APPROPRIATION BILL
(Second
Reading Debate)
Vote 7: Social
Welfare - R1 363 708 000
The ACTING SPEAKER: We proceed to Motions. Motion 1 reads as follows:
That the Second Reading Debate on the Appropriation Bill be continued.
The Vote
before the House is that of Social Welfare.
The hon MEC, Ms Buthelezi-Phori. [Applause]
Ms M. A. BUTHELEZI-PHORI (MEC): Hon Speaker, Madam Premier in absentia, hon Members, the problem of
poverty remains one of the challenges that will continue to confront humankind
at the dawn of the 21st century.
The Budget Vote I am presenting here today gives hope that we will
realise our own agenda of social transformation.
Our own
provincial anti-poverty strategy alludes to programmes that we will be
undertaking, as well as those Government departments who have committed
themselves to these programme.
The task of
eradicating poverty is not the responsibility of Government alone, but of all
responsible citizens. In our endeavours
to bring on board all other stakeholders in poverty eradication, our task is to
develop and monitor the implementation of social policy that both creates an
enabling environment for and leads to the reduction of poverty.
We have to
ensure the provision of social protection and social welfare services to all
people who live in this Province. This
undertaking is reflected in our budget vote programmes. However, before I present my Budget Vote
according to programmes, we all need to be aware of the fact that God will one
day ask us some questions to which we will all have to respond.
Allow me to
provide the House with an overview of the Budget for the 2001/2002 financial
year. The total allocation to Vote 7:
Social Welfare, amounts to R1 363 708 000.
Programme 1: Administrative Support
An amount of
R28 481 000 is allocated to this Programme.
This programme is responsible for the maintenance of effective,
efficient and transparent administrative systems, which focus on supporting the
strategic objectives of the Department.
With the
implementation of the New Public Service Regulations, the Department of Social
Welfare has achieved the following goals:
·
The Department is currently
participating in the development of a Performance Management and Development
System for the Free State Provincial Government. The purpose of the system is to evaluate
staff performance and the efficiency of officials and will be implemented
throughout the Department.
·
The Department intends to promote the
concept of community-based care and for this purpose it has been decided to
rationalise Thekolohelong Welfare Centre in Qwaqwa. It is envisaged that the rationalisation will
be completed by
·
The necessity to decentralise the Human
Resource Management Function to districts has been identified in order to
improve the effectiveness of support services to line functionaries. Human resource offices will be detached to
the districts by
·
The Department is adopting a zero
tolerance policy against fraud. Six
cases are being dealt with by the Department and nine officials have been
suspended.
·
An operations or “call” centre will be established
in the Provincial Office in
·
The micro structures of the provincial
office, district offices and institutions will be finalised by
·
Meeting the social needs of the most
vulnerable through the provision of a safety net, remains this Department’s key
responsibility.
Providing a
safety net means that through our grants, we ensure that the basic necessities
for human existence, such as food, shelter and clothing are met. We do this, because God will not ask us about
the fancy clothes you and I had in our closets or on our bodies, but how many
of those clothes helped the needy.
Programme 2: Social Security
The
allocation to Social Security amounts to R1 200 751 000, which represents
88.05% of the total Vote. This is an
increase of 7.2% on the allocation for 2000/2001.
As you are
all aware, state maintenance grants are being phased out on
Strategies to
increase child support grant applications have been formulated. The launch of the programmes is being planned
in towns with the lowest intake and will involve all stakeholders.
The post
office payment system will be phased out with effect from
The challenge
facing the Department is that 3 890 beneficiaries have neither come forward to
change their payment method, nor re-registered as required by the Social
Assistance Act (59/1992) and its regulations.
As from
For the past
six months there has been an increase in the number of beneficiaries.
In September
2000, 138 000 beneficiaries were paid an amount of R78 million and in February
2001 this was increased to 157 000 beneficiaries, which were paid an amount of
approximately R93 million. This means an
increase of about 20 000 beneficiaries.
