Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698930546144.pdf (South Africa)
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 1 FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 ____ PROCEEDINGS OF THE MINI-PLENARY SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ____ Members of the mini-plenary session met on the virtual platform at 10:07.

The Acting House Chairperson Mr Q R Dyantyi took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayer or meditation.
The Acting House Chairperson announced that the virtual mini- plenary sitting constituted a meeting of the National Assembly.
VIRTUAL SITTING RULES (Announcements) UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 2 The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr Q R Dyantyi): Hon members, before we proceed I would like to remind you that the virtual mini plenary is deemed to be in the precinct of Parliament and constitutes a meeting of the NA for debating purposes only.

In addition to the rules of virtual sittings the rules of the NA including those of debate apply.
Members enjoy the same powers and privileges that apply in a sitting of the NA.

Members should equally note that anything said in the virtual platform is deemed to have been said to the House and maybe ruled upon.

All members who have logged in shall be considered to be present and are requested and very important to mute their microphones and only unmute when they are recognised to speak.
This is because the mics are very sensitive and will pick up noise which might disturb the attention of other members.

When recognised to speak, please unmute your microphone and connect your video.

Members may make use of the icon on the bar at the bottom of their screens and which has an option that allows the member to put up his or her to raise points of order.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 3 The secretary will assist in alerting the Chairperson to members requesting to speak.

When using the virtual system, members are urged to refrain or desist from raising unnecessary points of order or interjections.

We shall now proceed to the order which is the debate on Vote 19, Social Development Adjustments Appropriation Bill.
APPROPRIATION BILL Debate on Vote No 19 – Social Development: The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Chairperson, hon Dyantyi thank you very much for this opportunity, Chairperson and members of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Deputy Minister on Social Development Bogopane-Zulu, MECs for Social Development present here in today’s presentation, distinguished guests, fellow South Africans, members of the media, ... IsiZulu: ... nani lapho emakhaya, nabantu bethu esisebenza nabo ngaso sonke isikhathi siyabonga kakhulu ukuthi nikhona namhlanje UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 4 nizolalela isabiwomali esimqoka kakhulu ezimpilweni zabantu baseNingizimu Afrika.
English: Thank you for the opportunity to present the 2022-23 Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development to this honourable House.

In the past two years, our people and institutions have been on the frontlines of a series of novel challenges and disasters such as COVID-19, the July 2021 unrests and, lately, the floods in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
Throughout this time, we held together as society and formed defences with which we are protecting and improving our people’s lives and livelihoods.

Informed by the need to improve the state of the collective of our people, their families and communities throughout our country, the Social Development portfolio is entering a period of the great shift wherein our visibility, responsiveness and relevance will be aligned with the people’s felt needs.
As the Social Development Portfolio that is Department of Social Development, DSD, the South African Social Security UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 5 Agency, Sassa and the National Development Agency, NDA, we are entering this era of great shift by remaking ourselves because the future of each South African is greater than the past we come from, and together with all South Africans we are going to make tomorrow worth living for.
Working together with our provincial Departments of Social Development, Sassa and the NDA, and corresponding with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address, throughout this financial year, the Department of Social Development will intentionally intensify its contributions towards interventions that address the impact of poverty, inequality and unemployment through: Firstly, continuously improving the implementation, quality, and reach of all Social Development services for each South African and towards the realisation of a society-wide impact; Secondly, strengthening our fight against gender-based violence and femicide by means of implementing the National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence and Femicide, in particular pillar 4; UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 6 Thirdly, the establishment of beneficial and sustainable linkages between the implementation of Social Development services and economic opportunities, particularly through creating and supporting the participation of beneficiaries in the social economy – the economy is just as important to all these beneficiaries; Fourthly, continuing with the implementation of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress, SRD, grant – a very popular R350; Fifthly, ensuring that our programme implementation embodies the protection and furtherance of the dignity of our people; Sixthly, leading the formation of community-targeted and strong
 people-public-private-civil-academic-multilateral partnerships and social compacting in areas such as tackling gangsterism, substance abuse, gender-based violence, and the impact of disasters, shocks and emergencies; Seventhly, expanding our support for food- and nutrition- provision interventions in pursuit of ending the pain of hunger as well as undoing the effects of malnutrition; UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 7 Eighthly, implementing Social Development programmes through the Cabinet-adopted District Development Model – this District Development model will end being a song.
It will be a reality for us as Department of Social development in our portfolio; Ninthly, strengthening government’s co-ordination and implementation mechanisms across the three spheres of government of the people; and Tenthly, stabilising and strengthening institutional governance and capacity to implementation programmes throughout the Social Development portfolio.

This is about the capacity of the state to deliver to the people of South Africa.
In light of the sustained conflict in Europe, not only is the cost of basic food items and energy sources rising, but the likelihood of our people securing these basic provisions on a continued basis is increasingly becoming remote.

Inadvertently, ill-prospects such as these only serve to heighten the need for Social Development interventions to be strengthened towards ensuring that the state of our people does not deteriorate further.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 8 We are presenting this Budget Vote at the mid-term point of the Sixth administration’s electoral mandate.

Therefore, this budget is the opportunity to meaningfully remake ourselves in a manner that reflects the great future that each South African lives to realise.
Henceforth, programmatic performance across the Social Development portfolio must be consistent with the great shift as well as the people’s aspirations.

Our institutions must be the true embodiment of the people’s aspirations.
To this end, during the state of the nation address, President Ramaphosa challenged us to forge and I quote, “a consensus that unites us behind our shared determination to reform our economy and rebuild our institutions.” Guided by, among other, the Sona priorities, the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, the Putting South Africa to Work proposals and the need to found and sustain social compacts that will bring all of us, especially communities, together, the Department of Social Development is addressing itself to the realisation of the people’s aspirations.
Here I am presenting the breakdown of the budget 2022-23 Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development is government’s third largest budget for the 2022-23 financial UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 9 year, and it constitutes 13,1% of government’s overall estimated budget of R1,957 trillion.
Our budget allocation for the 2022-23 financial year is a total of R257 billion, of which R248 billion is allocated to cover more than 18 million social grants beneficiaries.

This social grant investment constitutes and I repeat constitutes 99,6% of the department’s total budget allocation in the current financial year.

Therefore, this means 96,6% of the resources that are given to the department of social development are given in hand to our communities so that they can live.
Sassa will distribute R248 billion directly to more than 18 million beneficiaries monthly.

These include old age, child support, disability and foster care grant beneficiaries.

Hon members, we are not just about the R350.

We are about supporting these categories that I have indicated.

Added to this is an amount of R44 billion that has been allocated for the extension of the Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant for one year.

This will be distributed to 10,5 million eligible persons monthly.
An amount of R7 499 billion is allocated towards SASSA’s operations and grant payment fees.

Hon members we have to pay for these processes as Sassa.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 10 This operational budget enables Sassa to continue to meaningfully contribute towards reducing poverty among South Africans who are unable to support themselves.
Moreover, Sassa will continue to provide temporary reprieve to individuals and families who are experiencing temporary distress — such as those they assisted during the recent floods in the KwaZulu- Natal and Eastern Cape provinces — in order to meet their basics needs whilst they are addressing their temporary challenges.
Most relevant to our commitment to social and economic reconstruction and recovery, henceforth Sassa will be supporting initiatives through which COVID-19 SRD grant beneficiaries as well as child support grant caregivers can access employment opportunities.

Again, we keep talking about the fact that we are not just about consumption, we are also about empowering our people to be able to stand on their own two feet.

We need to create the conducive environment for them.
Meanwhile, Sassa continues to invest in enhanced digital and data capabilities by means of which the service experiences of beneficiaries are eased and the experience during this COVID- 19 of R350 is one thing that you will be using as a way forward.

With regard to COVID-19 SRD Grant, the allocation for UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 11 the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant for the financial year 2022-23 is R44 billion.
This means that each month 10,5 million approved applicants will receive this important social safety net intervention that cushions them and their families against the constants of unemployment and poverty.

This grant type is increasingly taking advantage of commonplace data and digital infrastructures to process applications and conduct verifications.

Therefore, the need for physical contact is greatly reduced.
The application channels for the grant for the period from April 2022 to March 2023, as announced by the President Cyril Ramaphosa, opened on 23 April 2022.

By 30 April 2022, in excess of 8,1 million applications had already been received.

I assure all qualifying applicants that they will be in receipt of their payments for this iteration of the grant by June.
On the question of the accessibility of grant payment infrastructure, Sassa is extending its negotiations to include local fast-moving consumer goods traders as part of their payment outlets for the COVID-19 SRD grant.

I know the members will be asking me about the post office.
I wish to reiterate UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 12 our government’s commitment and readiness to fight crime syndicates and criminals who are defrauding the state.

To this end, we are continuing to work together with the relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that these and their actions are detected, isolated, arrested and successfully prosecuted.

We are coming for you!!!


Minister Bheki Cele will be happy to see that we are handing you over to him.
With regard to extended child support grant in support of the department’s commitment to find a comprehensive legal solution to the foster care challenges which have been plaguing the sector for many years, an amount of R687 million in 2023-24 and R871 million in 2024-25 has been allocated for the implementation of the long-awaited extended child support grant - otherwise known as the top-up child support grant - for orphans who are in the care of relatives.
As soon as the amended regulations to the Social Assistance Act of 2004 are published in the next few days, Sassa will be in a position to provide the extended child support grant of R720 per child per month to relatives who are caring for orphaned children.
While we expect the extended child support grant to be implemented in June of this year, we estimate that it will be UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 13 received by over 191 000 relatives during the 2022-23 financial year.

