Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister of Social Development, the MECs present, hon members, special delegates from the provinces, senior management, ladies and gentlemen, the aim of the Department of Social Development is to ensure the provision of comprehensive, integrated, sustainable and quality social development services targeted at vulnerability and poverty, and to create an enabling environment for sustainable development in partnership with those committed to building a caring society.
The budget of the Department of Social Development is directed at addressing poverty, unemployment, inequality and related social challenges facing the country.
In addition to the aforementioned strategic priorities, the 2008 state of the nation address called for a national war room for the war against poverty. The war against poverty should involve the following departments: Social Development, Provincial and Local Government, Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Land Affairs, Public Works and Health - and we also should not forget to add Home Affairs to assist with documentation and the antipoverty strategy.
Part of implementing the war against poverty includes fighting poverty through reforms in the comprehensive social security system, identifying households and individuals in dire need and putting in place interventions aimed at alleviating poverty. It also calls for the development of a comprehensive antipoverty strategy that seeks to address the needs of vulnerable groups, namely children, women, the youth, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and the elderly.
The SA Social Security Agency has expanded significantly in respect of social assistance, growing from a coverage rate of 2,5 million in 1994 to cover 12,7 million in 2008. This amounts to about 3,4% of the GDP which covers at least 28% of the South African population.
The select committee welcomes the large transfer to the departmental entities, which includes R4,5 billion for the SA Social Security Agency; R136 million for the National Development Agency; R105 million for social workers' bursaries for 2008-09; R41 million to the loveLife awareness campaign; and also, in addition, transfers to social assistance programmes. We also welcome the R8 billion increase by Treasury to the total budget of R76 billion for the 2008-09 financial year.
The budget allocation for social assistance transfers increases due to the policy shift on old age pensions as part of the retirement reforms. The grant eligibility age for male beneficiaries will be adjusted from 65 to 60 years over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period as per the Polokwane resolution and this year's state of the nation address. This is a long-standing resolution of the ANC on gender parity - viva, gender equality, viva! Applications will wait until the Act comes into operation.
Mainly black males were excluded by the apartheid regime from obtaining a retirement pension and protection against poverty. The legislation acknowledges the strategic role that older persons play in society. The committee is seriously concerned about the slow pace of the implementation of the Older Persons Act which was passed in 2006, as the department says they are busy with regulations. The significance of the Act is that it will give the older persons, future and present, an opportunity to grow older and live with dignity until their last days.
With regard to the progress report on then shortage with regard to social workers' skills, the select committee welcomes the introduction and rapid expansion of the Social Work Scholarship programme in 2007-08, which recruited more personnel for policy development and legislation and provided leadership to provinces on welfare service delivery. The department in conjunction with the provincial departments initiated a Social Work Student Scholarship for which National Treasury has allocated R105 million for the 2008-09 financial year, and R210 million for the 2009- 10 financial year towards the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. In 2007, 1 428 students were awarded bursaries which amounted to R40 000 per student per annum. Well done, hon Minister, for initiating this programme to address the shortage of social workers in our country.
Concerning early childhood development, the select committee is concerned about the lack of adequate infrastructure, sanitation and relevant educators in the Foundation Phase sector, Grade 0 to Grade 4, after this was taken over from the Department of Education. But the department has improved on national parity to provinces by equalising the grant, as the Minister has already said, by giving R9,00 per child per day. This is a great achievement.
In addition to fighting child poverty, the child support grant will be extended to children up to the age of 15 years. It should be gradually extended up to the age of 18 years.
In conclusion, the select committee acknowledges the challenges it was faced with during 2007-08 to date. We did not have the opportunity to do oversight on the department's provincial visits due to many pieces of legislation before us. Legislation is the priority of the committee and as a result our interaction with the department was compromised.
Ke rata go leboga maloko a komiti, segolo maloko a ANC study group ka maele le tshegetso e ba e nayang modulasetulo wa komiti ka dinako tsotlhe tsa tsamaiso ya komiti. Ke leboga Tona ya Lefapha, Motlatsa-Tona ya Lefapha le badiredipuso. Ke a leboga. Ke tshegetsa Tlhopho ya Tekanyetsokabo ya 16. [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[I would like to thank the members of the committee, especially the members of the ANC study group, for the advice and support they give to the chairperson of the committee at all times. I thank the Minister of the department, the deputy Minister of the department as well as government employees. I thank you. I support Budget Vote 16. [Applause.]]