The Department is paying an average of R90 million per month at this
stage. We are predicting an increase of
10% in the number of beneficiaries in the next financial year. This will be as a result of the following
factors:
·
The number of appeals and reviews that
get approved; and
·
An increase in the uptake
of child support grant applications.
*Hon Speaker, the
Department is making an effort to change the way applications for disability
grants are managed. The new strategy of
the Department is to make sure that the decision for granting these monies does
not rest in the hands of the doctor alone.
But, the level of poverty in the families of those who make applications
should also be considered.
That is why
we have established an entourage of evaluators, which comprises of the
following professionals: an Occupational Therapist, a Medical Doctor, a Social
Worker, an Attorney and a representative from the Office on the Status of
Disabled People.
This entourage
is responsible for considering appeals for all rejected pension applications of
the disabled. To date, 156 appeals have
been handled in the past two months.
From all considered appeals, the entourage recommended that 40% should
be accepted and paid. The new system of
paying out pensions, the ALLPAY System, has been completed.
The
challenges facing the Department with regard to this progamme are the
following:
·
To enhance methods and conditions that
will ensure the improvement of pension pay-out centres, as well as social
security services where not available;
·
To renew pension applications;
·
Community education with regard to
pensions; and
·
To decentralise the pension pay-out
centres.
I am pleased
today to announce a R30.00 increase in all pensions, not including a R10.00
increase in the child support grant per month.
These increases will come into effect from
#Government alone cannot
deliver all the necessary welfare services.
There is a need to improve delivery partnerships formed between
Government and the non-governmental welfare sector. The informal welfare sector, which is not
adequately funded by Government, must be brought into these partnerships. Existing partnerships that are relevant and
appropriate should be strengthened.
Programme 3: Social Assistance
R54 661 000
is allocated for this programme. The
family as a basic unit of society plays an important role in providing the
protection, care and support for its members in times of hardship.
The threat to
the family unit, due to problems of poverty and HIV/Aids, has become real. This has resulted in family disintegration,
the increasing phenomenon of street children and crime, including women and
child abuse. It is for this reason that
one day God will not ask: What did you
do to protect your own rights, but He will ask:
What did you do to protect the rights of others?
Programme 4: Social Welfare Facilities
Programme 4
involves all expenditure for social welfare facilities and services to
children, the youth, families, women, the elderly and special development areas
such as HIV/Aids, disability and substance abuse. These services include relevant statutory
obligations.
An allocation
of R59 998 000 has been made for this programme. An amount of R26 207 000 is set aside for
services for the care of children and families during the 2001/2002 financial
year. During this year, as was the case
last year, the Department is committed to ensure that services and resources
are allocated in such a manner as to redress historical imbalances and
injustices and meet present needs.
The
Department of Social Welfare plays a major role in the implementation of the
Domestic Violence Act (166/1998). To
effect this legislation, a support centre for victims of abuse, the Tshepong Victim
Support Centre, was established. What is
unique about this centre, is that welfare services and
court services are provided under one roof for the first time.
During the
next financial year (2001/2002), four additional centres will be established in
needy communities in the Province.
Through these centres we hope to bring professional services closer to
those in need. Training of volunteers
will continue during 2001 and 2002 with a view to extending our capacity to
offer effective community based support to victims.
At this point
I would like to express my appreciation for the support and co-operation we
receive from the Departments of Justice and Health, the SAPS, Education and
Correctional Services, as well as our NGO partners, without whom this victim
empowerment project would not have been a success. We hope this partnership will continue for
many years to come and that we will ultimately find
ways to extend it to other areas of service delivery.
The
availability of safe accommodation is important for victims of domestic
violence, especially in cases where it is too dangerous for victims to stay
within the family home. The Domestic
Violence Act (166/1998) makes provision for the establishment of shelters. Whilst a need for shelters for abused women
is prevalent in many communities, we will only be able to establish five during
the 2001/2002 financial year because of financial constraints.
