FRIDAY, 15 APRIL 2005 __

          PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

                                ____

The Council met at 09:33.

The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS – see col 000.

draft notice for declaration of amnesty in terms of section 139(2)(a) OF FIREARMS CONTROL ACT, act 60 of 2000

            (Consideration of Report of Select Committee)

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: There is no speaker’s list. I shall now put the question, and the question is that the report be adopted. As the decision is dealt with in terms of section 65 of the Constitution, I shall first ascertain whether all the delegation heads are present in the Chamber to cast their province’s vote. Are all the delegation heads present? In accordance with Rule 71 I shall fist allow provinces the opportunity to make their declarations of vote if they so wish.

Is there any province that wishes to do so? None. We shall now proceed to the voting on the question. I shall do this in alphabetical order per province. Delegation heads must please indicate to the Chair whether they vote in favour, against or abstain. Eastern Cape?

Ms B N DLULANE: Iyaxhasa iEastern Cape. [The Eastern Cape supports.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Free State?

Mr T S SETONA: Free State votes in favour.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Gauteng?

Mr E M SOGONI: iGauteng iyayemukela Sihlalo. [Gauteng supports.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: KwaZulu-Natal?

Mr Z C NTULI: Kwazulu-Natal ithi elethu. [KwaZulu-Natal supports.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Limpopo?

Ms S C N SITHOLE: Limpopo iyayemukela. [Limpopo supports.] The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Mpumalanga?

Ms M P THEMBA: Mpumalanga supports.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Northern Cape?

Mr M A SULLIMAN: Northern Cape supports.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: North West?

Mr Z S KOLWENI: Ke ya rona. [Supports.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Western Cape?

Ms M VANTURA: Western Cape supports.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: All nine provinces have voted in favour. I therefore declare the Report adopted in terms of section 65 of the Constitution.

                         APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 18 – Social Development:

The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Chairperson, 26 years and 11 days ago, South Africa witnessed the hanging of the freedom fighter Solomon Mahlangu. On that fatal day Mahlangu left us with a message that encapsulated his love for his people and his commitment to the promotion of a caring society. This commitment is built into our democratic Constitution, and it is a reaffirmation of this commitment that Budget Vote 18 places people at the centre of the Department of Social Development’s efforts.

I would like to acknowledge the ongoing work that this House has undertaken, especially through projects such as taking Parliament to the people. This work enhances public participation, deepens our social transformation agenda, promotes co-operative governance and reaffirms a commitment to the promotion of a caring society. Last week the Ministry of Social Development took a major step forward in the advancement of the spirit of co-operative governance by entering into a memorandum of understanding on the administration of social assistance with MECs, as contemplated by the SA Social Security Agency Act.

The memorandum of understanding will enhance the management of the delivery of social grants in the transition to the full operation of the SA Social Security Agency in the year 2007. We have set aside close to R200 million over the MTEF period to ensure the effective and efficient management of the funds allocated for social grants over the MTEF period.

The caring system of social protection that we are building must also restore the dignity of all our people. Those efforts will be complemented by the full operation of the Inspectorate for Social Security. We will be co-operating with all national and provincial law-enforcement agencies, including the SAPS and the Special Investigation Unit, so as to ensure the establishment of the inspectorate by March 2006.

The social sector continues to pursue the objective of implementing a caring and integrated system of social protection, primarily through the three pillars of our system of comprehensive social security. To this end, we will in the coming year extend coverage to an additional 2 million children under the age of 14 years. This will result in a total of 7 million children receiving the child support grant.

We have also embarked on a concerted action to improve access to the foster care grant. This takes into account the definition of a family as adopted by the African Union, and the impact that HIV/Aids is having on children. The increase in the rand amounts of social grants is intended to cater for the negative consequences of inflation, and to meet the needs of the poor and vulnerable households.

Budget Vote 18 is a reaffirmation of our commitment to putting people at the centre of our development efforts. To adequately provide for poor and vulnerable households, particularly those that are headed by children, we must have an appropriate legislative and regulatory framework that both informs our strategic and problematic outlook and enables us to promote the rights of these children. To this end, we ought to finalise the Child Care Act in this year.

I would like to repeat my concern and frustration at the fact the passage of the Children’s Bill in Parliament has been delayed for years - about seven years - because of protracted consultation with NGOs. Various well- intentioned children’s rights advocacy groups, lobbying for inclusion of this or that particular element in the Bill in order to construct a no expenses spared, be-all, end-all piece of legislation, have been reacting as if the delay in passing the Children’s Bill was of no consequence.

This is untrue; the delay is a hindrance in providing assistance to orphaned children and child-headed families. The promulgation of this important piece of legislation will enable my department to enhance its contribution to the Expanded Public Works Programme, through the provision of early childhood development facilities. It will also enhance the implementation of the policy framework and the strategic plan for the prevention and management of child abuse.

Already child protection registers have been implemented in all the provinces. The implementation of these registers requires a vibrant and vigilant civil society sector, that can assist us in not only identifying alleged abusers, but also in advancing the broader social development agenda. With this in mind, we have undertaken a study on the impact of the Non-Profit Organisations Act of 1997, and the extent to which it has created an enabling environment for nonprofit organisations. Despite the fact that we know that these organisations run into hundreds of thousands, sadly by March 2005 only twenty-nine organisations had registered for the NPO status.

Our records show that during this period just over 2 000 not-for-profit organisations deregistered and 22 dissolved. The study on the impact of the NPOs notes the inadequacy of the financial resources allocated today for the implementation of the Act, when compared to the size, scope and vibrancy of the NPO sector on the one hand, and the complexity of the NPO Act on the other. The report suggests that the actual benefits accruing to community-based organisations from NPO registration have been substantial, and that these organisations have a limited capacity to manage their own coffers.

Although there is an overall acknowledgement that the enabling environment for the sector has improved, the organisations that have tended to benefit are the large ones, and those that are urban- based. This situation poses a threat to our efforts to address issues of social integration and the sustaining acceptable standards across the board and across the sector. Working together with the South African NGOs coalition, Sangoco and the Southern African Grant Makers Association and other nonprofit networks, we will be exploring ways of establishing new strategic partnerships with all stakeholders and role-players in the NPO sector, who can assist in implementing sustainable interventions.

The work being done to improve the implementation capacity of the National Development Agency will assist in this regard. The NDA’s five regional offices in Polokwane, Mafikeng, Bloemfontein, Durban and Johannesburg are now in operation and under the guidance of the chairperson, Bishop Melosi Mpumlwana. The board must ensure that the NDA assumes its mandated position as a fulcrum for the partnership between the NGO sector and government.

It should be noted that the NPO sector and community-based organisations in particular, will benefit from the revamp of the policy of financial awards to the sector. I’m pleased to inform this House that Minmec approved the new policy of financial awards for the service providers and the department will soon implement this policy after a final consultation with the treasury and the other sector minders.

In December last year we offered indemnity to all those illegally accessing social grants. I’m pleased to announce that over 76 000 applicants are presently being processed by our national and provincial staff. Let me once again utilise this opportunity to express government’s appreciation to those honest people that have decided that they will not be party to depriving poor families of assistance. These people are demonstrating the commitment to the promotion of a caring and loving society. Their honesty, commitment and actions could translate into savings of over R33 million a month.

In order to root out all fraud and corruption the Department of Social Development has set aside R57,9 million and entered into a co-operation agreement with a special investigation unit. Over the next 18 months we will train and utilise 200 dedicated staff in the fight against fraud and corruption, while interrogating the details of each and every one of the 9 million beneficiaries of our social grants.

As part of the terms of this agreement and in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, including the SA Police Service and the Scorpions, we have already begun arresting and prosecuting public servants, professionals and syndicates who have been systematically robbing our system of social assistance. We are already in possession of the names of over 41 000 public servants who are being or will be investigated. Our work began in the Eastern Cape as a result of the recommendation of the Presidential special task team on fraud and corruption in the Eastern Cape, which was deployed in that province in the year 2002.

We will now prioritise the integrity of the disability foster care and child support grants in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. Let me take this opportunity to express my gratitude to MECs responsible for social development, who have spearheaded the verification processes in the provinces, which started with temporary disability grants. Through their effort we uncovered 121 000 beneficiaries whose grants had lapsed since October 2004, thus saving us an excess of R500 million. We expect that provinces will diligently continue on an ongoing basis with the work of reviewing grants to stop leakages in the system.

In addition to the reviews of temporary disabilities we have also successfully halted over 19 000 cases of potential fraud. For the North West province alone, this has meant a saving of R154 million, for the Eastern Cape it’s R150 million and in Gauteng R105 million per annum. We are convinced that if the other provinces increase their capacity, they too will yield similar results. Central to the success of a viable and sustainable social protection system is its ability to enable those functioning on the periphery of the second economy to take advantage of opportunities in the first economy, whilst promoting less and less dependence on the state.

It is in pursuit of this strategic objective that we have redefined our food emergency scheme, so that it forms an integral part of our broad social relief policies. All the work that is done by the national and provincial departments of social development is focused on ensuring that our country achieves the millennium development goals in the context of the new partnership for Africa. I would like to underline the fact that provincial departments of social development also have responsibility to implement Nepad- related projects. The realisation of the rights of all vulnerable people and the advancement of the social development agenda to restore the dignity of our people requires collective effort. To this end, we will not only continue fostering intergovernmental co-operation, but we will also enlist the support of all development-orientated agencies and organisations.

The NCOP has an important role to play in ensuring that our people are at the centre of social development efforts. There are a number of other important aspects of Budget Vote 18 that I have not highlighted in this speech. The Deputy Minister, who has been assigned a broad welfare services portfolio, including drug and substance abuse, will address these and other important changes in her speech.

I’m sure the hon delegates of the NCOP will agree with us that the support is an indication that we will never forget and always cherish the commitment to a caring society. For the past 25 years we stood for and we continue to communicate a message that encapsulates our love of our people, and our country’s commitment to the promotion of a caring society. Thank you. [Applause.]

Ms J MASILO: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, special delegates and members of the House, senior officials of the department, the presentation of the debate on the Budget Vote for Social Development is always an occasion which this committee and, indeed, all the provincial standing portfolio committees are always very responsive to. This year’s budget is particularly important to provinces in view of the huge structural and administrative changes brought about by the passage of the SA Social Security Agency Act, Sassa, and the Social Assistance Act.

The aged, the orphaned, disabled persons and sick shall be cared for by the state, according to the Freedom Charter. That is why we find ourselves in this committee, especially since the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, becoming more sensitive to its policy framework, which declares that all families shall be brought up in comfort and security and that the aged, orphans, disabled persons and the sick shall be cared for by the state.

These are principles still guiding us as the ANC-led government. We need to continually ensure that these principles are still informing us as we develop our policies. Between the 1999-2000 and 2002-03 financial years, the Social Development budget grew from R19,4 billion to R31,2 billion. This financial year it is R56,549 billion, which is a sign of commitment from our government to fighting poverty. Our government has taken practical steps to reform the department, and the whole system of social services, through legislation like the Children’s Bill, the Older Persons Bill and child care legislation. The payment of social grants has resulted in the number of people benefiting from social grants to increase dramatically from 2,6 million in 1994 to over 7,7 million by February 2004, at a total cost of R34,8 billion per annum.

With regard to older persons, the department has succeeded in promoting the rights of older persons. The halt-abuse helpline has been given financial support. This is a toll-free number to facilitate the reporting of the abuse of older persons and to provide a comprehensive range of services to the elderly.

The frail care policy has been developed and currently there is consultation with the stakeholders. It provides for the care of frail older persons in the communities, as well as those in residential facilities. So, while provinces have throughout their deliberations on the Older Persons Bill supported the policy guidelines contained in the Bill, there has been concern expressed that the requirements might not be affordable as contained in the Bill. We are, however, working on it collectively to address the problem.