Let me remind you that in order to access this grant, qualifying applicants need not go through the lengthy Children’s Court process which was a nightmare.
As a result, the affected children will quickly receive the support they need for them to unlock their full potential.

Now with regard to the National Development Agency, NDA, is allocated R219 million to implement its primary mandate of contributing towards the eradication of poverty and its causes by granting funds to civil society organisations.

Through grant funding, the NDA will address the increasing cost pressures that civil society organisations, CSOs, are experiencing.
This intervention will enable CSOs to support their communities as they recover from the effects of the disasters we have been through recently.

Quite frankly, I personally believe that if these CSOs really also support our communities would have less of our people complaining because these are the CSOs that are supposed to be on the ground reaching our people.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 14 In the same vein, throughout this financial year the NDA will positively impact the skills base and sustainability within the CSO environment.

To this effect, while a total of 1 846 CSOs were provided with financial and management skills that would enable them to operate sustainably and stabilise the governance of their organisations.
Hon members, usually the problem is with the governance structures of these organisations and accountability by these organisations.

This year the NDA will be implementing its partnership model by which the investments of a diversity of partners will be co-ordinated towards positive impact on targeted communities.

At the heart of the success of these partnerships will be the piloting of interventions through the Cabinet-adopted District Development Model.
As companies are scaling down or shutting down their operations, the NDA will be creating 3 000 work opportunities in the current financial year.

Out of these, 2 300 will be created through the implementation of the volunteer programme which will be funded through the Presidential Employment Stimulus Package.
With regard to SA Council for Social Services Professions, SACSSP, for the remaining Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 15 MTEF, period an amount of R125 million has been allocated towards strengthening the operations of the SACSSP for it to carry out its legislated mandate.

The Council is important to regulate and professionalise the social service profession sectors.
We will continue our discussions with different stakeholders to ensure that social service professionals are adequately funded and utilised as a part of our country’s social and economic reconstruction and recovery efforts.

The department’s programme has allocated an amount of R43 million to be transferred to National Council that renders vital services.

These include the South African National AIDS Council, which is allocated an amount of R15 635 million in the current financial year.
This leaves the department with an operational budget of R944 million.

With regard to welfare Services Policy Development R309 million of the department’s allocation will go towards Welfare Services Policy Development programmes among which are: Social crime prevention and victim empowerment - that has been allocated R75 402 million; Substance abuse - for which R20 726 million has been budgeted for; Older persons - allocated R19 126 million; and youth which has been allocated R12 607 million.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 16 Regarding Social Policy and Integrated Development programmes, R359 million has been allocated towards Social Policy and Integrated Development programmes.
This includes key programmatic areas such as: supporting the Central Drug Authority in doing its work R 7 069 million; the registration and monitoring of non-profit organisations R41 910 million; the promotion of population policy R38 773 million; community development R29 863 million; and Substance Abuse Advisory Service and Oversight R7 069 million.
Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in line with the commitment of the Sixth administration, the department will continue to play an important role in the implementation of pillar 4 of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

Our society’s success in undoing the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide rests on the pursuit of comprehensive and targeted partnerships across different sectors.
While we are working towards measurable outcomes, we shall continue with the implementation of awareness and advocacy programmes and assign specific attention to areas that the Minister of Police has declared GBV hotspots.

To this end, we have trained and deployed GBVF Ambassadors to work closely with local community organisations.
Towards UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 17 ensuring that our services are accessible for survivors of gender-based violence, through the NDA, we partnered with community-based civil society organisations who are well- positioned to support locally.

To this end, and owing to the Criminal Asset Recovery Account which is the CARA funds, the NDA funded 297 civil society organisations to render support services to survivors of GBV.
With regard to expansion of shelters, we are working jointly with the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to identify state-owned facilities across the country that can be re-purposed into Khuseleka One-Stop Centres.

In addition to rendering psychosocial support services to survivors during the recovery process, we are expanding the developmental dimensions of facilities and as far as offering productive skills and enabling economic empowerment towards self-reliance are concerned.
In this regard, we are finalising agreements with different Sector Education and Training Authorities.

It is important for us to appreciate that training is very important for our communities because as I indicated earlier on its important to UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 18 create a conducive environment for our people to make their lives and livelihoods and to be alive.
Hon Chairperson, as I draw towards the conclusion please allow me to evoke Pixley kaSeme ceremony when he delivering an address in 1906.
He authoritatively stated that and I quote, “the regeneration of Africa means that a new and unique civilisation is soon to be added to the world.” In view of the Reconstruction and Recovery Plan that we have chosen for our society and economy following the disaster we had to endure Budget Vote 19 of the Department of social Development for 2022-23 financial year is meaningful contribution to the rise of South Africa that we all want as well as the South African who we want to inhabit it.
Here in simple terms, I mean government has got responsibility.

Citizens too have got responsibilities.

Please, allow me to conclude by thanking the Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu for her relentless contribution to the realisation of this mandate.

May I also add, Chairperson, that since the disaster happened in KwaZulu-Natal Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu has been on the ground in KZN.
I also thank the acting director-general Mr Linton Mchunu UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 19 and his management team, the chief executive officer of Sassa, and acting chief executive officer of NDA, Ms Totsie Memela- Khambula and Mr Bongani Magongo respectively and their management team as well as the council and registrar of the South African Council for Social Services.
I am grateful to the Ministry team, our social partners, embassies, multilateral and institutions, NPOs, activists on the ground and all social service professions who are going a long way and went towards translating the Social Development mandate into reality in many of our communities.

I am grateful to the African National Congress for the continued support, confidence that they have continued to give in serving the people of South Africa.
Hon Chair, in particular, I would like to thank my family who are always enduring my absence, enduring my noise in the house because I am screaming at officials and everything.

Now that we’ve been having this thing of having meetings at home.

I am sure they are tired of my voice.

I apologise to you but I am serving the people of South Africa.

Hon Chairperson, I hereby table Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development together with priorities for the 2022-23 financial year.
To hon members, we are here coming to you to present to you our operational plans UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 20 so that as you do your oversight you will be oversighting on something that we have presented to you.

Thank you very much, hon Chairperson and thank you very much, hon members.
IsiZulu: Abantu abasemakhaya ngiyethemba ukuthi nisizwile nilalele ukuthi siniphatheleni siwuMnyango Wezokuthuthukiswa komphakathi Setswana: Ke nagana gore batho botlhe kwa gae ba ba reeditseng gompieno, ba tla re thusa gore re netefatse gore ... English: ... South Africa becomes a better place for everybody.

I thank you.

Ms N Q MVANA: House Chairperson, hon Minister and hon Deputy Minister, stakeholders and hon members, good morning to everybody.
I gonna deal with consolidating and defending our democratic gains to expanding the confidence in social security system.
The Department of Social Development, Soc Dept, House Chairperson, has been task with a critical task of UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 21 consolidating the Social Wage through Reliable and Quality Basic Services, in line with the NDP, that is the National Development Plan, priority of expansion of social security system.
It also plays a key role on South Africa’s contributing towards the achievement of the sustainable development.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the level of poverty and inequality in our society.
The recent climate change natural disaster in Kwazulu-Natal, KZN, Eastern Cape and parts of North West and the fire in the Western Cape have also shown that we are living at a time of disasters, and this requires the department and government to streamline governance systems and legislation to enable an efficient disaster response by the department.
The Department of Social Development has demonstrated during the pandemic and during periods of crisis that our government has relatively developed responsive capabilities of the state.

The other part is the Bill of Rights and the comprehensive social security system policy imperatives.
The mandate of Soc Dept is to provide social protection services and leads UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 22 government efforts to forge the partnerships through which vulnerable individuals, groups, and communities become capable and self-reliant participants in their own development.

In order to eradicate poverty, we need to create economic opportunities for the poor.
The ANC-led government has placed education as an apex priority in order to address generational poverty which is a result of land dispossession and exclusion of the majority of black South Africans, SAs from quality education and economic freedom.

The comprehensive social security system is part of the social wage which our government has prioritised.

Hon members, this Vote 19 is critical to the reduction of levels of poverty, inequality, vulnerability and social ills.
It also has mechanisms in places to empower, resilient and individuals, families and sustainable communities.

And also progressively ensure that is it led by a functional, efficient and integrated sector.

The other point is comprehensive social assistance coverage protecting the most vulnerable and a social wage prioritisation.
Several research studies have placed the South UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 23 African Social Assistance Programme, that’s the social grants, (as we use to call it) as one of the key programmes which contributes to poverty alleviation and income security for the most vulnerable groups.

The programme has been found to be developmental in nature.
This means that it did not only immediately reduce poverty, but it promotes people’s ability to look for employment or undertake risks to generate their own income.

All major social grants such as; the old age pension, the child support grant and the disability grant - are significantly and positively associated with a greater share of household expenditure on food.

Social grants, which is called Social Relief of Distress SRD, provides income security to about 47% South Africans.
Hon members, the South African Social Security Agency, we call it SASSA (at our times), pays more than 18,5 million beneficiaries with the target to approve and pay additional 1,2 million in 2022-23 financial year.