Child abuse
and neglect is one of the most serious crimes of our times. Children are vulnerable to physical,
emotional and sexual abuse.
In terms of
the Child Care Act (1983 as amended), all cases of abuse and violence against
children should be reported to the Department of Social Welfare. A policy and procedure on the notification of
child abuse was drafted and is being implemented. During the year 2000, a total number of 662
cases of abuse were reported and investigated by social workers.
Services to
street children in the
The
conversion of the
This centre,
which is the first of its kind in the
Proper
development of children lays a firm basis for any society’s future. It is of utmost importance that as many of
our children as possible are involved in Early Childhood Development Centres,
where they can be provided with the necessary programmes to prepare them for
school and adulthood.
I am proud to
say that the Department registered 726 Early Childhood Development Centres
where 43 363 children are being cared for.
We will continue in our endeavour to ensure that services at Educare
centres are improved and also that they comply with standards set by the
Department.
Departmental
officials are also assisted by regional training organisations to capacitate
these centres in areas such as financial and personnel management, as well as
the development of appropriate stimulation programmes for children. The Department has, for the first time, also
committed themselves to the training of personnel at selected ECD centres on
HIV/Aids. The Department will continue
to support ECD centres in the new financial year and hopes to obtain more funds
for this purpose.
The welfare
sector witnessed some positive developments with the introduction of a national
policy approach aimed at slowing down the institutionalisation of older
persons. This development resulted in a
number of initiatives, the objectives of which are to find alternative solutions
to institutional care. The following initiatives
were started in the Province and will continue in the next financial year:
·
The transformation of old age homes
into multi-purpose facilities;
·
Two institutions, one a Governmental
institution and the other a private home, were identified to pilot this new
policy shift; and
·
The Itireleng Project was introduced in
the Province to explore new ways through which services could be provided to
the elderly whilst they are still part of their families and communities, and
without whom they will be institutionalised.
Challenges
facing the welfare sector in this Province with regard to transformation in
general and particularly transformation of homes for old people, are enormous.
For the
2001/2002 financial year, R12 735 000 from Programme 4 is earmarked for care
services to the elderly. The amount of
funds invested in this sector clearly suggests that the issue of desegregating
institutions for older persons in the Province is no longer an issue on which
we should hold workshops and write long, carefully worded reports that are not
matched by action.
The slow
progress made in transforming old age homes, despite the abundance of policies
that require such changes, demands that difficult decisions be taken and acted
upon. This matter will receive the most
urgent attention in the Department during the 2001/2002 financial year, as part
of a programme towards introducing community-based services for older persons
in the
Operation
Dignity is one of the programmes
aimed at restoring the dignity of older persons. The following has been achieved:
·
A Code of Conduct was developed for
service providers to promote respect for the rights of older persons and to
prevent their abuse;
·
All pension officers were trained in
customer care and the rights of older persons.
Emphasis was placed on finding ways to reduce the time older persons
spent at pay-out points and to promote treatment of older persons with respect
and dignity;
·
Awareness campaigns on abuse of older
persons were presented in all regions, old age homes and pay points in the Free
State; and
·
The Inter-ministerial Committee held
public hearings on the abuse of older persons in the
The Habitat
Agenda, which was agreed to at the United Nations Global Conference in
Some of these
are the role of the family in providing a stable social foundation for human
settlements and the equal access to opportunities, resources and services. Through our partnership with the Department
of the hon Member, Mr Tsenoli, the Department of Local Government and Housing,
we are able to create access to housing to enable the elderly and the disabled
to remain independent, as part of the family and community life, for as long as
possible. We would therefore like to
thank this Department for ensuring that we are able to render an integrated and
much needed service to our communities.
The
Department remains committed to the mainstreaming of persons with disabilities.
During the
2001/2002 financial year, the Department of Social Welfare will pilot a project
to create income opportunities for persons with minor disabilities, who
experience high levels of poverty and whose grants will be terminated due to
the temporary nature of their disability.
