Chairperson, hon Minister, all hon members present, I firstly wish to thank the Minister and her department for the various presentations to our committee.
Chairperson, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the major role that the late Mama Albertina Sisulu played in establishing the status of women and children in the government structures. If you strike a woman, you strike a rock. Indeed, women are the mothers of our nation.
Chairperson, the aim of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities is to drive, accelerate and oversee government's equity, equality and empowerment agenda for women, children and persons with disabilities, especially those in the poor and rural communities. The previous national Office on the Status of Women, OSW, the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, OSDP, and the Office on the Rights of the Child, ORC, were all incorporated into this relatively new department which only started operating as a separate entity from November 2010. The budget of this department has increased from R106 million in the 2010- 11 financial year to R118 million in the 2011-12 financial year at a real rate of 6,02%.
The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality programme consumes 55% of the budget. Since this is a new department, a large proportion of the budget is allocated to current payments, 57,3% of which will be used for the compensation of employees. The budget is hopelessly inadequate for the co- ordination and the work this department must oversee. The strategic plan of this department for 2011 to 2015 acknowledges that the department is not a service delivery department, but works with other government departments to monitor and to evaluate how its policies and priorities are being implemented.
The department will therefore have to exercise sufficient influence over the other government departments in order to achieve its aims and objectives. This is where the major challenge lies. The department aims to improve capacity implementation of policy across all three spheres of government. Many departments will be involved, including local government police, health, justice, welfare and social development, to name just a few.
Who will be held to account for the scarcity and the nonexistence of safe houses or places of safety for abused women particularly in the rural areas; or for the role that alcohol and drug abuse contributes to a violent society or the lack of psychologists and lack of social workers in poorer areas?
Women and children with special needs such as the blind, the mentally challenged and the disabled require much assistance. How many state-owned buildings are still not accessible to disabled persons? Are there 50 or 1 500? The Department of Public Works is utilised by the various state departments for various contracts, but the funding is provided by the department concerned. Funds follow function.
Will the various departments allocate money from their own budgets for the policies of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities? Will other departments and provinces comply with the 2% employment targets for people with disabilities, for example? Only Gauteng - so I hear - is anywhere near to complying.
Chairperson, the department is in the process of developing a Gender Equality Bill, which will enforce the implementation of programmes related to women. The department will have to ensure that any new legislation is effectively implemented. The Domestic Violence Act, Act 116 of 1998, is not enforced and there is very little or no compliance. There is a lack of training around the Act by the police, and women are often ignored or taken back to their husbands, where they are physically or mentally abused once more.
Public-private partnerships and various nongovernmental organisations have throughout the years supported delivery on the rights and socioeconomic development of women, children and persons with disabilities. It is important that these partnerships are encouraged and strengthened.
It has been noted that this department has now moved from the governance cluster to the social cluster in so far as budget is concerned. However, it is unclear at this stage as to what the budget implications will be now or in the future.
South Africa is listed at the international level as one of the most progressive countries with regard to the protection of the rights of women, children and persons with disabilities. The challenge is to translate that into daily reality. Does this department really have the authority to hold all relevant sectors accountable, or is this department only a talk shop? How much longer must women, children and persons with disabilities still wait to get the services delivered to improve their lives? Indeed, the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities and relevant stakeholders owe it to the nation to make a difference in the daily lives of these people, especially in the poor and rural communities of South Africa.
Aluta Continua! [The struggle continues!] May the struggle continue for the disabled. I thank you. [Applause.]