Thus increasing the total number of beneficiaries to 18 9 million.

Most importantly, in 2023-24 financial year it will commence with the payment of the Child Support Grant Top-Up for double orphans.

It has a target to reach 191 200 beneficiaries.


A UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 24 total of R587 million and R871 million has been allocated for this financial year, that is 2023-24 respectively.

COVID-19 social relief measures and disaster responses.

South Africa as the rest of the world, had to fight off the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, as I have already said.
The Social Development Portfolio became one of the key leading government institutions that had to implement social relief against the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These include the provision of the psychosocial support services, Social Relief of Distress Grant, that is the grant of SRD, the top up grant of the social grants, the social relief of distress through the food and the nutrition programme, the one that we call food parcels.
The Presidential Stimulus Relief to the Early Child Development, ECD, sector and implementation of the Criminal Asset Recovery Account, which we call it CARA Programme contribute to creating work opportunities.

Studies on the impact of the SRD grant have found that the grant benefitted both the previously and recently employed people.
It enabled unemployed people to actively seek UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 25 employment by adding to transport costs, internet café costs, money to purchase data to send curriculum vitae, CVs, etc.

Therefore, this grant enables citizens to exercise their economic rights to attain better opportunities.

In some households it became the main source of income contributing to the food security.
With the extension of the payment of the SRD grant to March 2023 an amount of R44 billion has been additional allocated to cover 10,5 million eligible persons.

This is the commitment of the President in the Sona on not leaving no one behind.

Notwithstanding these achievements, SASSA continues to face challenges of fraud and corruption in grant payment systems, people that we know that are not supposed to get these grants, are also getting them, unofficially or illegally.
It also faces challenges of long queues at its local offices and pay points.

IsiXhosa: Siyayazi imigca emide engapheliyo nabantu abalala eziposini ... UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 26 English: ... and set a target to develop consultations report on draft policy for Income Support to 18-59 year olds for this financial year.
It will also develop a draft policy on voluntary cover for retirement and risk benefits for typical and informal sector workers.

This is in line with the national discussion which President Cyril Ramaphosa urged society to engage on considerations for the basic income grant.

This will yield good outcomes in consolidating a social safety net for all vulnerable South Africans, SAs.
Hon members, all of these initiatives underpin how this vote enables a comprehensive social support system that empowers people and protects the poor and the most vulnerable.

As the ANC, we will play our robust oversight over the executive and work with the department to ensure it continues protecting the wellbeing of the poor.
House Chairperson, I wish to say the words that the Minister has said of thanking everyone, thanking our stakeholders to support us, thanking UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 27 our hon members and the backup staff.

Otherwise, the ANC supports the Budget Vote 19.

Thank you very much.


Ms B S MASANGO: Hon Chairperson, the report we are debating today, while ticking some boxes on the efforts of the department and its entities, largely reveals a historical culture of complete neglect of the people the department and its entities are constitutionally mandated to serve.
One look at the issues raised by the Auditor-General, AG, on the Annual Performance Plans, APPs, is enough to conclude that the department itself has had inadequate capacity to function during what is probably one of the most challenging periods this country and the world has ever faced.

But let’s examine the failures, Chairperson.

Firstly, the payments of grants, for example, the red flags that were highlighted by the AG back in 2020 have still not been resolved.
Then, the AG said: SA Social Security Agency, SASSA’s outdated, limited databases and inadequate verification controls resulted in people who were not in distress receiving the Social Relief of Distress, SRD, grant, while those who were in distress were unfairly rejected.

This, UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 28 the AG said was due to the weak government control environment in which the relief funds had landed.
Secondly, the inability to finalise fraud investigations.

Astoundingly, some cases date back to 2011 for irregular expenditure while fruitless and wasteful expenditure dates back to 2013.

Thirdly, 83 contracts had expired in 30 September 2021 with no replacement contracts through the normal procurement or deviation process.

Lastly, in 2012 a payment of R316 million was made to a service provider for services that were never rendered.
These deeply concerning irregularities are wide ranging and a clear indicate an entity whose systems and controls are dismally inadequate to manage large sums of money.

This decidedly limits the chances of the intended beneficiaries receiving the relief they so desperately need.
The emergency SRD grant is managed completely online but how is this humanly possible when so many people depend on these UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 29 grants merely to survive?

Despite desperate people who walk into SASSA offices for help are arrogantly turned away because the system is only available online.

Is this a caring government?

No, it’s an ANC government.


But, email and telephone platforms are advertised for queries, until you realize that calls are cut off after you’ve held on for over an hour.

Emails are never responded to.

Hon Chairperson, I have to express our grave concern about the recent abrupt and insensitive announcement to discontinue pay points.

This is a further indication that the department is removed from the day to day reality facing, especially those grant recipients, who live in remote rural areas.
Where the retailers given by SASSA don’t have a footprint.

These people would have to travel long distances to access their grants.

It is a mere transfer of shoes from the Post Office to retailers, only this time these people would have paid exorbitant transport costs.

The situation in this department is dire.

Performance improvements are overshadowed by persistent gaps that render the department paralysed.

It is unable to provide the services millions dependent on.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 30 The state of disaster in poor households has not come to an end.

The change in the approval of the SRD grant, using an Act that [Inaudible.]

in extended and deepening levels of vulnerability, is a slap in the face of poor South Africans.

It is a reminder of an uncaring ANC poverty government.
Amazingly, the extension of the SRD grant was made in February as a result of staggering unemployment figures, and yet we are today on the 13th of May and applicants have still not been paid, and there is no indication of when they will be paid.

Shame on you ANC!

There is no clarity on when, if at all, the reconsiderations of appeals dating [Time expired.]

Thank you, hon Chairperson.


Ms P MARAIS: Hon Chairperson, in 2021 we witnessed scenes in the streets of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal when hundreds of our people stormed shops and caused unimaginable chaos.

The EFF has always warned that our people are desperate and hungry.

One day they will have nothing to eat, but just to take, even if it means breaking the law.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 31 Poverty is a security threat.
Hunger without hope is a security threat.

Hopelessness is a security threat and we have failed to provide a social security system that uplifts our people out of poverty.

The poor continue to suffer the effects of a mismanaged economy.

Deep, structural poverty, the covid pandemic has ... now the floods in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.
In the suffering and torment, the price of food has gone up, the price of transport has gone up, there is no reliable electricity and crime, including violent crime, has gone up.

This is why they must increase the care dependency grant from R1 890 to R3 980 to allow those who have taken the responsibility of caring for those who can’t care for themselves to afford food.

That is why they must increase the disability grant from R2 000 to R4 000.

They must increase the old age grant from R1 980 to R3 960.
They must increase the foster-care grant from R1 070 to R2 140.

The permanent solution is the implementation of social assistance and backwards a universal basic income for all.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 32 The EFF rejects the proposed budget for the Department of Social Development because it does not make provision for those increases or work towards the implementation of the universal basic income grant.
The [Inaudible.]

EFF calls for those increases.

Hon Chairperson, allow me to address the ruling party’s incompetence that fails the poorest of the poor, those who have already been failed by the society that has failed to lift them out of poverty.

The SASSA grant system uses a 25-year-old computer that crashes more than 10 times a month.

The system crashed 119 times in 11 months.

This is to how the system is left vulnerable to be exploited by thieves from the inside.
Over R200 million was looted and only R12,5 million was recovered.

When we demand that social grants are doubled we are told there is no money.

But money allocated to social grants is stolen every day.

Money is stolen when poor people wait for months for a doctor’s assessments, to quality for social grants.

Money is stolen from SASSA.

SASSA officials are overworked and poorly paid.


UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 33 It is shocking that the ruling party boast celebrating 31% of South Africans relying on social grants.

If we add the COVID- 19 Social Relief Grant, the number is nearly 50%.

This is the scale of the failure of the ruling class, and this is the failure they celebrate every year when they table the proposed social development budget.
We know that the cronies celebrate; it’s not about feeding millions of poor people, it’s a celebration about transactions and contracts out of social grants administrations.

That is why they refuse to crease the state-owned bank.

That is why now it is announced that social grants will no longer be paid through the Post Office.

The intention was never to build a long term relationship with the Post Office instead.

It is the bank that must benefit.


Lastly, it is shockingly that both the report and the proposed budget are silent on the appointment of much needed social workers while we have social worker graduates sitting at home unemployed.

This is not only incompetent; it is also evil.

The EFF rejects the proposed budget for the social development.

Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Chair.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 34 Ms L L VAN DER MERWE: Thank you very much, Chairperson.

It is another year and yet another Budget Vote debate, and it will be the same script of the Minister outlining the progress made by the ANC-led government, as she has just done.

A very crafty exercise in sugarcoating the truth and reality.

The reality is that South Africa is in perpetual crisis mode.
We face a foster care crisis, an adoption crisis, a social worker crisis, a gender-based violence crisis, a substance abuse crisis and we face a leadership crisis.

The truth is that despite countless promises and a 2018 Cabinet resolution to employ them, roughly 7 000 social workers trained by the state are still sitting at home.