A child-care register has been installed in seven provinces, and the process of upgrading and installing the database in all provinces is ongoing. The draft Policy Framework and Strategy on Child Abuse, Neglect and Expectation has been completed and is going through the approval process for its implementation in this current financial year.

Early childhood guidelines are also in the process of being finalised, and are to be implemented in the current financial year. The department, in collaboration with the Departments of Education and Health, has participated in developing a draft integrated early childhood development strategy. The strategy is planned to facilitate the explanation of ECD services, including the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programmes.

There are poverty relief programmes which help communities to undertake development for themselves and target women, volunteering youth, the elderly and people with disabilities. Since 1997 the department has administered more than R563 million, providing support for over 3 600 community-based projects, NGOs and CBOs.

In relation to the peoples’ contract, the fight against crime and corruption has always been a task that has bedevilled the Department of Social Development. Opportunistic, corrupt officials and syndicates have hampered our delivery of the peoples’ contract. It is, therefore, with an enormous amount of satisfaction that we see that corrupt officials within the department have already been arrested in the Eastern Cape and that arrests in other provinces will follow soon. We applaud the Minister for this creative method of combating corruption and are heartened by the 76 000 people who came forward as a result.

We went on oversight visits, one in Gauteng and the second in North West. Carter’s Day Care Centre, in Gauteng, which was established in 1999, received provincial funding in 2002-03 and 2003-04. They are doing a great deal of good work for orphans. We also visited Sedibeng District Municipality in Gauteng. There are numerous and vital NGOs that have been funded by government. Some of these NGOs’ area of focus is the prevention and protection of children and families, homes for the elderly, children’s homes and one home for the disabled, among others, with all of them doing very good work for the community.

We also wish to commend the entire department in Gauteng for implementing the Bana Pele Rehabilitation Programme for children. This programme was launched in November 2004. It provides a package of services to homeless children such as education, health, identity documents and social services. It is also important that this House acknowledges and appreciates that the Bana Pele Rehabilitation Programme is the first of its kind in the country.

In the North West in the Moses Kotane Local Municipality we visited some paypoints where we discovered that there are improvements. The officials at the paypoints have cellular phones and laptops for communication, all of which were budgeted for by the communications department. More than 10 000 chairs have been distributed to different areas, as per identified need. In addition, tents have been provided where there were no structures. I want to just mention that R12 million was tendered to address the need for a shelter in the North West. So we believe that the department is doing good work in meeting the challenges of the communities.

At Saulspoort paypoint in Moruleng tribal office in North West, there was evidence of the good work that was done by the department. For example, they had adequate shading and chairs and the paypoint was fenced. We also checked and discovered that only the beneficiaries were within the boundary of the facility, armed guards were visible, and there were no hawkers in the yards. There were several taps and mobile toilets for the needs of the beneficiaries. We further wish to acknowledge the reopening of Paballo Place of Safety for the homeless in Ga-Rankuwa after the intervention of the select committee. This is one of the other facilities that offer rehabilitation for children.

In conclusion, our goal is to create a South Africa in which we can enjoy a good quality life, a human rights culture and freedom of access to opportunities. We see visible signs of all of these and many other freedoms and rights. We are conscious that our peoples’ contract to trade, work and fight poverty is ongoing. We are, however, confident of our successes and together we can and we will create a better life for all. Ke a leboga. [Thank you.] [Applause.] Ms N M MADLALA-MAGUBANE: Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, MECs present here, special delegates, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, the Department of Social Development was allocated R76,18 million in the 2004-05 financial year, and this was 2% of the special allocation for HIV/Aids. The whole amount was spent and that constitutes 100%. I would like to congratulate the department for good spending regarding this special project.

I must mention that Gauteng and Western Cape managed to spend 100% of their full amounts. The special project has three programmes which focus on the home and community-based care, co-ordination action for children affected by HIV/Aids, youth and gender. The home-based care is faced with the challenge of increasing the number of communities, families and individuals who access services provided through this programme.

I would like to mention that a total number of 116 811 orphans and 5 041 children living in child-headed households have been identified and are receiving appropriate care and support services. Visits and interventions to child-headed households are made through which counselling and psychosocial support services are rendered. School uniforms were distributed to the children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/Aids.

Families who are identified as child-headed are encouraged by the department to remain in the communities rather than being placed in residential care. Why? It is because it’s important that they be integrated within the society as a whole.

The department supports the LoveLife Groundbreaker project by taking cognisance of three strategies for further HIV prevention, care and support. The focus is on 20% of young marginalised groupings within the farm areas and informal settlements. One of the challenges faced by the department is to strengthen partnership with the implementation agencies such as NGOs and CBOs. They are at present doing tremendous work by continuing to care for those affected and infected by HIV/Aids. They need to be commended.

The more exciting news in the 2005-06 financial year is that there is a massively increased budget for the HIV and Aids subprogramme, which caters for the provision of support and care services to individuals and households infected and affected by HIV/Aids. Nominal allocation for the subprogramme has increased from R79 million in the 2004-05 financial year to R1 106 million in the 2005-06 financial year. Such an increase is in line with the fact that the social, community development and home-based care conditional grants improved spending from 35,6% in 2000-01 financial year to 95% in 2003-04.

Through its effort the Department of Social Development successfully reached a total number of approximately 9,3 million beneficiaries during the 2004-05 financial year. This amounts to approximately R3,6 billion and the overall percentage increase between the financial years is 18,85%. The increase in child support grant payments between the two financial years, 2002-03 and 2003-04, is 31,04%. In Gauteng, the smart province, growth is 29,92%.

I would like to commend the Department of Social Development for its great effort in uprooting corruption and maladministration in the social grant administration system. The ANC-led government supports and is behind the department in its success in uprooting such corruption. The department should continue its work in eliminating all forms of corruption such as receiving social benefits in respect of the deceased and persons who do not qualify for such benefits. It should also look at the conduct of government officials responsible for the administration or payment of social benefits, which has resulted in losses and lack of control over payment of moneys allocated for payments of social benefits.

The department recently offered an indemnity to the people of South Africa who were receiving social grants fraudulently to come out and stop the practice immediately. More than 76 000 people came forward and confessed to the department under the amnesty. The amnesty will save the department approximately R300 million a year and that will be ploughed back into supporting the poorest of the poor. We wish the department good luck in uprooting all the existing criminals and making sure that they face the full wrath of the law.

Regarding the registration campaign, the department successfully reached a total number of 9 285 million beneficiaries in 2004-05. This amounts to R3,6 billion and it constitutes 18,85% growth. Gauteng has increased its growth to 29,92%.

I would like to say that the ANC-led government is guided by the document that was adopted in 1955 at Kliptown. That document spells out clearly that all shall enjoy equal human rights. I therefore urge the public representatives in this Council to go out and do their constituency work by conducting audits on the realisation of socio-economic rights within each community and develop strategies for ensuring that these rights are progressively achieved.

As parliamentarians, we need to mobilise communities in the fight against corruption, and work to strengthen the partnership between communities and the law-enforcement agencies. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mr G H AKHARWARAY (Northern Cape): Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon delegates of this House, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this debate. Let me start off by thanking and congratulating the Minister on his instructive speech. In the provinces, hon Minister, we strive to adhere to national policy guidelines and to implement them; although it is not always easy in a province like the Northern Cape that is faced with many peculiar conditions and hence many additional challenges. Despite enormous progress made in the last decade, the Northern Cape is still a province that is characterised by an unacceptably high rate of unemployment – with an unemployment rate of 26%. This government, at whichever level, is committed to addressing poverty and its attendant socio- economic problems. We cannot fail our people who must of necessity ensure that, as the new democratic government, we adhere to the principles as enshrined in the Freedom Charter adopted 50 years ago in Kliptown – incidentally, my birthplace.

Our mandate is to ensure that poverty-stricken people and other vulnerable groups are not left destitute, but that a comprehensive social protection programme is put in place, hence the development of the 10-point plan of the Department of Social Development. In the Northern Cape, one of our biggest challenges, which has also been the focus of much media attention over the last few years, is that of substance abuse. The scourge of drug and alcohol abuse is one that gives rise to numerous social evils - child abuse, domestic violence and abuse of the elderly are but some of the more apparent consequences.

Research done by the department towards the end of last year in the Northern Cape revealed that substance abusers are as young as 10 years old. It also revealed that alcohol was too readily available and that there was a clear correlation between unemployment and substance abuse. These are but some of the ills that impact negatively on the family structure. Families are the backbone of any society. Everything we seek to achieve as an ANC-led government is premised on the basis of a strong family and a community structure. A society where people can live with dignity and self- respect is one where the effects of poverty are eradicated; where our children and women are not subject to abuse; where our elderly people are respected and cared for; and where our youth are integrated into society in a meaningful way.

We need to ensure that we strengthen families, if we are to succeed in our quest for moral regeneration. One way is to ensure that we retain the elderly within our communities and not ship them off to villages for the elderly or old age institutions. The elderly are the custodians of social norms and moral values. Their wisdom is what keeps society intact. In the Northern Cape we actively promote this, but at the same time we establish multipurpose day-care centres to meet the unique needs of the elderly who live at home with their relatives.

The increasing incidence of single parents and child-headed households needs special attention. Our Isibindi project seeks to create circles of care that render support to these vulnerable households. This focus was the result of research done last year in Donkerhoek – an informal settlement in Galeshewe. The intervention proved so successful that we will extend this programme to other areas in the province.

The Human Rights Commission recently released the report highlighting social problems within the Komani San community who live near the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The provincial government shares this concern and we have already commenced to plan a co-ordinated multidisciplinary response in a way that will see the deepening of social services to the surrounding community, and not only the Komani San.

In addition to our present programmes to address alcohol abuse, we will embark on a focused anti-alcohol campaign in targeted areas in the province. Amongst other things, this will entail increasing our support to specialised NGOs such as Sanca, retraining staff and volunteers to be antisubstance abuse ambassadors, implementing the “Kemoja. No, thanks, I am fine without drugs” initiative in targeted schools; as well as piloting an enrichment programme whereby volunteers work with those grant beneficiaries who waste their grants on alcohol. These prevention programmes are the focus of our strategy.

However, we also face the reality of the effects of widespread substance abuse. We need to treat and rehabilitate alcohol and drug dependence. The province is in dire need of a rehabilitation centre and we are pleased with the sympathetic response of the hon Minister to our preliminary proposal for the establishment of such a centre. Of course, in the near future, we will present him with a business plan for his concentrated attention and, hopefully, funding. A major focus of the department is to provide an effective social security system for the poor. This is essential if we are to ensure the sustainability of the family structure. Today we have done well in our social security intervention. We have brought many deserving people into the social security net. Thousands of children benefit from the child support grant, and from our feeding schemes and poverty alleviation interventions as well.

With the move of this function to the recently established SA Social Security Agency, we expect the department to be able to focus more intensively on the effect of the social ills that pervade our society and keep so many of our young from realising their potential. We will be able to focus on addressing the issues relating to all vulnerable sectors of our society.

It is a reality that there is an increasing incidence of orphaned and other vulnerable children. With the collapse of the family structure and the increasing prevalence of HIV/Aids, the department faces many challenges with regard to successfully placing children in alternative care, although temporary. This is important in our quest to provide a stable environment for the child to grow up in.

Deriving from the transformation of the child and the youth care system, the Northern Cape was tasked with piloting a professional foster care programme. The elements of this were to reconstruct the conditions which necessitated the removal of the child from the family and to train the foster parents prior to placement as well as addressing the problem of behaviourally-challenged children. This has proved to be very successful and a roll-out strategy has just been adopted for the rest of the province.

