Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Ministers, members and the staff of the departments, the Department of Social Development's core functions are poverty alleviation, development, care and protection of the vulnerable. The IFP welcomes this year's social grant increases as well as the move towards the equalisation of the pensionable age. However, we want the child support grant to be extended to all children irrespective of their age so that their constitutional rights to good health, dignity and education are not compromised.
It is a good thing that the hon Minister has agreed to adjust the means test in line with inflation for the child support grant, so that the government can reduce the extent of child poverty in our country. The IFP, therefore, supports the Budget.
We, however, want to point out the following concerns regarding the upgrading of pay points. The purpose of these improvements is to ensure that pensioners receive their grants under humane conditions and that they are not made to queue outside any hall to receive their benefits. All pay points have to meet the national norms and standards in terms of the infrastructure, ablution, seating, water toilets, shelter and security. The service provider must also provide the disabled with wheelchairs, if they need them.
Pensioners who receive their grants through the banks feel that they are being discriminated against. They do not receive their money on time if the payday falls on a weekend or a public holiday. For example, this year they received their pension on 5 May, instead of 30 April because there were holidays. This is an unfair delay, which further exposes them to cash loans and desperation.
Development is gauged by the death rate of children under the age of five years. According to the SA Institute of Race Relations Survey No 4 of April, 2008, in KwaZulu-Natal, for every thousand children under five years of age, 90 died; in the Eastern Cape, 87; the Free State, 87; Gauteng, 56; Limpopo, 54; Mpumalanga, 76; North West, 66; Northern Cape, 50; Western Cape, 38; and the average is 69. It is through these figures that we gauge our challenges in development. Some people might say that KwaZulu-Natal is getting so much, but that is because of both the numbers that we have of people and also the death rate of children under the age of five years.
Coming to the plight of orphans and vulnerable children, OVCs, as we know, the rapid increase of HIV orphans in the country has resulted in the increase in foster care grant applications in recent years, and the government's policy of not awarding foster care grants to undocumented orphans has come under the spotlight since it alienates many vulnerable children.
We suggest that the government make use of traditional and religious authorities to attest to the identification of vulnerable children in cases where birth certificates and IDs cannot be found.
Faith-based structures and traditional leaders are in the communities and along with the people, they are the ones who give guidance and counselling to those communities who experience pain and suffering. However, children with the required documents also struggle to get foster care grants as it often takes long for those grants to be approved. Why should a child remain on the foster care grant waiting list for three years? That is why the number of children who are assisted by orphanages is not decreasing because they are not receiving foster care grants.
The Department of Social Development is about leading people to social development. We support the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Time expired.]