Nonprofit organisations, NPOs, are still underfunded, with many having had their budgets cut, leaving the elderly vulnerable.
Our children still die on the killing fields of the gangster-ridden Cape Flats because there is no concrete plan to fight gangsterism.
The reality is that the Post Office, which is on the verge of collapse, and SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, will possibly drive us to yet another grants crisis, with the announcement that due to unforeseen circumstances and long queues, the SA UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 35 Post Office, Sapo, will no longer be able to pay the R350 grant.
Surely it is unforgivable that this government would punish vulnerable citizens for its nightmarish long queues, all while it excels at paying grants to comrades, officials and those who do not qualify for the grant.

The truth is that Sassa’s databases are so dysfunctional and broken, that it is not fit for purpose.

In 2021, over R200 million was lost on the payment of the R350 grant to people who didn’t qualify for them.
Furthermore, Minister, many repeat findings by the Auditor- General, AG, have not been attended to.

Consequence management within this department doesn’t exist.

Minister, taxpayer money is being wasted and nobody is held to account.

Investigations into fruitless and wasteful expenditure are just never finalised.

This is our reality.

We meet at a time when KwaZulu-Natal has just suffered the most devastating floods in history.
In the midst of this devastation, President Ramaphosa was quick to reassure the UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 36 nation that his government, its officials and his party’s rank and file, will not steal the relief meant for the poor.

His distress was not misplaced.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders stole food parcels.
Thousands of government officials, even those working in President Ramaphosa’s office and Treasury, stole the R350.

Ours is the highest unemployment rate in the world.

Grants therefore are a necessity, not an accomplishment.

Let us be honest today.

This rhetoric of our government expanding the comprehensive social security system is nothing more than the creation of a welfare state.

A total of 50% of South Africans already rely on some type of grant.
We need a clear plan to lift our people out of poverty, not keep them trapped in ...

[Inaudible.]

... create a success story.

In a speech to the White House, Auschwitz survivor Elie Wiesel once asked, what is indifference?
He then said: In a way, to be indifferent to suffering is what makes the human being inhuman ... Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end ... the hungry children, the homeless ... — not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 37 offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory.

And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.


Twenty-eight years after the dawn of our democracy, children are dying of hunger.

According to reports, close to 200 children died of malnutrition in January and February alone, with poor children being forced to eat plants and sand to fill their stomachs.

These children were not just mere statistics.

Their lives mattered.

They died of hunger, despite a welfare state and despite being born in a free South Africa under a democratic dispensation.
Nobody offered these hungry children hope.

Nobody responded to their plight.

They were denied their humanity.


This department sums up its own challenges very well in its annual performance plan, APP, on page 22 when it states that it is poor at the enforcement and implementation of Acts; that it is reactive to social ills; that it is ineffective at monitoring and evaluation; that it has poor oversight and governance over Sassa and the National Development Agency, NDA; that it has critical leadership vacancies; and that there is a low absorption of social workers.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 38 Minister, in order for us to support this budget, the IFP calls on you to table as a matter of urgency a plan of action to absorb all social workers.

The Minister must also table a plan of action to address her department’s weaknesses, the AG’s findings, a plan to enforce a culture of consequence management and a plan to intensify the fight against fraud and corruption.
There is so much injustice.

We cannot afford to be indifferent to the plight of the most vulnerable.

For indifference is not a beginning; it is an end.

Indifference will render us inhuman.

Afrikaans: Me T BREEDT: Voorsitter, die departement en sy entiteite was ‘n sleutel departement gedurende die afgelope ramptoestand.
Die departement was nog altyd veronderstel om die lig aan die einde van ‘n baie donker tonnel vir ons mees behoeftiges in Suid-Afrika te wees, maar die realiteit is dat hierdie departement en sy entiteite die mense gefaal het.

Die bevindinge van die Ouditeur-generaal, OG, is nie nuwe nuus of enigsins eers verstommend nie.

Dit bevestig egter net wat UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 39 die Opposisie van die begin af gesê het.
Alhoewel dit nie nuwe nuus is nie, lees dit soos ‘n Stephen King riller.

English: Under the various headings: Financial Management and Health, Compliance Management, Human Resources, Procurement and Contract Management, the findings are more damning than the next.

What is of specific concern is the material losses from noncompliance with legislation, fraudulent transactions, as well as irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
Furthermore, the inability to finalise investigations in a timely manner has resulted in a failure to implement consequence management against those who were responsible for incurring irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Sassa apparently recovered R12,6 million from 3 268 public servants who illegally received grants.

However, there has thus far been no consequences for state employees who have been found to have received grants they did not qualify for.
This is a disgrace and I would urge the Minister to not just pay lip service but to take action.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 40 A start can also be the filling of key posts, such as the position of the director-general, DG, of the department.

Whether the incumbent acting DG is doing a good job or not is not the discussion.

The fact of the matter is that this department needs stability.

A permanent DG will be a start.


Mother Teresa once said: We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless.

The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.

We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.

Chairperson, that brings me to a matter that I feel the Minister needs to address today, and that is the court case between SA Childcare and the department regarding the payment of conditional early childhood development, ECD, grants.
Fifteen rand per child per day.

That is what the grant consists of.

These are children that are orphans or have absolutely no other source of nutrition and care but through these centres.

These centres have to be approved to receive these grants through a stringent process provided for in the framework to the Division of Revenue Act, Dora.
In these UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 41 instances, they were approved in 2019 already.

Vulnerable children who are dependent on these ECD’s and this grant for food were deprived during the worst of times — the pandemic.

This grant was utilised to procure personal protective equipment, PPE, rather than feed food to these children.
The end result of the initial judgement was that Judge Janse van Nieuwenhuizen found the Minister and eight MEC’s in breach of their statutory duties prescribed in Dora by failing to pay the funds allocated to the children, as well as in breach of their constitutional duties prescribed in section 28(1)(c) of the Constitution.

Instead of adhering to the judgement, the Minister and MEC’s, after conceding on no less than 10 occasions that the money is due and owing, appealed against the order.
Leave to appeal was granted in December of 2020.

Fast forward a whole 18 months to a notice for hearing, a new directive to argue whether the matter has not become academic in nature, and still no officials have been brought to book and the most vulnerable are still suffering.

This matter needs to be resolved in the interest of children and the ECD’s.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 42 Afrikaans: Voorsitter, dit is egter ‘n skreiende skande dat vir meer as nege jaar daardie toelaag op R15 per kind per dag stagneer het.

Terwyl die regering geld mors op duur funksies, hotelverblyf, VIP-protection (beskerming) en besigheidsklas vlugte vir Ministers, kry hierdie mees kwesbare kinders slegs R15 per dag vir kos, vir klere en vir skooltoebehore.
As die departement nie gaan begin fokus op kinders en die ontwikkeling van kinders nie, sal ons altyd ‘n welsynstaat bly.

Maar ek sluit af.

Die probleem lê by die ANC, want die ANC pak alles ideologies aan en verkies om die mense afhanklik te hou.

Tot en met die Minister en haar departement nie hierdie kopskuif maak nie, gaan Suid-Afrika nie net ‘n gefaalde staat wees nie, maar ‘n welsynstaat bly.
Ek dank u. Ms M E SUKERS: Hon Chairperson, a long, hard winter approaches for the poor and vulnerable when viewed through the current economic environment, the high rate of unemployment, and the instability many households are forced to endure post the COVID-19 crisis.

The budget of this department decreases by UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 43 over R25 billion, and more people now need access to social security and support.
The performance score card of the department is that of a struggling student who repeats the same mistakes year on year.

The state’s inability to transform itself to provide efficient service to the poor, is the single biggest threat to the security and stability of South Africa.

That within an environment with multiple threats.


I say this to you today because in April, this year, I received almost 20 to 30 messages daily from people who did not know how they will survive due to the nonstop payment of the Social Relief of Distress Grant.

We cannot afford to take the critical issues highlighted by my colleagues here today, and the many alarms being raised by stakeholders in the social sector, lightly.

The state sets itself as an agitator of the worst kind to the poor.
You promise relief, and then stop abruptly.

In addition, you fail to plan and more importantly, to communicate effectively for the legislative changes, of which you knew comes with lifting the National State of Disaster.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 44 The ACDP urgently appeals to this House, and the department, to consider the dire circumstances of our people that requires a deep rethink of the way we do things politically.
If the state, this department and its entities continues to make the same repetitive mistakes, and fails to adopt an urgent change of strategy, in all its functions, this country will plunge into an unthinkable crisis.

There can be no politicking or grandstanding.

We are in a deep mess when it comes to the systems and processes, that are supposed to undergird the social security network of this country.
We must acknowledge that through the commitment and hard work of ordinary South Africans, there would not have been over R230 billion available for the protection of the poor and vulnerable in 2021.

It is because of the ordinary men and women who get up and go to work, come rain or sunshine, that we have the biggest social security network on the continent.

Let us, and this department, honour their commitment by doing the right thing.
For the love of humanity, we ask you to plan and communicate effectively and plan effectively, and to recover grant monies from the criminals who stole it.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 45 Chairperson, we must lead differently.

We cannot agitate for change but fail to recognise our own responsibility politically.

If we fail, history will show us as the worst kind of leaders.
Criminal in our dereliction of duty, with a callousness that comes from spiritual bankruptcy.

Thank you Chair.

Mr N L S KWANKWA: Chairperson, thank you very much.

IsiXhosa: Andizi kubiza abantu ngamagama ke namhlanje, ungandigxothi.

English: Chairperson, thank you for this opportunity.

The UDM supports this Budget Vote.