We have to acknowledge that, as a society, we are no longer able to guarantee the safety of our children at all times. A consequence of the collapse of families and very often the abuse of alcohol has, amongst other factors, given rise to abuse of children. One part of our strategy to address this issue is the further roll-out of the Isolabantwana project to more areas within our province.

We have many challenges. In fact, we have huge challenges, but we are not afraid to tackle them. We are confident that the preparatory programmatic work done and the implementation thereof stands us in good stead to face the future with assurance and certainty.

In the past decade government focused on redressing the imbalances of the past and the provision of basic needs of the poor. For the next decade the challenge is to consolidate our previous interventions, but more so to focus on addressing the mental wellbeing of our society. In short, we need to intensify our efforts to reconstruct of family life. But we cannot take on this challenge alone. We need the support of all stakeholders. After all, it is everybody’s responsibility and obligation to ensure that this happens, if we are to succeed in our quest for a better life for all. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr O M THETJENG: Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of Social Development, and hon members, in 1994 we had seven members in Parliament and lacked representation in a number of provincial legislatures. We were called a small party that had no future.

In 1999 we became the second largest party in Parliament as well as in most provincial legislatures, displacing the now defunct, not so new NP, whose members have become members of the ANC. We managed to expose to the general public those issues that under normal circumstances the ANC would not disclose to them, thus holding you responsible and accountable to the public.

It is common knowledge that you only tell the public about the good that you do and never the bad things like travelgate and other “gates” that are still coming, and the arms deal. [Interjections.] We will see that justice is done by telling them about both the good and the bad, so that now they will be correctly informed and in a position to make informed choices for themselves.

Voters are continuing to watch with keen interest the developments within Parliament’s walls and will soon change their way of voting in favour of the DA. Do not be surprised if you are referred to as those who once governed. If you want to know more, ask your new partners in politics. You won’t be the first to go this route. Some in this House today are a living testimony.

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE NCOP: Chairperson, on a point of order: I’m under the understanding that we are discussing social development, not political development or underdevelopment. So could you please make a ruling to order that the member addresses the subject on the Table?

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Please proceed, hon member.

Mr O M THETJENG: Chair, the ANC cannot dictate when the leader of the DA should visit this House. He will do so when he has time at his disposal and, on that day, it matters not who will be debating. Hon member Setona’s comments yesterday just serve to show how little he knows about my leader. I will today do what is expected of our party and hold you accountable. The good that the government is doing will be commended and the bad will be exposed and condemned.

The DA welcomes the establishment of the SA Social Security Agency. It will handle and administer all social security grants in all the nine provinces of our country. This agency will mean the end of all the other agencies that are used by the various provincial governments. Different standards and criteria are used in the administration of these grants.

Corrupt politicians became shareholders in some of these agencies, thus undermining the good intentions of government. The recent amnesty for those who were illegally accessing social grants must be commended. It will save the state a sizeable amount of money that can then be used to cater for the needy.

The unfortunate situation is that women were requested to bring their husbands’ proof of income. Some found this very difficult to comply with, because they were accessing these grants without the full knowledge of their husbands, yet they must now disclose proof of income when they have to deregister, and have to request proof of income from their husbands.

It may have been a good idea to have had a blanket amnesty, so that the system could become fully clean and only deserving individuals would remain as beneficiaries. The antifraud and corruption campaigns should also be tightened with regard to officials because, more often than not, the officials are involved, since they are the ones who understand the system better.

The present system operating in the provinces is open to fraud. I have classic cases that have come to my attention in Limpopo, of the elderly who have been fraudulently registered for a funeral scheme with an insurance company without their knowledge. They got a surprise only when they received less than what is normally paid to them. On investigation, we established that individuals known in the community registered them. They even went to the extent of appointing beneficiaries in this funeral scheme. In one instance, an old blind lady was forced to sign for such a funeral scheme, because she was told that if she did not do so her grant would be withdrawn.

The provincial government was requested to intervene and the response was that they could not intervene since the contract was between the company concerned and the individual. How then can you talk of the protection of the vulnerable individual when the elderly, who are in this category, cannot be protected?

These private companies administering these grants allow stop orders to be activated, and I believe this is unfair to the elderly. Minister, I urge you to deal with these issues because they undermine the very good intentions of the social security grant.

The Minister and his department must be commended for the food emergency relief programme introduced to assist the poorest of the poor. Most of the provinces, including the rural areas classified as the most poor, underspent on their allocated budget for the 2004-05 financial year. In Limpopo they had a R41 million surplus out of the R61 million allocated. In other words, they spent less than what they were actually allocated; the Eastern Cape only spent 2,42% of the R94 million; the Western Cape only spent 2,67% of the R20 million allocated; the Free State spent 2,79% of the R38 million allocated; Gauteng, North West and KwaZulu-Natal tried their best, though they spent less than 60% of their allocated budget.

Should the poor and ordinary people suffer due to the administrative bureaucracy created by officials? The other problem that compounds the situation is that, in some cases, where the food parcels are available for distribution, councillors are the ones that carry out this task. Officials and registered NGOs, CBOs and faith-based organisations should take the responsibility to distribute these parcels. We do not want to be another Zimbabwe where food is used as patronage for people to vote for the ruling Zanu-PF. We do not want that situation in South Africa.

HIV/Aids, the ANC’s most tormenting enemy, is raging like an angry bull. Parents are dying and leaving behind children that need to be taken care of. Child-headed families are on the increase. So, I urge you to ensure that these children are taken care of, Minister, because they are our children. Thank you so much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Ms S C N SITHOLE (Limpopo): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, I first want to apologise for my MEC, who cannot be here owing to circumstances beyond his control. I am standing here on his behalf.

As we participate in this important debate we do so with pride based on the realisation that what our leaders vowed to strive for 50 years ago, namely a South Africa that belongs to all that live in it, is being achieved. We have, over many years, consistently pronounced our determination to contribute to the fight against poverty, disease, underdevelopment and all other social ills affecting the people of Limpopo.

The service that we offer to those who are poor, vulnerable and distressed continues to make a real difference in this overall equation. In the nature of this commitment, it is appropriate and gratifying that we have entered the new year of our second decade of democracy with a new identity, which engenders a new institutional environment and a performance culture that advocates social development rather than a narrow welfare.

Limpopo is not only predominantly rural, but has a high unemployment rate and is subject to continual conditions of drought. The National Food Security Programme continues to give hope to more than 62 431 destitute families. The challenge is, however, the sustainability of the programme. To address this challenge we have now produced 586 auxiliary nurses, who were selected from these families and trained, thus putting a plate of food on the table on a permanent basis.

Children are the future of our society and, as such, they need to be cared for and nurtured at all times. No child is to be denied admission to early childhood development centres because parents are unable to pay the necessary school fees. To make this noble dream a reality, the department is continuing to give subsidies to more than 1 176 crèches.

In line with the national policy to ensure that youths who are in conflict with the law are place in safe and secure environment, we plan to establish an additional secure care facility.

Service to the elderly is another area of concern to all of us. During this financial year we still focus much attention on addressing challenges, such as the slow pace of transforming old age homes and representivity on management boards. As government, we will surely not allow a situation in which some old age homes are still reluctant to admit people from other races. We will continue to build and strengthen service centres and advocacy programmes that seek to address the issue of abuse of the elderly. We are determined to ensure that our senior citizens get empowered with such life skills as sewing and knitting from such service centres.

As we join the national department in the establishment of Sassa, we do so with a renewed commitment of ensuring that grants are provided in time for those who are entitled to them, and deal with those who defraud our noble cause. Significant milestones continue to be achieved in the provision of social assistance services in the province. These include the reduction of application processing time, the improvement of coverage of payment of grants to eligible persons, the provision of social relief of distress, increase in the numbers of paypoints and the improvement of conditions at paypoints.

As a matter of fact, we have moved from 60 to 30 days turnaround time, in terms of the application-processing period. We are recruiting additional personnel, so that we can comply with the national norm of 21 days turnaround time set out for this current financial year.

Our beneficiary strength currently stands at 1,4 million and is estimated to grow to 1,8 million beneficiaries during this year. As part of the process of ensuring an efficient agency and of cleaning the system of fraud, we are happy to announce that 36 273 illegal beneficiaries have applied for amnesty and we are continually reviewing all disability grants. We, therefore, commend the Minister for setting the date for Sassa being fully operational by April 2007, thus allowing the department the time to ensure seamless service delivery with the transfer.

In terms of the retention strategy development the department has implemented the revised salary package for social workers. As a predominantly rural province the challenge remains that this may not be sufficient, hence the need for arrears such as rural allowances and other retention incentives to be investigated.

We remain committed to the fight against HIV and Aids. With the escalating number of people infected and affected by the scourge of HIV and Aids, particularly children, the department managed to establish 75 home-based care sites and 19 drop-in centres. These programmes provide 5 430 children with meals, laundry and other related assistance, such as schoolwork. At presently, the number of orphans is approximately 18 361, with 2 160 child- headed households. The department provides food parcels to the orphans on a regular basis.

For those 1 047 caregivers involved in this project, the department gives a stipend of R500 per month. The challenge that the department is faced with is to align the stipend with those of other departments within limited budget allocations.

While the department is happy with the budget earmarked for social security, the same cannot be said for the social development service budget, because social security consumes 95,3% of the vote and 4,7% is spent on other social development services. These have an impact on achieving some of the issues raised by the Minister in the budget speech. It is, therefore, expected of the sector to engage both the national and the provincial treasuries to adequately fund social development services.

In conclusion, we would, once again, like to commend the Minister of Social Development for his able political leadership and guidance in the struggle against poverty, vulnerability, fraud and corruption.

This is the message of my MEC but, as the chairperson for the portfolio committee, I would like, from the oversight point of view, to say to this House that we are happy to say that we have got a department that is very caring, and we always have co-operation from it in cases where we want to know certain things from the department. We also want to inform the Minister that in that committee we have developed enough expertise to be able to engage the department and hold it accountable to the people of Limpopo.

The problem that is bothering the committee a little bit is the foster care grant. I would like the Minister to assist the department in that regard. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Ms P MACKAY (KwaZulu-Natal): Hon Chair, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister and others, on behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal portfolio committee of social welfare and population development, I present a few comments. In KwaZulu- Natal the baseline vote for this budget, which is the welfare budget, was increased by R3,35 billion this year. This means an increase from R10,25 billion to R13,65 billion in the coming year, and that is almost 30% of the provincial budget.

This is a massive increase, but it is not an attempt to alleviate the pressures of Programme, which is the programme that deals with social security. This programme has been allocated R12,7 billion and that is 93,87% of the department’s budget. This doesn’t leave much for services, but it is an effort to alleviate poverty and the needs of the poorest of the poor.

We do note this with concern; but we have noted that the transfer of the national SA Social Security Agency from provincial to national will only take place next year in April, and that for this financial year there will have to be a conditional grant to the department and we have two concerns with regard to this. In the closing report of 2004-05, the entire R922 million expenditure had taken place as result of commitments to expenditure on Social Security grants. This happened despite an additional allocation of 760 million during the 2004 adjustments.

A large part of this will be received from the national government, and our committee would sincerely like to thank the government for that additional financing. However, without further financial assistance, we are going to overspend again - a very serious overspend - for this financial year.

In KwaZulu-Natal we are anticipating an increase of 30% in the uptake of disability grants, which compares unfavourably to the national norm of 7%. We have a great concern about this but we have to meet these commitments. Our provincial department likes to undertake as other provincial departments, it has a far-ranging investigation into fraudulent beneficiaries and we hope to improve the overexpenditure through rooting out the fraud.

