Chairperson, hon Minister, hon MECs from provinces, hon members, when we speak about welfare, we include the wellbeing of everybody - from an unborn baby who is still a fetus, to the senior citizen of whatever age, as long as that individual is still alive. We also speak of the welfare of all other living creatures, which may not be human beings, and which fall under separate departments.
Today we are dealing with human beings, as I have mentioned, from the womb to the cradle to the grave. I will repeat this - from the womb to the cradle to the grave - otherwise there would be no antenatal or postnatal health care services. [Interjections.] This means that this department is entrusted with one of the most outstanding responsibilities of government.
To highlight what I have just said, I will start with the welfare of all members of the community.
In the KwaZulu-Natal province, most people make a living by farming, either on a small or large scale. This depends upon capacity and the availability of land and finance. Without land and finance, nothing can be ventured into. Naturally, our people are industrious. This can be traced from as far back as the time of our ancestors. Most people cannot afford to cultivate their land because of poverty, shortage of funds due to unemployment, and joblessness. We appeal to the Department of Welfare to give the necessary assistance to these people in order to enhance and promote their wellbeing and economy.
Gardening is a well-known exercise by most citizens of this country, as I have already mentioned. It is an old trade of our forefathers. People make a living by cultivating land for various projects, for instance, planting fruits and vegetables, sugar plantations and forestry. Support structures that are available, such as servant support schemes should be effectively utilised. There must be no strings attached in giving out this money, because, one way or another, it could end up being misappropriated by greedy individuals, while the children who need it have not benefited.
Regarding old age pension, people who qualify for pensions because of old age must get this money for their wellbeing and survival. Some families abuse their elders when it comes to the use of this money. We commend the hon MEC in KwaZulu-Natal, the hon Prince J L Zulu, because we all know how he successfully dealt with this notoriety in the province. He has explained how many people are behind bars and so on. We really commend him for that.
Regarding the question of street children, street children in towns, cities and suburban areas need love and care. The Department of Welfare should have programmes to rehabilitate street children. Institutions should be built where they can be supervised and given behaviour modification skills in order to boost their morale and self-esteem to enable them to fight against street crime and the drug addiction that they have completely succumbed to.
People with specific skills should be financially assisted in order to promote their work skills and trade by all means, so that their welfare and wellbeing is catered for in the most appropriate manner possible. The IFP supports the Budget Review. [Applause.]