Minister the first issue for us ... IsiXhosa: ... ebalulekileyo yile yokuba apha kwi ... English: ... Social Relief of Distress Grant ... IsiXhosa: UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 46 ... baninzi abantu abasifumanayo bengafanelekanga ukusifumana.
Ngokuye sihamba ezilokishini nasezilalini, baninzi abantu abaziqeshileyo kwaye abaziphangelelayo, abanengeniso ngenyanga engaphaya koyena mvuzo mncinci unokufunyanwa ngumsebenzi.

Ingxaki yile yokuba uluhlu lwabantu abafanelekileyo ukuxhamla kwizibonelelo zenu (database) anikhange niyicoce ngendlela eyiyo.

Baninzi abantu ozakufumanisa ukuba baneemoto ezisebenzayo ezirenkini, abanye baziqeshile bayathengisa besenza iimali ezinkulu kodwa bayasifumana esi siboinelelo sama-R350.
Loo nto ibangela ukuba abona bantu bafanelekileyo ukuyifumana le mali bangayifumani.

Into esisoloko siyithetha siyi-UDM kwakudala yile ithi ... English: ... the informal sector and the economy... IsiXhosa: ... yaseMzantsi Afrika abantu babakhuthazwe ... English: UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 47 ... to formalise it so that they can register.

IsiXhosa: Bangathi sele bebhalisile baleqwe yinkonzo yerhafu.
Sibenendlela yokubaxhasa ukuze abantu banyaniseke.

Okwesibini, sisikhalo sabantu oko nangoku ebekusiliwa ngaso kutshanje nakulaa Mpuma Koloni kufumaniseke ukuba ... English: ... we have a lot of social workers, not only in that province but around the country, who were unable to be absorbed by the department.

IsiXhosa: Kufumaniseka ukuba baninzi ... English: ... they are social workers.
I think there is about 8 000 of them around the country with qualifications, but have not been absorbed by the department.
IsiXhosa: UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 48 Kufanelekile ukuba isebe lisenenzisane namanye amasebe afana namapolisa kunye neSebe leMfundo esiSiseko ... English: ... to ensure that, we address the lack of social workers ... IsiXhosa: ... ezikolweni nakwizitishi zamapolisa ukuze ngamaxesha ezenzo zobundlobongela obusekelwe kwisini, amapolisa abenabo abantu abazingcali abazakuthi bakwazi ukuhoya amaxhoba ngendlela efanelekileyo kuba sinengxaki ye... English: ... gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa.
The other issue Minister is an issue that we raised with the Department of Education to say ... IsiXhosa: ... ayinkho ntle into yokuba abantu abaqeshwayo lisebe ube ngabo bafunde ngala mali yokufunda iphuma kwiFunza Lushaka, ekubeni bekhona abantu abasebenzise iimali zabo ezininzi ukuze bazifundise.
Bonke abantu abaneziqinisekiso zemfundo eMzantsi UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 49 Afrika ngabalapha eMzantsi Afrika, ngoko mabaphathwe ngendlela efanayo ... English: ... with equal opportunities.

IsiXhosa: Nalapha kweli sebe, kukho into yokucalula abantu abafumene ... English: ... the funding or the bursaries from the department.

They get prioritised over other graduates.


IsiXhosa: Enye into ebelulekileyo yile ... [Ngokungavakaliyo] ...wangekayo zingene ezikolweni nasemapoliseni.

Loo nto izakubangela ukuba sikwazi ukulwa nomcimbi oxhaphakileyo wokuxhaphaza (bullying) okuninzi ezikolweni.

Ne ...[Ngokuvakaliyo] ... eziyifunayo nazo inkxaso kungathiwa kujongwe i-Ukraine nezinye iindawo, siyeke ukujonga abantu behlelelekile apha kule Ntshona Koloni bebethana kwaye bebukulana.

Enkosi Sihlalo.
Enkosi Sihlalo.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 50 Mr B N HERRON: Chairperson this week, according to news reports, the City of Cape Town issued fines of up to R1 000 to homeless people living on the streets.
We don’t know how many, if any of those who received these fines are beneficiaries of the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant, but we can be pretty sure that, most of those people don’t have jobs and will never afford to pay those fines.

Their situation may be extreme; most poor people don’t live on the streets.

That is illustrates how marginal life is in our radically unequal society.
As millions of our most needy people seek to manage the consequences of having to reapply for the R350 per month Social Relief of Distress Grant, for which some no longer qualify due to the rule changes.

The state continues to hum and haw over the implementation of the basic income guarantee or grant.
When the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant was introduced to soften the economic blows of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was available to people with an income of less than R595 per month, but that’s now been reduced to R330 a month.
This appears to indicate that the state believes it is possible to survive on an income of R945 per month under COVID-19 disaster conditions, but R700 UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 51 per month now that the state of the disaster has been lifted.

Although parliamentarians earn a fortune by comparison, we can’t pretend we don’t know how little R700 buys.
Nor can we close our eyes to the social consequences of millions of people not being able to afford the basic cost of life to feed, clothe and secure their families.

Former Minister of Finance and Governor of the Reserve Bank.

Tito Mboweni says government should rather focus on best in building the country’s economy by investing infrastructure than on social grants.

And yes, we need infrastructure and developing it will create grants.
But supporting a basic income grant doesn’t mean we give up on creating jobs.

Should people starve while they wait the economic boom times.

Did Mr Mboweni not notice the ease with which poor people were manipulated into an orgy of looting and destruction last July?

Now that the COVID-19 State of Disaster has been lifted, government must not sit back and let the grass grow under his feet.
For the sustainability and the dignity of the country, we need to accelerate the process of implementing the basic income grant that are not shove back under the carpet.

Nelson Mandela said: UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 52 Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity.

It is an act of justice.

It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.
While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

Government must take heed of the situation on the ground.

Our citizens did not shed their blood and tears for democracy that would abandon them in poverty.

Besides issues of dignity and justice, failing to implement the basic income grant is fuelling a fire that that will eradicate the gains that we've made in this democratic era and prove difficult and expensive to extinguish.

Thank you house Chairperson.


Mr A M SHAIK EMAM: Hon Chairperson, the NFP will support Budget Vote No 19, Social Development.

Allow me also to commend the Minister particularly.

Whenever the Minister was required to address a need of someone on the ground when contacted.

She is one of the few Ministers who always available to assist.

Rest assured the matter gets attended to in due or short time.
Now, allow me to start off by saying that whilst we support this Budget Vote, a question we need to ask is: Are we going UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 53 to be able to sustain the number of people that are on some form of social assistance which is standing at about 46% currently?

Ceternainly we cannot sustain this in the meantime.
Now, what are some of the root causes of these things; is the high unemployment rate, the socioeconomic conditions under which our people are living, the availability of alcohol and drugs.

The latest statistics which stands at 57% of accidents in South Africa.

One of the most dangerous countries on the road in the world that is alcohol related.

There is availability of alcohol, drugs and teenage pregnancy is rife.
Now, unless we deal with this problem holistically we cannot come out here Chairperson and keep blaming the Minister and the departments.

The Ministers come and go.

You are not going to solve the problem unless we have the holistic approach to dealing with the challenges our people face.

That is one of the things that we are not actually doing.

Now, let me go on to say this: That if you look at the issue of the roll out of the social grants currently, again this thing is being given to big business.
It is a win-win situation for these big businesses they will benefit from UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 54 this, number one, because of course they get a percentage of that.

However, more importantly, those people will be spending money in those businesses.
What about giving an opportunity - and to smaller businesses whilst one might argue that they may not have the capacity, but I also believe there are smaller businesses, supermarkets and chain stores owned by the black community who are the less fortunate community, but would be able to equally roll out such a service.

So, I think that must also be taken into consideration.
Now, let us look at the issue of the role of NGOs and nonprofit organisations, NPOs, fighting gender-based violence and other problems that we have in the community.

Hon Chairperson, billions of rand are spending to NGOs and NPOs, and what do you find?

They come there when there is a conviction of a person appearing in court with big placards, but what have they done to assist the department and work in a co-ordinated fashion to identify those people that might be victims of gender-based violence.
Why do have to wait for them to be raped or murdered and then go out there and grand stand and say no bail?

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 55 I want to welcome the decision by the Minister to roll out more and more social workers.

They need to be the eyes and ears of the community to timeously identify those that have had the challenge.

I think Chairperson, you looking at me because my time is up.
The NFP supports this Budget Vote.

Thank you.

Ms A L A ABRAHAMS: Hon House Chairperson, each year the Department of Social Development juggled its reduced budget with ever increasing poverty demands deliberating on which social ill requires more budget than the other.

Budget cuts to critical programmes mean the Department of Social Development must separate good intentions from actual results.

Currently, actual results real impact in the lives of citizens are not been achieved.
We see this in the headlines such as in last week Sunday Times which read, “Hunger kills South African, SA’s, children.” In the same newspaper reports titled, “Where malnutrition lives, enough food in South Africa, SA, but kids are starving and sand has become a meal for starving children.” UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 56 This reflects the true and disastrous state of our nation.
One where children starve to death while big bullied corrupt elite dine on caviar.

COVID-19 saw poverty and hunger exacerbated, but we must never forget it was the ANC government’s harsh and irrational long lockdown that was the real contributor to crises level poverty and hunger.