We are very concerned that so much fraud was recorded in our province and the figure that we spent on rooting it out was calculated R80 million. We are also anticipating an increase of 3,5% in the child support grants uptake whereas we have been informed that in other provinces the ceiling has been reached and we have a concern about this. We do acknowledge that fraud and corruption have to be rooted out. We asked the national Minister to make sure that the new National Social Security Agency is able to have a very strong hand in preventing future fraud and corruption.

We are aware that staff will be transferred from province to national but we hope that some of these officials involved in fraud will not be transferred along with them and that fraud will really be handled very firmly. We are very grateful to the hon Minister and Deputy Minister for the comprehensive retention strategy to improve the social workers’ salaries so that their services will be retained and there won’t be a constant brain-drain to other countries.

We would also like to applaud our provincial Minister’s being prepared to increase salaries with from 61% at the starting level, and this is in his budget for this year. This will go a long way to preventing the turnover of social workers from the NGO sector to government. But nevertheless; there is a great concern. The department of welfare in our province’s reports said that they have over 300 vacancies. I would just conclude then by saying that we thank the hon Minister for all the support he gives our province.

Mr J O TLHAGALE: Hon Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister and hon House, thank you very much for this opportunity. Social Development is one of the leading departments in the government’s effort to reduce poverty and improve the social wellbeing of our people. It is also a key department in attempts to mitigate the impact of HIV and Aids on families and communities.

It is reported that over the last three years there has been a large expansion of the social assistance system with beneficiary numbers increasing from 3,8 million in April 2001 to 9,2 million in January 2005. An area of concern and disappointment is that an estimated number of 37 000 public servants have infiltrated the scheme and are stealing grants intended for the young mothers, older persons and people with disabilities. However, it is gratifying that the fraud is under investigation and those that are found guilty will be dealt with in terms of the relevant legislation. Because the scheme is also targeting unemployed young mothers, it is hoped that those who find suitable employment during the course of time will then be relieved of their grants in order to cut on the rapid growth of the number of beneficiaries. At the pay point in the North West province the committee on social services under the leadership of Mrs Masilo arrived in time to defuse the potential conflict between the officers of the Pay Master Services and the Absa Bank officers who wanted to brief interested old age beneficiaries about the Mzanzi account. It appeared the Pay Master company was opposed to a banking arrangement, as it would leave them without jobs.

However, the receipt of the grant at a bank is less arduous and therefore preferable to receiving it at an open-air paypoint. I would recommend that this banking arrangement should be pressed on with. It is noted that since the Minister announced the investigation into the payment of grants . . . The UCDP support the Budget Vote.

Mr Z LUYENGE (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, hon Minister, members of this House, allow me to greet you this morning. Before I go on with the presentation that is coming from the Eastern Cape, allow me to tender an apology from the MEC for social development, who has not been able to turn up due to problems that have erupted with regard to fraudulent grants in one our regions in the Eastern Cape; of which the MEC is part. The campaign is that of arresting the thieves that are in our province.

The Eastern Cape department of social development functions and enhances service delivery processes within the ambit of the National Department of Social Development. During the year there were many challenges faced by the department. There has been a spiralling increase in temporary disability grants and the other major challenge was the underspending on the child support grant.

That underspending reflected the migration patterns of the population due to the pursuits of employment opportunities in urban areas. We experience serious budget pressure due to funding levels and what is seemingly exponential in all grant types. We have dealt with the problem arising out of nonintegration of government data bases. We introduced a new management information system that has helped to quell the fraudulent practices. As a result of that intervention, we have been able to reduce the projected overexpenditure by R426 million.

All temporary disability grants are being audited regularly in terms of the social assistance Act provisions. For the first time in the history of our department, the Auditor-General has given us a clean bill of health, for example, the unqualified report status. Indeed this is a matter on which we have to improve.

Allow me to reflect on the current project upon which we have jointly embarked with the hon Minister, Dr Skweyiya, who is affectionately known as Kwebindlala in our of province, because of his championing the fight against poverty. [Applause.]

The President has promulgated the SA Social Security Agency and the Eastern Cape MEC for social development has also signed the memorandum of understanding with the national Department of Social Development, to give effect to the birth of this new organisation.

The Eastern Cape government is almost in a state of readiness to migrate this function to the national sphere of government, come April 2006. The reinforcing process of social security is in progress, and it is our understanding that Sassa will provide a better service to our communities. We are in the forefront of fighting corruption processes with the indemnity provided by the national Minister.

I am happy to say, we have made a major breakthrough. We have just launched the child support extension in one of the localities in the Eastern Cape, in Lebote, on 13 April 2005. Allow me also to commend the national Minister and the President on their bold stances against fraud, especially in the grant section of the department. Our Premier is spearheading that campaign, and in effect, we have arrested a number of people including civil servants at all levels, and that does not exclude some of the beneficiaries.

The introduction of an integrated approach by our government that puts together both the Department of Social Development, Home Affairs, the SAPS, and other relevant departments that assist the beneficiary to access a grant is tantamount to a number of creatures, many of which are living in the sea - where millions of such creatures would want to go back into the sea. But if one person is doing that exercise of putting such creatures back into water, it won’t make a difference to them, but if we all assist in terms of ensuring that we take these creatures back into water, then there will be a difference. We again commend the national Minister for all the steps that he took to ensure that a difference has been made in the lives of our people since the inception of our hard-earned democracy.

We are known to be one of the poorest provinces in this country, and to that effect we applaud the strides that have been taken by the Minister to ensure that we protect all opportunities that exist in this particular department to ensure that the poorest of the poor are assisted. Together we will fight against corruption. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mrs M VANTURA (Western Cape): Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, ladies and gentleman, I am standing in for the MEC in the province, Mrs Kholeka Mqulwana.

As a point of departure, our department would like to express a great sense of gratitude for the opportunity to participate in this very important debate. We also commend the national Minister for his guidance and leadership in our quest to provide better service and improve the lives of our people. It is a sad fact though, that as we sit here at this moment and discuss matters affecting our nation, thousands of our communities in this province are reeling from the havoc in their lives, from the recent floods, that destroyed their homes and their earthly belongings.

Even though we are entering a second decade of freedom and democracy our people are still struggling to disengage themselves from the clutches of poverty. Most of them still exist within the frontiers of, or experience planning and infrastructure and development.

On 26 June this year we will be celebrating fifty years of the Freedom Charter - milestone that reminds us of the importance of human rights and equality, lest we forget where we came from. In turn, and in line with our national counterpart, the Department of Social Services, with a view to poverty alleviation in the Western Cape has developed a number of programmes aimed at establishing a net for our communities. These include establishing strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as the communities themselves, the private sector, other government departments and civil society.

At this point we want to add our voice in support of the Minister’s recent call to the NGO fraternity and other social partners to come on board and to help fight against poverty and unemployment.

Last week we started a programme of rolling out the first group of doctors, particularly in poor communities, to speed up the registration of the disability grant. We are aware that the law demands that every disability grant applicant must be examined and receive certification from a doctor within the public sector, before qualifying for this grant. But we find ourselves in a catch-22 situation, as the number of these doctors is very small when compared to the number of patients on the waiting list. This has therefore led to a huge backlog. We would like to call upon more doctors to volunteer for this programme and help the physically challenged to access this grant. We need to end the current backlog of these disability grants.

The department is also in the process of increasing the roll-out for early childhood development. We believe that by getting involved in the lives of our children at a very early age, we will provide proper intellectual and psychological training for our children. Through this programme we are also creating job opportunities for thousands of women who look after these children on an informal basis.

Minister, the number of children roaming the streets of Cape Town and other areas is still a major concern. The department works closely with the NGOs and the city on programmes to get children off the streets, but much more still needs to be done. Family support structures need to be strengthened. The question is: How can we ensure that those children under fourteen, who will qualify for the child support grant, do not roam the streets instead of being at school? The message must go out to these parents that they will be dealt with if the children are not at school.

Minister, there are still hundreds of grandmothers caring for children whose mothers receive the child support grant and who do not support the grannies in that way. That does not contribute towards the care of those children, and that is another challenge that we have to face.

Let us also commend the Minister on the antifraud campaign, which he launched throughout the country earlier this year. This drive will certainly rid our society of the scourge of corruption and ensure that no administration is dodging the issuing of social grants. Last week the Minister announced that the number of public servants involved in this form of corruption has risen.

Hon members, it goes without saying that the theft of public funds, which currently amounts to R1,5 billion, is a form of the most unethical practice by people entrusted with the welfare of our citizens. At this point we want to reiterate the call to members of the public to assist the government in bringing an end to fraud and corruption. The national department has registered a toll-free number and we urge South Africans to heed this call and participate in the whistle-blowing exercise. We also applaud the Minister and the Department of Social Development for establishing the South African Social Security Agency. This important institution will go a long way in ensuring the eradication of theft and corruption in the payment of social grants. The agency will also ensure a speedy delivery and contribute towards the reduction of lengthy queues. We urge the provinces to support this initiative, as it is a right step in the direction of the provision of a better life for our citizens.

Once again our department has responded to the call by the national government and conducted a number of imbizos around the province. Last week Grabouw, Delft, Saldanha and Matsikama, Thembaletwu and Khayalitsha were visited, to register parents and children for birth certificates and identity documents. It is important that recipients are in possession of these legal documents in order to access social grants.

With regard to the transformation of institutions - old age homes, orphanages and care centres - the department has just finalised its assessment process and the standing committee will receive a briefing on their findings and we will also see to it that we do our oversight visits once again to those institutions.

Further, to ensure that we translate our slogan into a practical reality for our communities, we are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with various municipalities. These include Cape Town, Matsekami, Saldanha, Plettenberg Bay and Beau-fort West. The signing of these memorandums of understanding will ensure the pooling of our resources and increase our capacity to deliver better services and reduce the duplication in the delivery of these services, through the concept of intergovernmental relations. We are also working with other departments such as those of health, education, transport and public works.

In conclusion, as we approach the celebration of that historic day when thousands of brave and patriotic South Africans, men and women gathered on a cold day in Kliptown, we want to ensure that all our people have a reason to celebrate this second decade of freedom and democracy. We want proudly to announce once again that SA belongs to all who live in it, black and white. I thank you. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Chairperson, hon members, Minister of Social Development, members of the provincial executive councils, distinguished guests, leaders and members of civil society, ladies and gentlemen, let me reiterate what the Minister has said. The Department of Social Development is committed to the promotion of a caring society to build strong families and restore the dignity of all people.

This department has made enormous strides in providing a comprehensive social security system and we are increasingly taking up the challenges of creating an enabling environment for the attainment of sustainable livelihoods. We have made progress in building partnerships with NGOs in implementing programmes for poverty alleviation and community development. This programme is aimed at facilitating the registration of and support to NPOs to strengthen their development implementation capacity to meet the diverse needs of the South African population.

Implementation and delivery are the two major focuses for this second decade. This means an increased focus on the role of provincial and local governments, the primary drivers of service delivery. In this regard let me commend the Northern Cape for developing innovative programmes-accessible to those who are vulnerable - for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. A further challenge for the department as we enter the second decade of freedom is to improve the services to the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of our society. Programme 5 in the Budget Vote, which is aptly named “Welfare Services Transformation”, facilitates the delivery of effective and developmental social welfare services to empower communities.

A total amount of R7,9 million has been allocated to children, families and youth development. In case the media thinks I am crying again: There is just something in my eye. I just wanted to clarify that! [Laughter.] This programme is aptly named welfare services transformation, which facilitates the delivery of effective and developmental social welfare services to empower communities. A total of R17,9 million has been allocated to children, families and youth development.

A national policy protection register was introduced in seven provinces. The draft policy framework for the prevention and management of child abuse, neglect and exploitation has been completed and is going through the approval process in the 2005-06 budget year; and a central authority for adoptions is being established.

