Chairperson, the Department of Social Development is failing our children. The Children's Act is the most important piece of legislation that deals with vulnerable children. The department's own costing report clearly stipulates that if we were to provide quality services to all our children, we would need 66 329 social workers for the Children's Act alone. The entire country only has 16 504 social workers for all legislation. This represents a shortfall of over 75%.
One of the consequences of the ANC decade of denialism with regards to HIV and Aids is that we now have over 3 million orphans in our country. The ANC has failed these children and their parents once before, and the DA will not allow them to be failed again through a lack of social workers and services.
Substance abuse is another major area in which the department is failing miserably. As the lead department, we should be ensuring that the Central Drug Authority has teeth and muscle, and that the national campaign, Ke Moja, is known in every house across the country. This campaign fails in terms of strategic objectives and remains a black hole in many communities and households.
Yet, we have a toothless and made-palatable CDA in which even departments such as Basic Education, Justice and Constitutional Development, and Sport and Recreation could not be bothered to submit their annual mini drug master plans. In addition, the Ke Moja campaign is all but dead.
Minister, we simply cannot continue with "business as usual" in your department. Children are being failed every day on several fronts. Until your department shows its commitment to the children of this country, the DA cannot support Budget Vote 19. I thank you, Chairperson.