The Child Support Grant is 23% below the food poverty line and 40% below the average cost to feed a child a nutritious diet.

Maize meal for breakfast, lunch and supper if you are lucky to eat anything at all its not nutritious.
The grant is a good intention, but yields no actual results in reducing child stunting and malnutrition if left at four 80.

The Department of Social Development and its entities are still drafting plans and policies still remaking itself as we heard earlier, all while children die.

Let us take the maternal support policy - a policy in draft format, since I joined the committee in 2019.
A solution for pregnant mothers to life changing nutrition for their unborn UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 57 children, but also a solution to breach the gap between birth and accessing the Child Support Grant.

A database that can be shared with home affairs in order to expedite birth certificates for the vulnerable.
Another example of the Department of Social Development’s planning while children die is that they are still drafting the policy for integrating and linking Child Support Grant beneficiaries to the elusive government basket of services.

These beneficiaries are the children not in school or only attend to receive the one meal a day.

The Department of Social Development know exactly who needs the assistance, but with this reduced budget, it may be more convenient to look the other way.
The abuse of a Child Support Grant by the adults entrusted with it is prevalent and it is a crime.

The SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, does not keep statistics on this grant.

With only 23 convictions reported by the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, since 2015.

This needs more attention, if not it is like pouring water into a bucket with holes.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 58 We must look at increasing the age limit of this grant, if the child is in school, as it is done with the foster care grant.

The public education system is failing our children.

As a result, many children repeat the grade and are thus over 18- years-old.
Instead of helping these vulnerable children, this ANC-led government deals in a second blow by stripping away the grant are stripping away their opportunity to complete school, increasing youth unemployment.

However, where do we find the budget to implement the above and move from good intentions to actual results?

It is found by rooting out wasteful and fruitless expenditure, rooting out corruption.
Over the last three years, almost R7,5 billion of all government’s expenditure was fruitless and wasteful.

The Department of Social Development must finalise draft policies, put plans in action, honour good intentions by committing actual results.

If not Chairperson, we will continue to read about children eating sand and wild plants, scavenging dump sites to survive.

Thank you, Chairperson.


Xitsonga: UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 59 Man N K BILANKULU: Ndza khensa, Mutshamaxitulu.

Ndzi xeweta vachaviseki hinkwavo lava va nga kona na vaakatiko va Afrika- Dzonga hinkwavo.

Avuxeni.

English: The ANC rises in support of this Budget Vote number 19.
This Budget Vote seats on the 5th month after the devastation fire swept our Parliament in Cape Town whereby the entire country was shocked and devastated.

A month ago, a terrible flood disaster happened in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and other parts of the Northern Cape.

The two pandemics; COVID-19, gender-based violence and femicide, all these turns our country into extremely complex and challenging period whereby so many lives have been lost.
Our economy has been severely damaged, millions of our people are without jobs and the most vulnerable people are women.

President Mbeki once said, I quote: “trying times need courage and resilience” As the ANC we will continue to work for a better South Africa and a better world.

Hon House Chair, our nation is confronted with various social ills which impacts the quality of life in our country.
Some of the social challenges experienced today are ills of the social UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 60 engineering of our dark apartheid past.

The state of our economy and the level of inequality in our society worsens the social ills we face.
This budget must respond to the mandate of the department as it is geared to ensure protection against vulnerability by creating an enabling environment for the provision of a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable social development service.

The prevalence of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, gender- based violence and femicide, rape abuse and other social ills do not build our nation but tear apart the lives of many South Africans, resulting in many not realising their full potential.
The recent brutal murder of Hillary Gardee in Mpumalanga, has been a stuck reminder of the social challenges confronting our society.

May her soul and of many others who were victims of gender-based violence and femicide rest in internal peace.

The brutality the women of our nation experience has reached an alarming state.

What makes the situation worse is the fact that on a daily basis, our women are at the receiving end of the social ills.
Hon members, in order to address the social issues, we need to begin at a family unit level, without UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 61 strengthening our families we will continue to produce social ills.
It is important for all South Africans, particularly parents and guardians to appreciate the social responsibility in raising children and protect our children from exposure to experiences which do not build the values we seek to create as a nation.
We welcome the process of the revised White Paper on families in South Africa whose objective among others, is to promote strong and equitable ultra-family relationship within safe, supporting and nurturing communities and to support families in need and characterised by severe conflict of neglect of vulnerable family members to regain the dignity and resolve conflict in an amicable way.
It is also important for religious bodies and civil society to focus on strengthening the family if we are to realise the mission of the White Paper, to promote family wellbeing and strengthen and support family so that they are empowered to provide physical, emotional, psychological, financial, spiritual and intellectual support and care for their members.

We welcome the budget allocation to support over 300,000 family members with family preservation services.
We encourage UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 62 South Africans to seek counsel from existing social support structures in our communities and those offered by the department.

As the African National Congress, we call on society to play an active role in addressing social challenges, social urgency is important in order to drive social transformation.
Community mobilisation is an important aspect of utilising the people against social ills and focusing the community on developmental issues such as promoting education, promoting healthy lifestyles, supporting the elderly and creating and enabling environment for economic development.
Chairperson, we welcome the budget commitment to train 840 community development practitioners, this is some significant intervention, hon members, as this will improve the capacity of community development practitioners to make a greater impact in our society and to learn best practice to effective mobilised communities.
It is therefore critical for the development to continue with its strides supporting non-profit organisations as they play a critical role of social agency in addressing social challenges.

We welcome the focus on capacitating stakeholders UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 63 to implement the non-profit organisation, NPO, mentorship model which will enable increased support for NPOs.
This Budget Vote provides funding for non-profit organisations and we urge the department to strengthen its monitoring of objects funded to ensure intended outcomes are realised.

Hon members, we welcome the effort of the department in providing support to capacitate 270 workers.

This will go a long way in strengthening the support provided by our social workers who provide support to vulnerable South Africans.
In today’s world, which has put to the full of the needs of focus and mental health, social workers are a major need in our society due to the trauma many of our people face.

Hon Minister, our social workers are heroes who give hope to the vulnerable and we applaud the department to continuously increase its capacity to provide social work services.

Psychosocial challenges are becoming endemic and the need for psychosocial services is paramount.
The rate of suicide in our society is another great concern.

We also welcome the target of capacitating 500 social services practitioners on social and behavioral change program, as this improves the capacity to analyse behavior in order to respond in an appropriate UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 64 manner.

Hon members, the department has an important program for teenage parents.
The Sinovuyo Teen Parenting Programme which is a 14-session parenting program for at risk families with 10 to 18-year-old adolescent is an important project.

The use of digital technologies and other social media platforms will enhance sharing of information which will support at risk families.

The department should continue to explore the use of digital platforms to expand its reach on various social ills.
Leveraging technology can also enhance social work, as at times, those who are vulnerable require someone to listen to them and to advise them.

Hon members and the people of South Africa, HIV and AIDS affect approximately 13,7% among the South African population and it is important to always create awareness.

The Budget Vote supports testing programs and supports the SA National AIDS Council with R43 million to address the social and structural drivers of HIV and AIDS.
It is reported that you focus on preventive measures and focus on behavioral change.

It is of great concern that we have increased teenage pregnancies.

This reality has an impact on their children’s UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 65 growth and should not be promoted.
Hon Chairperson, the African National Congress support this Budget Vote and together working with the department through the portfolio committee we shall play our oversight role to enhance delivery and our services to the poor and vulnerable.

Hon House Chair and the nation, I thank you.

Afrikaans: Me G OPPERMAN: Dankie Voorsitter.


Met ’n volgehoue R2 miljard jaar-op-jaar besnoeiing binne die Departement vir Maatskaplike Ontwikkeling, hoef jy nie verder as program 4 te kyk om te besef hierdie is beslis nié ’n pro-arm begroting nie.

Dit skyn wel ’n gedaante van armlastigheid te hê.

Vanuit die 11 subprogramme onder program 4 gemoeid met welsynsdienste, beleidsontwikkeling en implementering, toon slegs drie uit die 11 positiewe begrotings.
Die res van die oorblywende agt subprogramme is in ’n afdraende stryd teen besnoeiing en allokasie verminderings gewikkel.

Besteding op program 4 self word verminder van R1,8 miljard in die huidige boekjaar na R1,6 miljard in die 2023-24 boekjaar.
Die grootste verloorders onder program 4 is die UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 66 teensubstansmisbruikprogram wat skerp besnoei word, die ouer persone program wat met R1,1 miljoen verminder word, asook die program vir ongeskikheidsregte wat drasties afwaarts aangepas is en wat bloot verdere marganalisering van hierdie sektor teweeg sal bring.
Beide die subprogramme kinderdienste en families se begrotings is besnoei en die MIV/Vigs subprogram is met ’n miljoen rand verminder.

Terwyl al hierdie besnoeiings egter geskied, is daar ’n drastiese vermindering aan fondse regoor die nege provinsies aan wie daar sedert 2020-21 volle verantwoordelikheid oorgedra is vir psigososiale ondersteuning, skuilings, fondse vir voedselverligting, MIV/Vigs, en nie-regeringsorganisasies.
Die provinsiale departement in die Noord-Kaap, provinsie van my komvandaan, se besnoeiings beloop R909 miljoen, sonder enige alternatief hoe om die impak van hierdie vermindering in allokasie te versag of teen te werk.