A priority over the next three years is improving social welfare service delivery by finalising the social welfare service delivery model, developing the costing baseline norms and standards for welfare services and supporting service delivery through provincial departments and the nonprofit sector. There will be renewed focus on costing and implementing the policy on financial awards to service providers in the nonprofit sector; approving and implementing the national policy for victims of violence and their families; the national strategy on child abuse, neglect and exploitation; and services to prevent substance abuse, including the norms and standards that govern the delivery of support services by treatment centres. The department will also be fast-tracking the expansion of its home and community-based care to children and households infected and affected by HIV and Aids and expanding its partnership with the LoveLife Groundbreakers programme to reach more rural and farming communities and households. In its endeavours to enhance the effective delivery of social services, the department recognises social work as a scarce skill. Some funding has been allocated for the retention of social workers. This department recognises that salaries are not the only measure to facilitate the retention of social and other workers and has developed the capacity-building programme for the social services professionals jointly funded by our department, the Department for International Development in the UK and the health and welfare Seta. In addition, the department has recently inaugurated the social service professional board and the child and youth care workers professional board, thereby granting professional status to the latter category for the first time in South African social services’ history.

The scourge of apartheid has left many scars on our communities. One of these scars is an unacceptably high level of crime with women and children bearing the brunt of violent crimes. Progress in victim empowerment includes the national resources directory to make services accessible to victims of crime and violence and a costed strategy on setting up and managing shelters for women and their children. The shelter strategy has been made available to the provinces, shelter managers and other role- players that provide services to victims of crime and violence.

The draft policy on victim empowerment is being finalised. Furthermore, one too many children is in conflict with the law. Along with other relevant departments, our department leads the challenge of diverting children in conflict with the law to alternative programmes to assist them to become constructive members of society.

With regard to the subprogramme on crime prevention, the following projects have been commissioned: setting minimum standards for diversions, setting up the professional and standards-generating boards for probation services, rolling out the home-based supervision programme, appointing additional assistant probation officers, training and retraining probation practitioners in restorative justice and evaluating the assistant probation and crime-buster programmes. The department and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund plan to train 500 of the unemployed as part of the national youth service programme to become assistant probation officers for home- based supervision of children in trouble with the law who are awaiting trial. For these three subprogrammes R6,9 million, R 5,7 million and R3,6 million respectively have been allocated for the 2005-06 financial year.

As stated in the NA last week, substance abuse remains a serious concern for the wellbeing and development of our communities, particularly for our youth. Research indicates that children as young as eight years old are admitted to rehabilitation centres. This situation is aggravated by unemployment and poverty, which act as fertile grounds for marketing highly addictive and dangerous substances such as methamphetamines, Mandrax and dagga. Being a resident of the Western Cape, it has also come to my attention through the media and other people reporting to me, that methamphetamine, which is the substance called “tik”, continues to be a major problem. Three years after this drug hit the market in the Western Cape, the children who have been on it for that period are now trying very hard to find treatment centres. I trust that our MEC for social services is looking at the problem.

Alcohol abuse which leads to a high rate of foetal alcohol syndrome in some of our most poverty-stricken areas remains a serious problem. The drug master plan, a comprehensive interdepartmental programme for combating substance abuse, is in the process of revision to improve government’s ability to combat this societal scourge, particularly as it affects the poor and vulnerable groups in our society.

With support from the national department, our provinces have developed mini drug master plans to ensure an integrated approach to service delivery. Provincial drug forums have been established to ensure an integrated community-based approach to treatment and prevention. This should include the expansion of treatment to incorporate social models of intervention, which will be more sustainable and accessible to the poor and marginalised. This means integrating existing youth development programmes in relevant departments for treatment and prevention of substance abuse with social development playing the leading role.

The policy on substance abuse . . .

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon Deputy Minister, your time has expired.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Thank you. I will conclude by saying, as indicated by the Minister, tremendous challenges remain in extending social security and services to those who have been most marginalised. Our department remains determined to realising our commitments as expressed by government’s national programme of action. [Applause.]

Mr B J TOLO: Hon Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, South Africa is the envy of many nations in the world today due to its achievements in the last ten years. We can pat ourselves on the back for the work already done in transforming our country beyond recognition in a very short space of time. When we cast our minds back to look at apartheid South Africa and compare it with today’s South Africa, we feel satisfied with a job well done. Thanks to the organisation of Oliver Tambo, Moses Mabida, Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, the people’s organisation and our organisation, the ANC. We can say without a shadow of doubt . . .

Ms J F TERBLANCHE: Chairperson, on a point of order: Could the member please stick to the debate on social development and not make political statements?

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon member, can you take your seat. I have not recognised you. I was busy with something. Maybe I must make the following point, that even if you rise on a point of order, the Chair must first recognise you. Don’t just speak.

Ms J F TERBLANCHE: Chairperson, I was trying to get your attention. On a point of order: Could the member please stick to the issue under discussion and not make party political statements?

Mr J B TOLO: Chair, I hope that will not affect my time. We can say without a shadow of doubt that we are on the correct path of building a South Africa based on what the Congress of the People said in Kliptown in 1955 as set out in the Freedom Charter. We must also say that this path is not adorned with roses. We are determined not to be detracted from it.

Chair, although we have achieved so much, the legacy of apartheid is still well and alive and it will be with us for some time to come. The two-nation theory is still relevant today as it was some years ago - that when you look at South Africa, you see two nations. Broadly speaking?, one nation is very affluent with standards of living comparable to those in well- developed countries in Europe – that is the white nation. The other nation is characterised by poverty and all the other characteristics of underdevelopment – that is the black nation. This is an anomaly in a democratic country like ours. The challenge therefore is to bridge the gap between the two nations so that we have one South African nation with one common social feature.

The two-economy theory also addresses itself to this problem. To solve this problem will not be an event but a long and protracted process. It is for that reason that government cannot wait for this to happen, but has to come up with policies that are aimed at intervening to relieve people that are needy because of the burden of poverty and squalor.

The Department of Social Development is the department at the centre of these relief programmes. Many of our people out there, especially women and children, the elderly and the orphaned, the disabled and the sick, are not sure of their next meal. It is for that reason that the Department of Social Development came up with several programmes to address this problem. Here we have in mind programmes like poverty relief programmes, the national food emergency scheme and programmes that enhance family life, and others. We want to indicate that most of these programmes are not meant to be permanent as they will not be sustainable. They are meant to provide temporary relief while people lock onto other sustainable government programmes.

We want to congratulate the department for having developed these programmes as they go a long way in helping our people. I personally have relatives who have benefited from some of these programmes and who are very grateful to government.

We must also indicate that there are also challenges associated with some of these programmes. These programmes are delivered in the main by provinces through conditional grants. Some of the provinces do not have enough capacity to deliver on time. This inevitably lengthens the suffering of the vulnerable people out there. More often than not, we are confronted with lots of roll-overs. Roll-overs are a cancer that bedevils many government departments and it is our considered view that if there is capacity and proper planning, this can actually be avoided. We think that if there are roll-overs beyond what the PMFA allows in any department, the accounting officer must be charged with sabotage.

We want to thank this department for its zero tolerance against fraud and corruption. We wholeheartedly support you, Minister, on the amnesty campaign for those who have fraudulently accessed social grants. We are aware that this has yielded positive results and we agree with you that there are still other moles burrowing elsewhere. We are saying that they should be unearthed so they can face the full might of the law. We also agree that public servants who are on the wrong side of the law must also not be shown any mercy.

We are all aware that the systems used by provinces to disburse social grants are not without problems. The situation was that each and every province had its own agency. The systems of these agencies did not talk to one another. This might have resulted in double dipping where a person applies for a social grant in one province and does the same in another province. The passing of the law by Parliament last year that enables the SA Social Security Agency to be formed will go a long in solving most of these problems.

Through this agency we are sure to see an improvement in the social security service delivery system. The disparities in levels of service delivery will be a thing of the past, as common norms and standards will now apply in all provinces. We know that this agency is in the process of being established, and we are looking forward to seeing it being fully operational in the not so distant future. We commend the department for this.

As the ANC we are confident that this department will deliver on its mandate, and we are therefore supporting its Budget Vote.

Mr P GOVENDER (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, I convey warm greetings to you on behalf of the MEC of KwaZulu-Natal. The social development of any nation depends, to a large degree, on the makeup and strength of its social fabric. In commenting on the 2005 Budget, the March edition of Fast Facts issued by the SA Institute of Race Relations leads with the caption: “Social Security Grows Fastest”. The article states that one in four people in South Africa will soon draw an income from the state in South Africa’s unique welfare system.

The article states:

Total growth and social security expenditure over the seven years between 2001-08 is expected to be 172%. Over that same period the other two major categories, education and health, will record increases of 74% and 82% respectively.

We all know that the biggest single component of social security spending is social grants. Even though these grants go a long way in reducing the incidence of extreme poverty, this is not the solution to the problem faced by this department. The solution lies in creating more jobs, because joblessness has grown by between 30% and 40% in the past decade.

The President of our country in his state of the nation address stated that over 9 million South Africans receive social grants, and the vast majority of them are children. In his Budget Vote the hon Minister has set aside R6,9 billion in this financial year, and an additional R19 billion over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period, for the further extension of the child support grant to children under the age of 14. This is indeed a positive step as children and the aged are the most vulnerable people in our country. The Minister needs to be complimented on this and presented with a bouquet, but, hon Minister, you will know that in any bouquet there is bound to be a thorn, and a thorn in my side is the high level of fraud and corruption that is bleeding our system and depriving those who are most deserving. To make matters worse, it is the personnel who are employed by the department who are implicated in these fraudulent activities. I am extremely pleased that the department at the national level and the provincial departments as well have embarked on a relentless campaign to identify and prosecute those who are guilty.

In KwaZulu-Natal the MEC for social welfare hon Nkosi Ngubane was praised by all parties for the strides made by his department in this regard at his prebudget hearing recently. By the end of the amnesty period, as at 31 March this year, over 6 000 people had come forward and declared that they were fraudulently in receipt of social grants. This figure of 6 000 has almost doubled since that time and this augurs well for the province as a whole. The antifraud hotline set up by the KwaZulu-Natal department of Social Welfare also played a significant role in giving the public an avenue to report cases of fraud and corruption.

The Expanded Public Works Programme provides an excellent opportunity for addressing the joblessness that I alluded to earlier, and I am pleased to note that your department’s social sector plan has taken advantage of this opportunity. My appeal, hon Minister, is that these people who are now being skilled and provided with job opportunities are not abandoned once this project is completed, because then they will once again find themselves functioning on the periphery of the second economy without any hope of finding a place in the first economy.

In KwaZulu-Natal social workers in the NGO sector were extremely pleased to hear of the revised salary packages budgeted for by our MEC. You are well aware, hon Minister, that the NGO sector has been losing qualified and experienced social workers at an alarming rate, and at a conference held by the SA National Council for Child and Family Welfare a few years back, you rather light-heartedly stated that the NGO sector was an ideal training ground for your department to poach from. With the improvement in salaries for these professionals I am confident that they will want to remain in our country and serve our citizens; and unfortunately you will not be able to poach in KwaZulu-Natal very easily in the near future!

Hon Minister, your budget is a beacon of hope for those of our citizens who live under the clouds of despair. Even though more funds are needed to alleviate their plight, I am certain that if fraud and corruption is a thing of the past your department will be able to achieve much more with the funds available. I wish you well in this campaign. Thank you.

Ms H LAMOELA: Hon Chair, hon Ministers, hon members, “10 years of democracy”, “a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it - black and white”, “everyone to share in the riches of the country”, with which I so dearly agree, are comments I hear on a daily basis. Unfortunately, a dark cloud of corruption, fraud and financial mismanagement seems to hang over one of the most needed services in our country, namely social services.