This project is called Tshepo
or ‘hope’ and will provide opportunities for skills development, rehabilitation
as well as job placement programmes. An
allocation of about R1 000 000 has been made for this purpose. The success of the project will depend on the
involvement of other Government departments, the business sector,
non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and the
communities themselves.
Programme 5: Social Development
Programme 5,
Social Development, received an allocation of R17 440 000 which represents an
increase of 16.57%.
It is a
well-known fact that HIV/Aids impacts negatively on the stability of families,
the welfare of children, the empowerment of women and the care of the elderly.
The
Department of Social Welfare will put in place an extensive community-based
programme for the care, counselling and support of those in need. The efforts of the Department will focus on
preventing the negative impact that HIV/Aids have on the stability of families
and the welfare of orphans and children.
For the
2001/2002 financial year, R2.5 million is allocated as transfer payments for
HIV/Aids. These funds will go towards
the development of new programmes, as well as sustaining and extending existing
programmes to reach out to more communities.
The Province
will also receive about R1.5 million from the National Department of Social
Development during this financial year as a conditional grant to be spent on
services for children infected and affected by HIV/Aids. These funds will be utilised to extend the
pilot project from Welkom to include Qwaqwa and Sasolburg, which are communities
that are most affected by HIV/Aids in the Province.
Perhaps, at
this stage, I must just indicate that with the decline of HIV/Aids in the
Province, as was announced by my colleague, the hon MEC, Ms Tsopo, yesterday,
it may as well mean that we have focussed on the wrong target. However, according to the previous
statistics, this is the area that we have targeted for now. We hope that we will stick to our targets, Ms
Tsopo, unless the hon MEC herself advises us otherwise.
The launch of
the Province’s anti-poverty strategy last year signalled a turning point in our
planning and activities around poverty.
The strategy recognises the need for a macro approach to poverty
eradication. However, more resources,
commitment and a concerted effort from all sectors, are needed to address this
social problem. We all need to think
about our own specific contribution to poverty eradication, because I
maintain: God will not ask what you did
to help yourself, but what you did to help others.
Our
challenge, as the Department of Social Welfare, is to find effective ways of
integrating small-scale projects into the mainstream economy of the Province.
During the
past financial year, the Department of Social Welfare made some progress in
finding ways to ensure the long-term sustainability of these income-generating
projects. We have focussed more on
bigger projects that will ensure that income is generated for participants and
that the projects become more sustainable.
For the
2001/2002 financial year, poverty eradication is allocated R1 899 000 as
transfer payments. Through these funds,
more destitute families will be capacitated and equipped to provide for
themselves and for their neighbours by means of food production activities, job
creation, social support and urban regeneration initiatives where crime is
high.
The
partnership involving the Departments of Education, Social Welfare, as well as
the Provincial Tender Board, continued with the packaging of learner support
material for schools in the
I wish to
thank the Department of Education for the support and understanding we have
developed in the course of implementing this programme. This leaves me with more hope that working
together as partners, the Free State Government has a chance of making a
difference in the lives of the poor.
Programme 6: Population Unit
The function
of Programme 6, the Population Unit, is to promote population development and
the monitoring of population trends.
This programme received an allocation of R320 000, which represents a
decrease of 29.2%
Programme 7: Auxiliary and Associated Services
Programme 7,
Auxiliary and Associated Services, received an allocation of R2 057 000. This is an increase of 2.4% for the purchase
of vehicles for the Department.
The Budget
Vote we present gives us hope that we will be able to improve the lives of our
people. Together, the responsibility
given to us is to lead the anti-poverty programme. The challenge we are facing is to get a
system that will provide feedback on the impact of policies, programmes and
projects on poverty. Our comprehensive
research work will also enable us to monitor and evaluate progress in the
implementation of this programme.
In
conclusion, God will not ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but
will ask how many times they did not.
Through these programmes we will be able to say we were able to match
our deeds with our words and never neglected our duty. [Applause]
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