Die Nasionale Ontwikkeling Agentskap is self so onderbefonds dat hulle nie eens in staat is om hul mandaat van armoede verligting en armoede bekamping uit te voer nie.
Met ’n 11% besnoeiing in die komende boekjaar, beteken dit ’n R26,7 miljoen vermindering aan finansiële hulp aan UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 67 gemeenskapsgebaseerde organisasies wie armoede moet beveg op voetsoolvlak.

Die nonprofit organisation, NPO, [nie- winsgewende organisasie] begroting alleen is met R9,2 miljard onderbefonds.
Erger nog is dat daar nul rand nul sent vir die subprogram sosialewerkers beursgeleenthede begroot is, wat beteken ’n hele R3,4 miljoen is gesny.

Dit terwyl ons land reeds ernstige tekorte aan dié skaars vaardigheid het.

Ons benodig tans 70 000 maatskaplike werkers slegs om die aangepaste Kinderwet te implementeer.

Daar is nie ’n dooie sent vir die opleiding van nuwe maatskaplike werkers begroot nie, maar ons kort ’n verdere 5 000 maatskaplike werkers om slegs die substansmisbruikprogram te implementeer.
Dit terwyl die program self van R21,9 miljoen na R20,7 miljoen in die komende boekjaar gesny is.

As ons in ag neem dat substansmisbruik tans die hoogte inskiet weens werkloosheid in Suid-Afrika en hopeloosheid in ons land, hoe regverdig jy so ’n besnoeiing?

Die gebruik van tik in ons land is twee maal hoër as in die res van die wêreld.

Ons sit met 15% van Suid-Afrikaners wat met ’n dwelmprobleem sit en die fetale alkoholsindroom koers is vyf maal hoër in ons land as in ander lande.
Die is mos programme wat die weerloosdes en kwesbares tot redding moet wees.

Hoe sny jy aan programme wat UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 68 senior burgers beinvloed asook kinders, families, dwelmafhanklikes, mense met MIV/Vigs en persone wie met gestremdhede saam lewe, en jy noem dit ’n pro-arm begroting?

Hier drink tieners om te vergeet.

In ons land kry kinders kinders, en sit 10 miljoen welgeskape mense sonder werk of hoop.
Ons stryd is nie teen vlees en bloed nie.

Ons oorlog is teen armoede, staatsverknegting en ongelykhede, maar in hierdie oorlog is ons tans lelik aan die verloorkant.

Ek dank u. Mr D M STOCK: Thank you very much, hon House Chairperson.
Let me also greet, the hon members, the hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, social development is about advancing transformation and providing a safety net for the vulnerable and also to empower them for self-liberation in order to realise self- liberation and also to address the poverty and its root causes.

We need to transform our economy to create economic opportunities for the vulnerable.
It is for this reason that the Department of Social Development is not only focus on social grants but rather guided by a comprehensive social UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 69 security policy framework.

It is comprehensive because it needs to address the different dimensions of poverty throughout our society.

The ANC has prioritised the fiscal framework, which allocates over 59,4% to the social wage.
The social wage response to the multiple nature of determinants of poverty.

This is the conceptual basis of a comprehensive social security system, which is developmental to free the potential of all South Africans.

Poverties depravation, which should at all times innovate to address.

However, hon members, according to the combating hunger, it’s also an important issue which is to be addressed by the Department of Social Development.
Combating hunger is reopening sustainable development goal and an African Agenda 2063 goal is also a priority with regard to that.

Hunger deprive the wellbeing and quality of life of humans to a large extent.
It is imperative that all stakeholders in labour, business and civil society focus their energies in ensuring that no South African is left behind and has to enjoy the pain of indignity UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 70 of hunger.

This is a right of our Constitution, which is also enshrined and which the Constitution protects.
In order to alleviate poverty through working opportunities this Budget Vote supports 176 474 Extended Public Works Programme opportunities through a social sector EPWP programmes.

This is a critical massive intervention, which will create a sustenance for many South Africans who need these opportunities the most.
These opportunities are in line with the developmental mandate of the department to equip the recipients who have the sectoral experience, which will enable them to take advantage of other sustainable economic opportunities in the sector.

The Budget Vote further supports the linking of about 20 000 social protection beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods opportunities.

And for the next financial year, 30 000 beneficiaries were also being linked to this.
Hon van der Merwe from the IFP, it is unpatriotic to reject a safety net budget.

Contrary to the misguided believe of welfare reason our government is not a welfare state but a developmental state, which seeks to intervene in the social UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 71 and economic live of the country to address the injustices of the past and also to play a better future for all South Africans.
Even developed countries provide a social support for the vulnerable citizens of that particular country.

We welcome the progress of the department of integrating the information sharing system with other entities, which provide critical developmental opportunity such as students funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS.

This information sharing enables social protection beneficiaries to be automatically approved for students funding.

Hon Minister, this progress is commendable.


Despite the progress the material conditions remain that of increasing employment and also poverty and the widening inequality gap.

It is common course that our country is the most unequal society in the world.

This exposes the sheers structural exclusion of colonialism of a special time.
This therefore, calls for the department to continuously innovate to development programmes, which will actually macify the impact of linking beneficiaries with the developmental opportunities.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 72 On the youth, this Budget Vote support the training of about 600 youth on the development of the skills development programme.
This programme by the department is also in line with the state of the nation address commitment by the hon His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Without the social protection programme by SA Social Security Agency over 18 million South Africans will be living in a precarious manner.

We are strongly opposed to the perspective, which disregards the importance of social assistance by our government.
Those perspectives are actually spoken from a position of privilege and they can never be said if one has experience sleeping with an empty stomach and not knowing how they will get their first meal on the next day.

The social wage comprehensively ensures that no one endures the pain and indignity of hunger.

For children hunger comes with a lot of implications as this result in the child stinting, which will affect 27% of our children throughout the country.
This takes away the right of children to grow up to UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 73 attain equal opportunities.

It also has an impact on the growth and the health of the children.

Hon Minister, in our constituency work the people have raised some concerns in our communities where mothers who receives child support grants do not use the grants to support the growth of the child.
It is therefore, critical that we strengthen the campaigns in our community to have mechanism for reporting such parents to ensure that we protect the rights of our children.

We want to commend the department for having displayed the agility of responding to urgent crisis, which before our nation in different skills.
We welcome the support also, hon Minister, the interventions from the National Development Agency, NDA, whose primary mandate is to contribute towards the eradication of poverty and is causes by granting funding to civil society organisations to implement the development projects in poor communities.
We also welcome the targets of 8 000 civil society organisations to meet their registration of reporting requirements and to build their capacity in areas such as UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 74 financial management, leadership and general management.

This is actually important work to strengthen civil society and also to mobilise our communities’ in general.
The NTT will further create 3 000 job opportunities, which are part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus.

The entity will also fund corporative, which are creating efforts by citizens for income generation.

It will be critical that the turnaround strategy of the NDA yield the expected outcomes to reposition the NDA as an entity, which makes tremendous impact on poverty.
Hon Masango from the DA as well as hon member Sukers from the ACDP, the ANC is a caring government and the DA is a party that advances the retainment of the status quo of inequality.

The department is not paralysed by the rands.

The largest social security system in recent portfolio committee meetings both hon Masango and Sukers.
We expressed the greatest form of appreciation for the department officials’ for answering their calls and also to responding to a number of queries, which we have sent or forwarded to them very adequately.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 75 To be quite honest and just to tell the truth in today’s debate, I am actually not surprised that you used this platform for political posturing and grandstanding.
My question to you, however, my hon members is that, why do you acknowledge or how can you acknowledge that there is great performance improvement on the work of the department whilst you are also raising that there is general neglect of underperformance and no proper system in place of accountability?
I am really not surprised by the issues that you raised because we know that is mainly for political scoring and you want appearing before the TV, the cameras and you want to create and drive a particular narrative.

It is estimated that in Sub-Saharan Africa only about 10% of the economically active population is covered by a statutory social security scheme in Africa.
My advice to you is to make continental review on the social protection system and you will find that our government has made advance strides in providing a social safety net.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 76 Like all other institutions, there are weaknesses but we should never allow the weaknesses to overshadow the positive impact that our government is doing and also the hard work that is done by the ANC-led government.
Your focus, hon members, is only on the failures of the department, and for that matter, it is quite unfortunate that we only focus on the weaknesses and we are failing to highlight all the achievements and all the good things that the department has actually achieved or striving towards achieving.

The hon member, hon Shak Emam, I agree with your initial view.
What you actually fail to tell our people is that, the department has put in place strong measures to the issues raised by the Auditor-General of South Africa and also to improve the inefficiencies that are currently actually happening in the system in which also include to a large extent the implementation of the outstanding issue of the prismatic system, which will actually deal or eliminate also the fraudulent activities that are happening in the system of the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, and all of that.
The ANC support the Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development.

We support this Budget Vote because it response UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 77 to the commitment made by the government and the provisions of the Constitution.

I thank you, hon members.

Thank you very much.

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Thank you, hon Stock.

I will now recognise the Minister of Social Development.
Hon Minister, you have five minutes extra which you left on your 30 minutes.

So, you will be having 15 minutes.

Over to you, ma’am.

Hon Minister Zulu?

Unmute yourself ma’am.

Hon Minister, you are muted.