To my mind, accountability is one of the most important values of a democracy. What is most sickening is that these acts are perpetrated by people elevated to positions of trust; people who are paid to improve the lives of the poor and the needy. The perpetrators must now be held accountable for their deeds. It is mystifying why it has taken so long to pick up, for example, that people are claiming for children they do not have or are claiming disability grants, but are still holding full-time jobs.

Fortunately, such activities are now increasingly being uncovered and investigated. A big thank you to those uncovering such ruthless behaviour. It is heartening to hear Minister Skweyiya say that there will be no amnesty for public servants, because they knew exactly what they were doing. Well said, hon Minister, because to my knowledge the Social Assistance Act of 2004 and the South African Social Security Agency Act of 2004 were enacted to facilitate the creation of a coherent system that is in line with the constitutional injunction to ensure effective service delivery. There is thus an urgent need for the effective and efficient management of resources, including reduction of fraud and corruption in the delivery mechanisms, in order to alleviate poverty and to enhance self-reliance; which I sincerely believe the South African Social Security Agency Act will do very well.

The HIV/Aids pandemic weighs heavily on the Department of Social Services seeing that the number of children and adults affected and infected by the disease escalated, and that there are insufficient human resources to cope with the pandemic. Due to the poverty trail left by HIV/Aids, some families have become less effective in providing support for their families. There can be no doubt that the problem of children orphaned by Aids is a crisis and should be treated as such.

Foster care is also a challenge to the department. The DA would like to know what the current policy regarding foster care is. Are children still placed in foster care with the primary objective of this being a temporary measure, or is foster care viewed as a more permanent solution for taking care of orphaned and abandoned children?

During our oversight visit to the Eastern Cape it came to our attention that food parcels were used as election tools for voters. This is unacceptable, and I urge the Minister to please look into this matter, as the recipients of food parcels are the most vulnerable, consisting mostly of rural and women-headed households.

The unreasonably high caseloads of social workers have negatively impacted on both the profession and standards of service. Salary increases for social workers are long overdue, and I thank the Minister of Finance who has made a budget allocation for implementation of revised salary packages for social services for 2005-06.

State subsidies to institutions such as old age homes, child welfare and NGOs have been reduced. This is a rather worrying factor, especially with the cost of living rising on a regular basis. The DA would like to see far more support for NGOs. They indeed need to be congratulated for performing many duties that are actually the responsibility of the government.

The establishment of early childhood development centres will form part of the Department of Social Development’s contribution to the Expanded Public Works Programme. Is there a policy framework for the establishment of these services, and what is the level of capacity in provinces to monitor the standards of programmes offered at such centres across the country? In conclusion, I would like to quote Charles Darwin when he said: “People do not care how much you know. People want to know how much you care”. Thank you. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Before I call on the next speaker, I just want to acknowledge the presence of the learners in the public gallery. You are welcome to the NCOP. We are now deliberating on the Budget Vote on Social Development under the leadership of the hon Minister, Dr Zola Skweyiya.

Mr T M H MOFOKENG (Free State): Hon Chair, hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister and hon members of the NCOP.

Ke ema mona lebitsong la setho sa komiti ya phethahatso se ikarabellang ho thekolehelo Free State, Mme Zanele Dlungwane, mme ke se ke ntse ke fitisa madume ho tswa ho ena, ke re dumelang. [I stand here on behalf of the MEC who is responsible for welfare in the Free State, Mrs Zanele Dlungwane, and I forward greetings from her, saying: I greet you.]

Our country and our people are yearning for a bright and prosperous future that is based on the firm foundations of human solidarity and security. In line with the broader mission of our government, our work is focused on restoring human dignity by defeating the elements that undermine the basic essentials of humanity such as poverty, want, unemployment, HIV and Aids.

We are convinced that our strategies are on course to help in the short term, while affirming in the medium to long term that our people should be able on their own to galvanise resources and mechanisms to build an unwavering network of human security. This is a function of many deliberate actions as pronounced by the Minister of Social Development in his budget. I rise to add our voice and impetus in support of the initiatives and programmes that the Minister spoke of in the Budget Vote of the department to Parliament on 5 April 2005.

The department of social development in the Free State is witness to the rolling out of the national programme of creating a social security network for the people of our country. As a province that is hardest hit by poverty, we are well aware of the impact that the national programme has had in changing the lives of our people, giving hope and ensuring that they also can trace the elements of the restoration of their dignity. Although it is not easy our department is, however, committed to ensuring that with limited resources we are able to achieve more with less.

It is also encouraging to inform this House that while more resources are being mobilised, we are able to harness the efforts of closing down leakages in the form of fraud and corruption that have, for years, robbed the state and the poor in the battle for fighting poverty and want. In this regard we have made significant progress in the efforts of fighting fraud and corruption in the area of the disbursement of social grants. Our national campaign has yielded results and has impacted on the effort of cleaning up government.

The work done by the department in our province is commendable in many respects, as we have registered about 500 people who are illegal recipients of social grants. We have handed the list to the national department for the purpose of data capturing, so that these people can be removed from the list.

Assessment through our systems will determine whether they fall into the criteria of our national programme of indemnity. As the Minister correctly alluded, all is being done to search and find many of those recipients who did not heed the call and who would still be on the list of recipients. Accordingly, the full might of the law will have to take its course. We are indeed supportive of the initiative and would like to see it succeed. This is while we are ensuring that other government departments and organs of civil society are involved in helping to clean up the system to ensure its integrity.

Our department, as is our system of government, is committed to delivering a safe and secure society through a workable people’s contract. Indeed, our work in order to succeed goes to the fundamental elements of working together in a consultative system of government integrated into our planning and implementation of programmes. We will ensure that this is visible and supported by the outcomes of the growth and development summit. In the final analysis we want all to see that our programmes are adding impetus to the Free State development strategy.

We are at the frontline of building a caring government and delivering a safe and secure community by taking advantage of a union of possibilities presented by the first decade of our freedom and democracy. This will indeed find elaborate expression through the department’s budget allocation to be tabled soon, outlining key programmes and expenditure projection over the medium-term framework. Both individually and collectively, our work should be geared towards maximising the capacity of government to fast- track the struggle to push back the frontiers of poverty and create a better life for all.

Rev E ADOLPH: Chairperson, hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister, it is indeed our obligation to salute the ANC-led government and the ruling party for their major achievements towards uplifting the poorest of the poor since 1994. [Applause.]

The ID appreciates and recognises the sizeable contribution made by giving millions of people access to clean water and also sanitation and houses. These very basic needs were previously denied them. Whilst we acknowledge this on the one hand, we have to realise that there is still a lot that needs to be done. There are a lot of challenges facing the ANC-led government. The ID wants to declare our solidarity with all the people suffering in the world and we will also join hands to fight for the eradication of poverty; not combating it as such, but the eradication of poverty.

We have to be very honest today, members. Whilst we are grateful and celebrating, we are also aware of the challenges which we need to address openly if we want to be true to our people. Women are suffering, especially rural women. They are illiterate, malnourished and are suffering from the effects of HIV and Aids. It is sad to note that these women are often ignored. The Department of Social Development is doing sterling work to clean up fraud and corruption in our society.

It is an open secret that we are losing R1,5 billion every year as a result of corruption. It is our collective responsibility to intensify these campaigns by the department, but we have to ask: How is it possible that the Govender brothers in King William’s Town are not in jail? They defrauded the poorest of the poor of millions.

What is really disturbing and unacceptable is the underspending of the department in terms of the food parcels and food relief programme. We condemn the fact that only 7% of the R388 million was spent. It is highly unacceptable at a time when people are dying of hunger. In the Western Cape 2,67% of the R20 million given to them was spent. This is grossly unfair towards the recipients who are vulnerable and in need of a piece of bread on the table. We want to know how many households were given food parcels and whether those recipients received the food parcels. Another serious concern to us is the fact that the ANC councillors are involved in the distribution of food parcels. I want to know from this House: Who determines the criteria to deliver and distribute food parcels? Shouldn’t respectable community leaders be more involved in the distribution thereof? What is delaying you from transferring these moneys to the people who need it that much, Minister? Is it perhaps incompetent and fraudulent senior managers and officials who cannot perform and do their work? They must be fired. If it is the national Department of Social Development that is reluctant and dragging their feet to transfer the money timeously to the provinces . . . We support this Budget Vote. [Time expired.]

Mr S T NGWENYA (Gauteng): Chairperson, I humbly request that it be accepted that I have observed all protocol as far as salutations are concerned. I am delivering this presentation on behalf of MEC Bob Mabaso whom I am standing in for today. If he were here he would have said the following: I am pleased to stand before you to debate the national budget speech delivered by our national Minister, Dr Zola Skweyiya, on 5 April 2005.

At the outset, I wish to congratulate our national Minister on this mammoth task of redirecting the department from social “welfarism” to social development, in its deep sense, towards the upliftment of our vulnerable groups. The consultative manner in which he roped in all the stakeholders to walk the walk and talk the talk is highly commendable.

The anticorruption social security campaign which culminated in many people confessing and applying for amnesty was so successful because of the Minister’s will to ensure that the social security system is clear of fraudsters for the benefit of our authentic beneficiaries. For instance, in Gauteng there are currently 1,1 million beneficiaries, of which 693 000 are children, with a total monthly expenditure of R480 million.

On norms and standards the national Minister highlighted that a new era in grant payments will require changing mindsets, a move away from physical cash payments and the use of new technology. Gauteng has now migrated more than 360 000 beneficiaries from cash payments to Sekulula. A further 135 000 beneficiaries receive payments at other banks as well. We are talking of 495 000 that are now getting their payments in a most humane manner that restores that self-dignity.

On antifraud and corruption, 7 287 people have applied for indemnity in Gauteng. With assistance from our legal advisors, we are now perusing these applications to see who does and who does not qualify.

Regarding Socpen and Persal, this province is negotiating with national government to get a data set of all government officials in all departments who are on the grant database and also on the government pay roll. With the National Special Investigation Unit taking the lead, these cases will be investigated.

All temporary disability grants in Gauteng have been cancelled as requested. As from 1 May 2006, this department will commence with a pilot study for six months in which doctors appointed by the HOD will review certain high-risk disability grants and also thoroughly screen new applicants. This six-month project will be run in Soweto and Ekurhuleni and if successful, will be rolled out across the province.

Good progress has been made with the transition to the SA Social Security Agency and the department is confident that there will be no disruption of services. The ring-fencing of social security staff has been completed and signed off and assets have been separated. The budget is being carefully monitored.

In conclusion, as our national Minister on a daily basis states that NGOs are our valued partners in delivering our services, may I also say that NGOs are our hands, eyes and feet on the ground. However, and unfortunately, due to the budgetary constraints and the need for government to address other challenges confronting us in Gauteng especially, we had to cut our funding to NGOs by about 25%. Our funding for this current financial year is R250 million. You will realise that, compared to last year’s allocation of R360 million, the shortfall is R110 million. For this financial year we have asked for R450 million, but for the reason that I have already alluded to, we only received R250 million.

This means therefore that as per our request, there is a budget shortfall of R200 million. Yesterday, I held a consultative meeting with the Gauteng NGOs where we discussed the consequences of this budget shortfall. I said, together with them, we will explore other innovative ways and means of making up for the shortfall by encouraging them to intensify their fundraising efforts, both nationally and internationally.

I can also add, as the chairperson of social development committee in Gauteng, that it is not true that we spent only 2,3% on food parcels. I don’t know where that member gets that. We spent the whole R27 million for the year that he was telling the members about here. He should get his facts correct from his members of the DA in the Gauteng legislature.

