Hon Deputy Chair, Minister Skweyiya, Deputy Minister, MEC, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I want to start by acknowledging the contributions and sacrifices made by the employees of the department of social development in our province. Without them, the department wouldn't have been able to achieve what it has.
I also want to acknowledge the stability created by the ANC government. This stability has actually brought this change into our systems and it has enabled us to improve the pace and quality of service delivery.
It is the first time that this department has been under a single political leadership for four consecutive years. It is this stability that has enabled us to transform the department, to the pride of everyone in our province.
According to the Western Cape provincial minister of social development, the department has reached its equity targets; it has a transformation plan that guides both its service delivery and that of its NGO partners; it has also set aside 25% of its transfer budget to develop the capacity of emerging organisations and inculcate in them a new mindset of a nonracial, democratic South Africa; it has received unqualified audit reports for the past three consecutive years; it is the first provincial department of social development to have a fully fledged monitoring and evaluation directorate in place; and it has exceeded the BEE targets in 2006-07, which must now be maintained. Their mandate remains that of ensuring a quality service to the most vulnerable, enhancing delivery capacity, promoting social cohesion and working with people to better the lives of the poor.
The department of social development in the Western Cape delivers on this mandate through their support services, as well as eight key programmes, namely children and families, older persons, substance abuse, disability, youth, sustainable livelihoods, HIV/Aids and institutional capacity- building.
In delivering on our mandate for the 2008-09 financial year, we are encouraged by a total budget allocation of R1,088 billion, which represents a growth of 22% in respect of the previous budget.
Certainly, when history judges us, it will say that an important part of our legacy was that we worked with the people to build a legacy for themselves, their children, their families and their future. This I believe must fill us with a sense of pride.
During this term of office we took a conscious decision to make Early Childhood Development, ECD, one of our top priorities. This is based on our belief that an investment in the development of the education of children from a very young age is one of the best investments one can make for the future. It is our responsibility to protect children and to allow them to grow up as children in a free, safe environment.
We are driven by a passion to provide quality education for children and we will continue to mobilise resources until every child has access to the best possible quality ECD provision, whether they are living on farms, or in informal settlements or townships.
It is therefore with pride that we inform this House that in 2005-06, we funded 568 registered sites, accommodating 46 337 children at a cost of R4,50 per child. In the last financial year, we funded 841 sites, accommodating 70 309 children, at a cost of R7,50 per child. I think that is good news.
We thus reached a total of 75 528 children in the last financial year, and we plan to increase this number by an additional 5 000 in this financial year.
On child protection: Towards the end of last year the department launched the Integrated Provincial Child Protection Plan in Paarl. This plan is a partnership between our department, all other provincial departments, some national departments such as Labour and Justice, as well as NGOs working in the field of child protection. At the heart of this plan is the recognition that people in the community are best placed to recognise child abuse and neglect and to do something about it. Therefore, if we want to win the battle against child abuse, it must be in partnership with the community.
Only if there are strong social networks in communities will children be safe and protected. We therefore place emphasis on public awareness and education, parent training and the establishment of safe houses at ward level.
We hear that 2 billion people in the world are living in poverty, the majority of whom come from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Closer to home, our own communities are experiencing a crisis due to high food prices. Through our sustainable programmes we address food security, income security, social relief of distress and skills development to enhance employability.
In the last financial year we were able to provide a meal to more than 47 000 people. Together with the Department of Agriculture we will seek ways to expand these initiatives.
To date, we have also funded various self-help projects throughout the province. This ranges from food gardens, brickmaking, landscaping to nappy- making. The highlight of the brickmaking projects is Khayelitsha Phakamani Brickmaking, which produces SABS-approved bricks and sells them directly to the community. In the past three months the project has generated R153 000 from sales to date. They are proud to have more than R120 000 in their bank account.
In partnership with the Bitou Municipality we have supported a cluster of projects with an average monthly income of R1 200 per beneficiary. We are happy to have improved the quality of lives of people in Elim and Swellendam. In Elim we are funding the Elim clothing project that supplies overalls to Brady's Construction, among other companies.
The tender for all municipal landscaping work in Swellendam has been awarded to Swellendam Gardening Services, which we have helped to set up. Both these projects benefit people who were previously unemployed.
I also want to thank Minister Skweyiya.
Minister, as ek dit in my moedertaal kan s, u het 'n gees van passie ingebring in Maatskaplike Dienste. Ek wil vir u namens die Wes-Kaap s, baie dankie dat u omgee vir die oues van dae, vir die armes, vir die kinders wat dikwels onder baie moeilike omstandighede leer. Mag die Skepper vir u nog baie jare spaar, en senwense op die pad vorentoe. Dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Minister, if I can say this in my vernacular, you brought a spirit of passion into social services. On behalf of the Western Cape, I would like to say to you, thank you very much that you care for the aged, for the poor, and for the children who often have to study under very difficult circumstances. May the Lord keep you for many years to come, and blessings for the road ahead. Thank you. [Applause.]]