May the information technology, IT, desk assist us in terms of unmuting the Minister.

Mr N P MASIPA: She is not on the platform.

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): No, she is, I can see her.

If you check on the gallery, you will see her – she’s there.
Hon members, can we just give the Minister a few minutes so that they can sort her out by unmuting her.

Mr D M STOCK: House Chairperson?

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Hon Stock?

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 78 Mr D M STOCK: I have been informed that the Minister is frozen.

So, they are busy trying to sort it out - maybe one or two minutes.
The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Advise her to log off and then come back again.

She will be fine.

Mr D M STOCK: Okay.

Alright, thank you.

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): We apologise, hon members.

It’s the technology that’s beyond any human capabilities.

Mr W F FABER: Chairperson, could I ask if maybe one of the ANC members read the Minister’s last few points as the hon Stock was already repeating himself a few times.

Maybe someone can just repeat something again.


[Interjections.]

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Hon Faber, you know that you are out of order – out of order, thoroughly so.

I am sure you are raising that on a lighter note.

We shall wait for the Minister.

I requested you to be patient with her.

[Interjections.]

You can’t control it.

UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 79 Ms N K BILANKULU: He is out of order.
He cannot lecture us.

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Okay.

Thank you, hon Bilankulu.

Let’s just wait for a few seconds.

Mr D M STOCK: Hon House Chair, if you can just request the Table staff to ...

[Interjections.]

They have accepted ...

[Interjections.]

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Order, hon members.

Can we allow her to use someone’s gadget and allow her to speak – to address us.

I can see that she is using Linton Mchunu’s gadget.
She will unmute herself and then wrap up her debate.

There you are.

[Interjections.]

Thank you very much.

We can see you and hear you; you may proceed.

You have five additional minutes.

The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Can I for now remove myself from the camera so that I don’t waste your time.

The ACTING HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms R M M Lesoma): Please do so.

You can switch off your ...

Yes, hon Minister, you may do so.


UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 80 The MINISTER OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Thank you very much, Chairperson.

Firstly, I would like to thank you House Chair.

Let me also appreciate all the members who participated in this debate, but particularly thank and appreciate the NFP, the UDM and other parties that supported the Budget Vote.
We will ensure that we work with you to put our people first in responding to the challenges.

I want to thank the hon member Kwankwa particularly and say to him that we are with him in terms of ensuring that the people are supported, especially the informal sector that we are talking about, as well as the social workers.
May I also indicate, hon members and hon Kwankwa in particular that, as a Department of Social Development we also managed to get resources from some embassies – for instance, the Chinese Embassy that supported us not only now during the disaster, but also supported us during the unrests.
What we did as a department is that this money that they are giving us is supposed to be money for food parcels, but I requested the department that we make sure that we co-ordinate the issue of food parcels by co-ordinating with the people that are assisting us – the organisations, the NPOs, the private sector and all.
We can also take some of this money and support UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 81 informal businesses because many of them lost their livelihoods and wellbeing.

Working together with the Department of Small Business Development, we are going to do our best to see how we can support those people who are in the informal business who lost a lot, including the implements of trade.
So, part of the money we have we will be giving to people who can go and make more money for themselves – buy the products or whatever they sell and go back again and work for their families.

I know that even those who get social grants – some of those people are making something out of the social grants by making sure that they keep their families alive.

I also wish to thank the members from the EFF.


We remain committed to the attainment of a comprehensive social security system as envisaged in the National Development Plan.

This is a social protection system that is concerned with both development and distribution of ...

[Inaudible.]

... developments and solidarity.

And the basic income grant is therefore an essential element of the new social compact in what is already the most unequal society in the world.
By the way, I was very excited when I saw what Elon UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 82 Musk is talking about – the universal basic income grant.

I thought maybe if he says it, some people will listen to him.
I mean he raises this, not only form a point of view of South Africa, but he raises it as something that is needed to be discussed by the world because the issues of unemployment, poverty and others are not only a South African problem but of course, we need to make sure that as South Africa we respond to it.

So, during this financial year we shall table the updated policy on the basic income grant for Cabinet’s consideration, as the hon Mvana indicated.
The President has directed that we should start looking at the basic income grant as an important developmental stepping stone in current dispensation of our democracy.

Hon Breedt, it is important to have accurate information and I would like to say to you that the advantage is that we are there and we are always available at the portfolio committee.

Therefore, if members have other questions that they want to continue raising with us, we will be there to respond to that.
I also want to remind you that the early childhood development, ECD, has migrated to the Department of Basic UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 83 Education – I am sure you are very much aware of that.

You may recall that we were paying R17 per child and not R15 per child for the past two years.
We didn’t remove money from feeding children to the Department of Basic Education, but we reprioritised the funds for infrastructure development to assist in time of crisis of COVID-19.

To respond to the most urgent need at that time.

Some members have unfortunately decided to focus on the negative aspects but yes, we are able to take that from a very positive point of view.
May I also tell you members that when you raise issues with me negative or not, I always take them very seriously because I think that it is an opportunity for me and my department in its portfolio to go out there and see the things that we are raising so that we can be able to respond to them.
I acknowledge indeed that there are weaknesses in every institution, but we have put in place strong controls and measures in place to eliminate fruitless wasteful and irregular expenditure and to ensure that there are preventative controls in place to avoid fraud and corruption and instil a culture of consequence management.

I heard some UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 84 members saying that there is no consequence management.
We have to report back on consequence management that we have and we share that with the portfolio committee.

With regard to the employment of social workers, you will recall that we have employed a number of social workers across various provinces, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit on contract.

Some provinces like the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal have actually taken social workers on a permanent basis.

And we encourage all provinces to do the same.


Again, I want to add here that the issue of social workers must not be an issue only for the Department of Social Development.

We are also encouraging other departments, including the private sector to work with us here because I personally believe that in dealing with the social ills, which some of the members raised here, including gender-based violence - it is up to us to ensure that we do our work through the district development model.
I have been insisting and talking to the department that if we have to deal with the social ills, we need to mobilise our UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 85 communities so that we work hand-in hand with them.
I have said to the department that we need to deal with this house to house, street to street, community to community because ... IsiZulu: ... ngeke kwenzeke ukuthi ngesikhathi somzabalazo sasisebenza thina sisekelwa futhi sivikelwa abantu ... English: In our communities and now that we have freedom, we need the same support we had at that time, now being in government to make sure that people are supported in our communities.
Hon Van der Merwe, I have directed the department to work on a plan of action on the employment of the social workers, as I have indicated before.

As hon Shaik Emam indicated, social workers are the eyes and ears on the ground, and have a fundamental role to play in the care and protection of our people.

But more so in ensuring preventative measures because here is the problem with South Africa as a whole, we need to collectively to look at preventative measures.
I agree with the hon Shaik Emam that it UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 86 is important for our communities to work hand-in-hand with others.

I also want to thank all categories of social workers who have done a fantastic job in looking after our people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the current disasters that we have right now.
With regard to the R350 grant, we have just received information recently with the current iteration of R350 grant that 44 000 people who applied are actually deceased by August 2021.

With public servants who are receiving child support grant, we have actually found them in the system, ourselves, and some of them are actually the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, workers, new graduates and interns.
It is important that sometimes when we need the information, we need to ask for this information so that we can clarify to avoid drama where we don’t necessarily need it.

Lastly, I want to say that for the sake of our children and children’s children, we have to ensure that we lift people out of poverty though our interventions and programmes.

And we must do this within the context of social compacts and within the district development model as directed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 87 As I conclude, I need to thank all the organisations, the NPOs that we normally work with out there.

I want to say to them that they should please keep coming back to us.

Let us work together and you being on the ground.


I am talking about organisations such as Goodman Foundation, Kwanele Foundation, National Shelter Movement of South Africa, Act Now ... IsiZulu: ... nina ACT Now sinifuna emgwaqeni kudala nisinyamalalele.

Siyanifuna futhi ... English: ... because when you are out there, people can see you.

They can hear your message.

The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, is also an organisation which we work very well with the United Nations, by the way.
There is the Commission on Gender Equality.

Gift of the Givers – we had a meeting with them not so long ago because we want to be able to be on the same par and the same level of appreciation and understanding and support.

Other organisations are Meals on Wheels, and a whole of them that we work with.
UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 88 I wish to thank the members of the ANC who actually responded, in particular the last speaker, the hon Stock.

The hon Stock responded to some of the questions that were raised by the members, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that the members of the ANC are responding in the manner in which they are responding.
We are one government, but that does not remove their responsibility obviously to do oversight as expected by government.

For those who think that the members are singing a song around me, they are not.

They are talking about things that they see on the ground.

I would also like to say that we are celebrating the Africa Month, and 25th is going to be Africa Day.
I am encouraging all our members to remember and always appreciate the fact that we are Africans, and we are in Africa, and therefore use this opportunity to celebrate what we have managed to achieve globally from an African point of view – from colonialism to freedom or democracy.

And in South Africa, our democracy is on the move.


And in South Africa, we are strengthening our institutions of democracy so that our people can have what they fought for and that our people can benefit for what they fought for.

To everybody across the board, let us celebrate UNREVISED HANSARD MINI PLENARY - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY, 13 MAY 2022 VOTE NO 19 – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Page: 89 ourselves as South Africans, and negativity will never reside here.

I thank you.

The Mini-Plenary rose at 12:07.