in rural and peri-urban
areas so that the poor are able to grow their own food; we will ensure that
land is returned to the hands of the rural poor and that they are given the
appropriate support to exploit this
* the intensification of the fight against crime and corruption, we will
establish a new and transformed criminal justice system to bring the fight
against crime to the criminals.

We are committed to a service delivery culture that will put every elected
official and public servant to work for our people, and ensure accountability
to our people. We will continue to develop social partnerships and work with
every citizen. We will manage our economy in a manner that ensures that South
Africa continues to grow, that all our people benefit from that growth and that
we create decent work for the unemployed, for workers, for young persons, for
women and for the rural poor. The time for complacency has gone. We will not
tolerate excuses for poor service delivery. All of us working together can
change the future of our country. Although we have numerous challenges in all
sectors of our society, together we can bring about change for the better.
Together we can change the course of our nation and plot a path to prosperity
and freedom.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Social Development
26 January 2009
Source: Department of Social Development (http://www.dsd.gov.za/)