Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members and distinguished guests, good morning. My area of focus is on the overview of the department's mandate.
When the President established the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities in 2009 it was evident that there was a need to address equity and inequality of the vulnerable groups in society. This was based on the Bill of Rights of our Constitution and what we, the ANC, stand for as a movement, that is: a non-sexist, nonracial and united democratic society in accordance with the national democratic revolution. This was about translating these values and principles into practical actions for implementation through policies, programmes and projects that are supported by adequate funding for them to be effective.
The department does not render direct services to the public. Its purpose is to drive, accelerate and oversee government's equity, equality and empowerment agenda in terms of women, children and people with disabilities, especially the poor and rural communities.
This came about as a result of the realisation that having policies and programmes on the empowerment and protection of women, children and people with disabilities without a strong system for continual monitoring and evaluation was not enough to advance, develop, promote and protect the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities through mainstreaming, lobbying, advocacy, awareness-raising, empowerment and monitoring compliance in government and all relevant sectors. Recent events which show an increase in sexual violence against women, children and people with disabilities have shamed the nation and brought to the fore the indisputable importance of the work of this department.
When assessed against international benchmarks, South Africa is among the top ranking countries in promoting gender equality. This is true in terms of establishing a progressive constitutional, legislative and legal environment that prohibits discrimination and promotes equality and representivity in public institutions and in the workplace. In this regard a lot of progress has been achieved since the dawn of democracy in 1994. The establishment of this department itself and the existence of constitutional agencies, such as the Commission for Gender Equality and the SA Human Rights Commission, are some of the institutional examples of progress being made in advancing the ideals of equality at a societal level.
In the January 8 Statement, the "Year of Unity in Diversity", the President said:
In the cities, changing gender roles were also evident. In the rural areas the wives of migrant workers were compelled to take on both gender roles in their households for the greater part of the year. In the urban shanty-towns and in the trade union movement women were less reticent and were often more determined in struggles asserting their right to live and work in the urban areas.
South Africa is a signatory to international instruments, and yet some of these are not being effected. The Children's Act, Act 38 of 2009, and the Child Justice Act, Act 27 of 2008, are but some examples. We need also to remind departments that people with disabilities is a crosscutting issue which requires addressing by all departments if we are to meet the 2% target in terms of employment. The responsibility does not only lie with the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. In terms of accessibility to buildings and transport, we need a universal approach.
Notwithstanding these, challenges of implementation still remain glaring. It is regrettable that, three years into its establishment, the department is yet to perform to its expected maximum potential.
There are many reasons for this and many have been acknowledged as arising from, among other things, new institutional formations and budgetary limitations. We believe that the department's programme priorities are sound, given that the gap is in terms of government departments' failure to meet government employment equity targets with regard to persons with disabilities and women, especially at management level. The Public Service Commission reports have consistently shown a lack of progress in this regard.
In his state of the nation address the President further reiterated the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality that African women and the youth continue to suffer from, despite the progress made.
We, as the ANC, have remained firm in ensuring that government policies and programmes must promote gender equality and the rights of people with disabilities to be treated equally and empowered for employment. The monitoring and evaluation of these policies are crucial functions of the department. We welcome and support their priorities. It is particularly important that this department become the central point for public participation and involvement by different stakeholders and communities in the fight for equality. This role will assist in terms of involving communities in policy-making but, equally, in ensuring oversight and education.
Since the biggest challenges with regard to achieving equality and protecting rights are experienced in the rural areas and poor communities, it is imperative that the department give more attention to its advocacy and mainstreaming programmes in terms of budget allocations and institutional capacity.
The budget of the department has grown from R143,1 million in 2011-12 to R172,2 million in the 2012-13 financial year. The department's budget constitutes a mere 0,01% of the overall national Budget. As was the case in the past financial year, women empowerment and gender equality consume most of the budget at 55%.
In terms of administration, according to the National Treasury between 2009- 10 and 2011-12 expenditure increased significantly from Rl,7 million to R42,8 million. This was attributed to additional funding for capacity to provide financial and administrative support to the programmes and the Ministry.
According to the third quarter expenditure analysis of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, this programme was allocated R42,8 million for the 2011-12 financial year. At the end of the third quarter the department had spent R46,1 million of the budget. Compensation for employees was allocated R17,9 million and Rl9,2 million has been spent during the same period. This means that the department has managed to spent the entire budget of this programme within nine months.
This means that this programme has exhausted its entire budget for the year. This is owing to the fact that the department has been employing staff at higher notches than those which have been approved by the Department of the Public Service and Administration. This has also been due to the fact that some staff members have been employed outside the establishment of the posts, which were formally budgeted for by the department. Of note is that this programme has exceeded its spending by Rl5,4 million for the first nine moths.
Having met with the department to scrutinise the strategic plan and the budget, the committee made the following observations. The committee noted that this department has, once again, received the smallest budget allocation. It is also concerned about the department's overexpenditure in the previous financial year and the impact this will have on the planned activities for this year. The committee expressed concern as to whether the department would be able to achieve its set targets and objectives given its budget. The committee also observed that in terms of identified risks, the same risks were identified by the department in both the current and previous strategic plans, namely insufficient budgetary allocations, lack of compliance and accountability, and a lack of skills and capacity. The committee enquired whether any mitigating mechanisms to counter these risks had been identified and implemented. It was also concerned that the department indicated that many programmes and projects would only be implemented in 2012-13. The committee was also concerned that the travel and subsistence budget for the administration programme increased, while significant budget cuts were made for travel and subsistence for the remaining programmes.
The committee asked whether all the targets, as set out in the 2011-12 annual performance plan, had been met and requested clarification where this did not happen. It also enquired about the signing of memoranda of understanding with other departments or provincial governments in so far as programmes are concerned. In addition, the committee also requested the department to submit the content and the nature of memoranda of understanding that have been signed.
Having considered the budget and the strategic plans, the committee recommends that the department forward copies of memoranda signed with government departments and provincial governments, as far as women, children and people with disabilities are concerned, to the committee. The committee also notes that issues related to women, children and people with disabilities cut across all departments and recommends that funding for mainstreaming, awareness-raising and the celebration of commemorative days be shared across all departments.
The department should play a co-ordinating role with regard to commemorative celebrations rather than an implementation one. The committee also urged the department to continue its advocacy and monitoring role in so far as the 2% employment target of people with disabilities is concerned.
It also requested that the department forward copies of research studies undertaken and reports drafted in the past financial year. The department should caution against overspending on travel and subsistence allowances.
Given that the department is in the final year of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period, the committee urges the department to expedite the implementation of its programmes in line with the said objectives and budget. The committee requests the department to report quarterly on its expenditure and programme implementation. The ANC supports Budget Vote No 8. I thank you. [Applause.]