Hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, the chairperson from Mpumalanga and hon members, firstly, I wish to thank the department for their presentation to our committee. The budget of the department, which is Budget Vote 8, increased from R143,1 million for the 2011-12 financial year, to R172,2 million for the 2012-13 financial year. Please forgive me if I repeat myself, but our chair said this department has once again received the smallest budget allocation, which constitutes a mere 0,01% of the overall national Budget.
As was the case in the last financial year, the women's empowerment and gender equity subprogramme consumed some 55% of the budget. Whilst this is still a relatively new department, under Programme 1: Administration, some 53,7% is allocated for the compensation of employees. While most of the top posts will be filled, there are still some 74 vacant posts in the department; some, of course, being unfunded posts.
After two years, many of the same problems still exist, namely insufficient budgetary allocations, and a lack of skills and capacity. The committee was, however, pleased to hear that the internal audit unit in the department will now be fully functional by 1 July 2012.
The aim of the department is to drive, accelerate and oversee government's equity, equality and empowerment agenda on women, children and people with disabilities, especially in the poor and rural communities. One of the primary objectives is to facilitate gender equality through the mainstreaming of our government's policies and programmes. An amount of R27,5 million was set aside, according to the Estimates of National Expenditure 2012 for the implementation and co-ordination of the National Women's Day celebration, 16 Days of Activism and the 365 Days National Action Plan.
A large part of this amount is spent on advertising, catering and travel. Other state departments, such as Health, Justice and Constitutional Development, Social Development and Police, and the provincial governments must assist this department to carry out the implementation and organisation of these functions. More often than not, these are allocated to a desk in the provinces based in the premier's office. The bulk of the resources continue to be within other departments, nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, and the private sector.
Under Programme 4: Rights of persons with disabilities, the department must assert its authority and insist that the 2% employment target, with regard to persons with disabilities, is now implemented by all state departments. The Minister herself stated at the recent International Day of Persons with Disabilities that the failure by both the government and industry to achieve a 2% target was an indictment on the country's commitment to the Constitution, with which we concur.
One of the main stumbling blocks, however, to fast-tracking this target is to provide reasonable accommodation for disabled persons, which is very expensive and slows down implementation.
Of concern is that many of the department's programmes and projects will only be starting during the 2012-13 financial year, some two to two-and-a- half years after the department was established. The department is in the final year of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period and it must now expedite the implementation of its programmes in line with its set objectives and budget.
Rural women, meanwhile, continue to be the poorest of the poor, remain excluded from economic development and growth, and are often denied access to desperately needed services. We are also concerned with the protection of women's rights and children in regard to the proposed Traditional Courts Bill, and trust that women will attend the public hearings in the various provinces in large numbers, to voice their concerns to ensure reconciliation, and that redress takes place. The Saartjie Baartman Centre for abused women, which we have visited with our committee in Athlone, and the branch in Worcester, are examples of poor funding and assistance. These centres have had to turn away many abused women because of a lack of funds from government and - can you believe it - because they are dependent on money given by the National Lottery. Fortunately, it would appear that monies will be made available by the provincial government of the Western Cape to keep these centres open for the next few months.
This is happening throughout the country. The epidemic of sexual violence against women was revealed, with videos being filmed of a mentally disabled girl being gang-raped by a group of youths between the ages of 14 and 20. This episode is a damning indictment of the state of morality in our country and the moral decay that exists in our society.
The DA believes that the establishment of special rape courts and the reinstatement of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units will help to reduce the high incidence of rape in South Africa. We must also appeal for an effective child protection register to ensure that everyone with a history of sexual offences against children is recorded.
A recent High Court judgment has revealed a fatal omission in the new Sexual Offences Act, which will have a disastrous effect on sexual assault cases. Apparently, anyone accused of crimes in terms of the new Sexual Offences Act cannot be charged because legislators - how this ever happened, I do not know - omitted to prescribe sentences for at least 29 offences listed in the Act. This could result in a rush of people applying to have their convictions set aside. This is clearly contrary to the principles of our law and Constitution. I thank you. [Applause.]