The second part, as hon member Tolo said, is that this social grant is a temporary measure and we are aware that for now it is important that we use this stopgap measure. That is why, in co-operation with the Department of Social Development, the Department of Labour, the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs and the Department of Home Affairs, we are setting up Setas in our province that will help these people to acquire skills so that they can be self-sufficient and economically balanced so that most of these people can be taken out of the social grant services.

The Minister and the department should be commended for the fact that it is they who discovered this corruption. It was not because of some party – the DA’s magical muti or something like that. [Laughter.] It is the ANC that discovered this corruption – 41 000 public servants were discovered. It is also not true that we only go to voters to tell them what we want. You heard people from KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape telling you of the situation they confront around poverty and they are telling the people that they are going to imbizos. It is not that we are going there for electioneering; we are there daily.

So, we are not going to be told here that we are using food parcels to get more votes. We are attending to the serious situation of poverty on the ground whilst we are seriously attentive to capacitating our people. I thank you. [Applause.]

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Chairperson, I would like to respond to Mr Tolo’s contribution. If you would like to get promotion in your party, please come up with original facts, and don’t mislead the House by stating that there are two nations in this country.

I would also like to respond to what Mr Sinclair said yesterday. Yesterday Mr Sinclair doubted the unemployment figure, which was raised by another member here. I am going to quote to you the official figure . . . . [Interjections.] I don’t come to your rescue, colleague, but it’s just a matter of being correct in this Chamber. [Laughter.] Mr Sinclair, the official figure from the Human Rights Commission in this report, one of the eight reports, is 31,2%. But you said it can’t be higher than 21%. [Interjections.]

Well, be that as it may, I would like to come back to what Mr Tolo has said. Mr Tolo, you created the impression that . . . . [Interjections.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Order, hon members, order please!

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Mr Tolo, you created the impression that all white people are rich. That’s the impression you created in this Chamber. You are misleading the House. Let me just give you certain figures. In South Africa there are 770 000 white families living in either squatter camps, caravans or in single rooms in the backyards of people. Don’t mislead the House. These are real figures, Mr Tolo. Don’t mislead the House by trying to get promotion. Stick to the facts. [Interjections.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Order! Hon members, please.

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN. Mr Tolo, if you would like to do this, please stick to the facts. Let me say something to the hon Minister. We from the FF Plus . . . [Interjections.]

Mr E M SOGONI: Would the hon member take a question?

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: No, Chairperson. I would like to make some positive contributions for the Minister.

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Chairperson, on a point of order: I just want to know if it is parliamentary to use the word “misleading”. I think there have been some rulings in the past on this word, so I think the hon member has to withdraw it.

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Order! Hon member, I think if he is saying that it is misleading, it’s in order. But I will check with the Table staff, and then I will respond to your question.

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Minister, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission correctly stated that you have a huge responsibility in your department. [Interjections.]

Mr K SINCLAIR: Chairperson, on a point of order: I just want to find out if in terms of the Rules of this honourable House a member may refer to an issue that was dealt with the day before or during the previous days. I have a strong suspicion that it can’t happen.

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Hon members, I think you must allow the member to say whatever he wants to say, it is his democratic right to do so. [Interjections.]

An HON MEMBER: His time is up.

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: I will guide the hon member on when his time has expired.

Dr F J VAN HEERDEN: Chair, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission quite correctly pointed out, and I quote:

The challenge that is situated at the heart of our constitutional contract is how we advance social and economic rights, and in so doing ensure we advance the interests of the poor and those many who are still to enjoy the full benefits of our democracy.

The inclusion of social and economic rights in the Bill of Rights was a clear articulation that democracy was as much about the right to vote and of free expression and of association as it was about the right to shelter, health, etc. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr C N M PADAYACHEE (Mpumalanga): Chairperson, the Hon Minister and Deputy Minister, MECs and Hon Delegates, firstly I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for MEC Pasha. He is actually delivering his policy and budget speech today in the Mpumalanga legislature and could therefore not be here.

It is a privilege today to be afforded the opportunity to address this august House. As many of you have already alluded to, this year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the people’s manifesto, the Freedom Charter. In doing so it is important to take stock of what we have done over the past ten years of freedom and democracy. The Charter has eloquently spelled out what kind of a society we envisage.

As we embark on this soul searching exercise we need to honestly agree that for as long as the majority of our people, in particular women and children, continue to be affected by abject poverty, disease, illiteracy and underdevelopment we cannot proclaim that we are realising the vision of the Freedom Charter. However, after the policy speech of the Minister today it is clear that the Freedom Charter is a living document, relevant today, and remains a guiding principle of his department and the government as a whole. That there shall be comfort and security clearly emanates from his speech today.

We must also support the crusade, as led by our State President, that poverty remains the single largest impediment towards the restoration of the human dignity of our people and do whatever we can do to push back the frontiers of poverty and underdevelopment. Clearly the department, led by Minister Skweyiya, is spearheading programmes that give dignity to our people.

We are also pleased, as was spelled out by the Minister’s Budget Speech here today, that the department has over the past ten years provided more than 9 million South Africans, many of them in Mpumalanga, with social grants. It is also worth noting that the majority of the beneficiaries of these grants were women and children. As alluded to in his speech, the poverty alleviation impact of these grants can never be ignored or over- emphasised.

It is therefore disturbing to note that there are people in our society who, through their immoral and ingenious deeds, defraud our government of these very limited resources meant for the weak and infirm in society. Money stolen from the poor limits the capacity of the state to respond to more urgent responsibilities, especially towards the poor. We therefore commend all necessary steps and initiatives that have been taken both by the national and provincial government in fighting fraud and corruption.

Minister, we must commend you on your progress made in fighting corruption in this regard. We also want to say thank you to those more than 5 million people in Mpumalanga who, through the amnesty programme, have come forward and declared that they were illegally receiving some of these grants. We are also convinced that the establishment of the S A Social Security Agency will go a long way in providing the necessary checks and balances in the overall management of the grants.

We are faced with the challenge of ensuring that our social assistance programme is sustainable and able to respond to the needs of building the second economy of the Expanded Public Works Programme. It is also worth nothing that the department has supported over 51 000 orphans and vulnerable children in the context of the Expanded Public Works Programme.

To this end we welcome the audits, currently being undertaken by the department, which seek to integrate our support services in the social cluster. We welcome the R388 million that has been set aside in this financial year to address the challenges of providing food security for some of the families and households in our country, especially rural and woman-headed families. We also support that idea that this project must be integrated as part of the broader social assistance programme.

In conclusion, in the last ten years of freedom and democracy, we have put in place firm policy imperatives that must now be implemented to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment in our society. As President Thabo Mbeki has said in the ANC Today:

We must work to ensure that the spirit of Solomon Mahlangu continues to define the morality of our cadres and members of our movement and indeed the entire nation.

Inspired by that noble spirit they must occupy the centre front in the struggle against the parasites Minister Zola Skweyiya spoke about and others who have abused freedoms to steal from the poor or corrupt our society. Ndiyabonga. [Thank you.] [Applause.]

Nkskz A N D QIKANI: Mphathisihlalo, Baphathiswa abakhoyo namhlanje, Mbhexeshi wale Ndlu, bameli bakarhulumente namalungu onke ale Ndlu, isabelo esiphambi kwethu namhlanje singa singanceda wonke umzi ontsundu waseMzantsi Afrika, ngakumbi uluntu oluhluphekayo. Ndiza kugxininisa kakhulu kwiNkqubo engunombolo 4 yesi sabelo, ukutsho oko uncedo ekuhlinzekwa ngalo uluntu. Nangona sisamkela esi sixa-mali esijongene nabantu abahluphekileyo nabantwana, besicela ukuba urhulumente aqwalasele kakhulu indlela amaxabiso ezinto axhome ngayo, nto leyo eyenza le mali ingoneli ngenxa yomthwalo wabantwana nendlala egqubayo.

Simqhwabela izandla urhulumente ngephulo lakhe lokuncothula neengcambu urhwaphilizo oluqhutywa ngamagosa karhulumente nangabanye abantu, olungumkhuba ombi. Urhwaphilizo oluqhutywa ngamagosa karhulumente lunciphisa inani labantu bakuthi abahluphekileyo engebexhamla.

Siyambongoza urhulumente ukuba ze lungabikho uxolelo kubantu abenza lo mkhuba, kwaye kufuneka babuyise nemali karhulumente abayithathe ngobuqhophololo.

Wanga uMphathiswa angayiqwalasela indlela yokunikezelwa kokutya ebantwini abahluphekayo. Kufuneka kukhutshwe ngabameli bakarhulumente, kungakhutshwa ngamalungu amaqela ezopolitiko.

Okokugqibela, bendicela ukuba urhulumente abonelele abantu abadala ngemithungo xa bekwiindawo zokuhlawulwa kwezibonelelo zikarhulumente kuba xa bekwezi ndawo bayatsha lilanga, bayanethwa ziimvula, nto leyo ebangela ukuba bathi nokuba bebefuna ukuthenga izinto zokutya kuqala, kunyanzeleke ukuba baqale kwagqirha kuqala. Enkosi, Mphathiswa. I-UDM iyasixhasa isabelo sakho. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa speech follows.)

[Mrs A N D QIKANI: Chairperson, Ministers present today, the Chief Whip of this House, government representatives and all the members of this House, the budget that is before us today can assist every African in South Africa, especially destitute people.

I am going to emphasize particularly Programme 4 of this budget, which deals with the assistance which people are getting to share. Although we welcome this budget that is going to help destitute people and children, we ask the government to pay particular attention to the inflation rate, which is high. The latter causes a shortfall of money because of the heavy load of children and poverty.

We applaud the government for this campaign of rooting out corruption that is committed by government officials and other people, which is a bad habit. The corruption that government officials are involved in decreases the number of our destitute people who are supposed to benefit.

We want to plead with the government that there should be no amnesty to people who are involved in this bad habit and that they have to reimburse the government for the money they have taken fraudulently.

I wish that the Minister would pay attention to the way in which food parcels are handed out to the destitute people. They need to be handed out by government representatives, not by members of a political party.

Lastly, I ask the government to make provision for elderly people by making available shelter when they are at the pay points for grants; because when they are at these places they get burned by the sun, they get wet as a result of the rain, the end result being that even if they would have liked to buy food first, they would be forced to go to the doctor first. Thank you, Minister. The UDM supports your budget.][Applause.]]

Mr M A SULLIMAN: Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, colleagues and comrades, we must base our vision and programmes and actions on the historic manifesto of the people of South Africa, namely the Freedom Charter. This demands especially of our vanguard movement that we ensure that the Freedom Charter plays its role in the formation of the new South Africa.

Our late President, Oliver Tambo, spelled out the meaning of the Freedom Charter to our country and the people in 1980 in his statement of 8 January. He marked the 25th anniversary of the Charter during what he proclaimed as the year of the Freedom Charter and said the following:

The Freedom Charter contains the fundamental perspective of the vast
majority of the people of South Africa, the kind of liberation that all
of us are fighting for. Hence it is not merely the Freedom Charter of
the ANC and its allies, rather, it is the charter of the people of South
Africa for liberation. Because it came from the people, it still remains
a people’s charter, the one basic political statement of our goals to
which all genuinely democratic and patriotic forces of South Africa
adhere to.

I am standing here today as a member of the ANC in support of Budget Vote

1. The goal of the social security department is to alleviate poverty through a safety net of social grants to the most vulnerable groups. Direct social assistance to citizens in need is essential in a society where poverty is widespread and employment opportunities are scarce.

Although the long-term aim of the government is for all citizens to be able to participate productively in the economy, in the meantime social assistance will continue as a direct source of income to many of our people. South Africa’s social assistance programme is helping to reduce poverty, contributing to the social cohesion and having a positive impact on the economic opportunities of households.

The provision of social grants is the government’s biggest poverty relief programme, paying out in the region of almost R50 billion per annum to over nine 9 million South Africans. These include old age pension grants, child support grants, and disability grants, care dependency grants and foster care grants. According to the research report, the social and economic impact of South Africa’s social security system, a 10% increase in the take- up of old age pensions reduces the poverty gap by 3,2%, while the full take- up reduces the poverty gap by 6,2%.

The extension of the child support grant to 14 years of age, will also reduce the poverty gap by almost 57%. Both the state old age pensions and child support grants are associated with improvements in school attendance, where the magnitude of the grant’s impact is substantial and statistically magnificent. Social grants provide potential labour market participants with the resources and economic security necessary to invest in a high-risk and high- reward job search. Living in households that receive social grants is correlated with a higher success rate in finding employment.

The empirical evidence shown above demonstrates that the people in households receiving social grants have increased both their labour force participation and access to employment at a rate faster than those who live in households, that do not receive social grants. The Department of Social Development provides social grants to over 9 million beneficiaries monthly at a cost of almost R3,3 billion per month.

Social security plays a critical role in the alleviation of poverty for children, women, and the elderly, and people with disabilities. Benefit transfers include old age grants, war veterans grants, care dependency grants, foster care grants and grant in aid.

The three poorest provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, account for almost 56% of the total number of beneficiaries in social grants. The total number of grant beneficiaries has increased from 4,6 million in April 2002 to almost 9,4 million in February 2005. This represents an increase of almost over a 100% over the last four years.

Additional allocations for social grants are primarily to finance the inflation-adjusted increases in the value of grants, but also for the rolling out of the child support grants for the ages of 12 to 14. From 1 April 2005 the value of the child support grant has increased from R170 to R180, and the value of pensions increased from R740 to R780, and the other foster care grant payment increased from R130 to R560. Of the R74 billion in additional allocations over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, as much was 30% is added to the social grant programme. We must congratulate the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Social Development on that increment. It is welcome. Our people appreciate these announcements.

The child support grant largely accounts for the increase in the number of beneficiaries. This number of children receiving payment has increased from 1,1 million - the figure from around three years ago - to almost 4,4 million in April 2004.

Some of the challenges still pending with regard to accessing grants are access to birth certificates for children and the lack of capacity to implement the extension of the child support grant.

The high uptake of disability grants has taken priority. A study on this has been undertaken instead. An unprecedented growth in the disability grants and the care dependency grant programme has led to a crisis in the national and provincial budgets. At present there are no indications of the growth rate slowing to the levels being budgeted for. In addition, this growth also impacts directly on the country’s overall social policy by limiting the options to extend the grant system, and to provide an increase in benefits to offset inflation. Therefore a special and urgent initiative has been established to affect policy and administrative changes at the national and provincial levels, in order to restore the integrity and a manageable growth in this system.

The increase in the take-up rate for disability grants has raised concerns about the high probability of fraud. We all know that the department, as well as the Office for the Status of Women, are busy paying attention to this matter. However, we are faced with some of the challenges. During our oversight visits, while we were visiting some of the provinces, we discovered that some of the pay points throughout the provinces are not well equipped. The infrastructure and toilet facilities are not up to standard. We still find long queues of people waiting for more than three to five hours before they get their payouts. These are things that we need to pay attention to, hon Minister. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Madam Chairperson, I would like to thank this House for the participation and the interest it has shown in this Budget Vote. The programme that we are going to carry through in the coming years, especially this year, will definitely need the individual and collective support and participation of the members of this House and the National Assembly in ensuring that those that are defrauding the state in whatever manner are caught, arrested and pay back, with interest, all the moneys that they have taken, especially public servants. [Applause.]

So far, as I have announced before, we have 41 000 public servants who are defrauding the state and who are under investigation for defrauding the state in one way or another through these grants. We also have 76 000 people who have voluntarily withdrawn from taking grants that they were not entitled to. We still expect more people, because those that have not necessarily come forward still have the chance not to go and cash the money. So, we will be able to remove them from the list of people to whom we give monthly grants after two or three months.

I have been told that at the moment the number of beneficiaries of the disability grant that we have removed from the lists is 121 000 people. From now onwards, we are going to be very, very hard and tough on all people who cheat the state in whatever manner and we would appeal to members of Parliament to work with us, the NGOs and councillors.

Surely, I know from the ANC’s position that each and every member of Parliament, whether it be a member of a provincial legislature, the National Assembly or the NCOP, is supposed to know about all the vulnerable children in their areas. I know the majority do not know that. But that what the ANC expects of you. Each and everyone who voted for the ANC expects an ANC MP to be able to say: We know that there is a problem in that house. The only way we can help these people and these children in such a house is to register those people in that house who do and those who do not qualify for any grant, and the latter should be removed from the list and told that they have been removed. That is what we expect.

So, it would be a great service when we go to the ANC congress in June and July, to be able to say I know my constituency and I know these are the problems that are there and that these are the people that qualify for grants. There is also a way to assist even those that do qualify but get nothing by ensuring that those people that really do need grants or assistance from the state are reported to the department so that they could be assisted, specifically through the social relief of distress to which they are entitled. The majority of our people do not know about this assistance from the state, especially the African people, because it had never been open to them. That is why we are running around giving food through this emergency food programme.

Had we known about those homes that were entitled to these grants, some of the complaints that have been raised here would not have been made. That is what the ANC expects from each and every councillor. Each and every member of Parliament or of the NCOP ought to be able to say: I have been to this house and children go to bed without anything to eat and I, as an MP, can put my name down and say these people are entitled to assistance by the state. This must be so, so that we don’t go around standing in corners giving food, and in between allowing the discrepancies and the fraud that are taking place in that emergency food programme that we are running. We have just found that some of the food that is being given to the people is very old and rotten, and we are going to take action against those people.

You know, the policy of this government is black empowerment. There are those blacks that come to us and say they are able to distribute food, and they ask for their tender to be accepted, but they then find that they are unable to do so. There is somebody sitting there, very, very far away who takes all the money. We are then left with a poor guy who is running around. You should not think that he makes money, he makes no money; he has been used. They money goes to one of the big companies. I think that is not right.

Secondly, I would like to say very, very clearly that we are looking at the issue of early childhood development, and we would like this House to participate with us as we formulate policies with the Department of Education so that we can ensure what we wish to do, which is to ensure that all children of school-going age are at school and that we check through these grants that they are alive and not ghost children. In other words, we are going to give this grant mostly to children who are going to school.

Furthermore, I would like to appeal to this House to ensure that the nutrition programme that the government has been running since 1995, becomes a reality and that members of Parliament and councillors monitor that, and that those who have won the tender ensure the quality of the services that they provide and that the food is up to the standard that has been set by the Department of Health.

These are the issues that I would like to raise with this House. But more importantly some, such as the issues about nongovernmental organisations, quite obviously, are issues that we would like to deal with more systematically than we are doing at the moment. We would like to assist NGOs, especially those that are in the rural areas, and make them viable and independent by providing them with the necessary resources and capacitating them, that is, giving them the capacity to be able to run and to account for the resources that would be given to them. That is why the consultation that is going on at present on financial awards needs a little bit of participation outside the buildings of the institutions of Parliament, even in our constituencies.

The question has been asked here as to why we are beginning now with this whole campaign against fraud. Quite obviously, the campaign has been going on for a long time. I think many of you know about the question of the task team that had been sent to the Eastern Cape, and which is now in KwaZulu- Natal. Many provinces have been doing that, but it was done on a provincial basis. We were unable to run it in a more uniform manner. But since the beginning of the setting up of the agency and the Social Assistance Act, it has been centralised at national level. We are now able to say that this is what we are doing without any political differentiation.

As you know, for a long time some of the provinces were not definitely under the auspices or rule of the ANC, and there were basic differences with the parties that were in power in those provinces with regard to carrying out a uniform policy. But now that we have an agency, we are able to do that. And of course, the very fact that there are nine ANC Premiers makes things much easier. [Applause.]

I am saying these are issues that we ought, all of us, to be part and parcel of. They are not ANC issues; they are issues for all South Africans.

The food emergency plan is a worry to me. It is something that we ought to be able to look after and we should be able to report and work with the department, both at provincial and national levels.

We are aware of the issue raised by Ms Sithole regarding discrepancies in stipends. We are trying to look into that and we will be able to come back to this House and report quite clearly on what we are doing about that.

On the issue of socio-economic rights, raised by Ms Madlala-Magubane, we are looking into that, and I think we are working very closely with the Human Rights Commission on ensuring that the socio-economic rights of all people, especially the rights of children, are ensured and access to social grants is improved as much as possible.

On the issue of deductions, quite obviously, this is an issue that we raised as early as possible. I think this is not the first time we are talking about that. We have tried to include that and to regulate that by law - in the Social Assistance Act and in the Children’s Bill. We hope to be able to do that more systematically. Although we might not necessarily support it personally, there were the pleas, basically by older people and more importantly by people from the churches who pleaded with me many a time that we should allow that to happen specifically for funeral services, because quite a number of older people invested a lot of money in those policies. So, we thought that within those regulations that we are going to put through, we should at least allow such possibilities that have been asked for by the ordinary people - the clients that the department serves.

On the issue of a blanket amnesty, there can’t be a blanket amnesty. Mr Thetjeng, the people that defrauded the system know exactly what they were doing and, for your information, they are very educated people. As a public servant, you must have a degree or at least a matric. Once you go into these issues, you must know exactly what the consequences are. We want all our money back, and we want it with interest! [Applause.]

On the issue of subsidies for old age homes raised by Mrs Lamoela, the new policy we were talking about on financial awards, with its costing modules, will address the issue of underfunding of services provided by NGOs in all provinces. We hope that this policy will also promote uniformity on how services should be financed. It is a pity that Mrs Lamoela asked this question, because just before 1994 they privatised almost all old age homes and I don’t want to read too much into what the aim was. But the question is that they privatised them and to a great extent, they lie beyond what government can do because they are private entities. And I think we have to find ways in which we could make them available to each and every member of society irrespective of colour, religious beliefs or gender. But anyway, it is something we have to look into because the people that suffer are our own people – the poorest of the poor. And I think we should look into that, especially the portfolio committee.

The issue of social workers, Mrs Mackay, is an issue that is in front of us presently. We have agreed in principle that it should go. The money is there. Last time when I heard about it, the unions were doing it and I think there has been an agreement of some sort. So, we can say it will be with their directors-general from this month. But of course, we have a shortage of social workers. We have to find a way in which we can increase that number. We want to speak to all the universities around here, especially those in the disadvantaged provinces, in order to be able to train people in crash courses that would be acceptable to the Department of Education in general.

Of course, we are also dealing with the issue of NGOs. We hope to be able, with this new grant system, to be able to resolve some of these questions.

In principle, I would like to thank this House. Mr Van Heerden talked about squatter camps and whites. [Laughter.] That there are poor whites is quite obvious, but I have never seen any whites living in squatter camps. I know that there are many whites who are poor. I have visited them on many occasions. But they seem to have been sheltered in one way or another as far as housing is concerned. I know there are some areas in Pretoria where there are flats where they live. At least there is shelter for them, but what conditions they live under is something that leaves much to be desired. But comparing that to squatter camps might be going a little bit too far. I think we should discuss that more.

In principle, if there are any further questions we can talk about them and we can discuss them; my office is here in 120 Plein Street, on the 10th floor. Thank you, Madam Chairperson. [Applause.] Debate concluded.

The Council adjourned at 12:36.