Madam Chair, it was just beginning to become exciting!
I think it has been an honour and a privilege for me to be here today because no contradiction has been raised as part and parcel of our debate, which will most probably assist us to perform much better than we have. So I will not necessarily answer each and every question; and we've heard the points that you were raising. The regulations, especially with regard to the Older Persons Bill, have been finalised and the department is gearing up to delivery within the next two months.
On the question of the infrastructure for the ECD, we completely agree with you. Quite obviously some of it leaves much to be desired and I think we want to do as much as possible to ensure that it does happen. We have laid out R600 million to initiate an infrastructure plan and process which will inform the infrastructure requirements.
On the question of the pay points, this will also be upgraded and the South African Social Security Agency is engaging with various municipalities, faith-based organisations and traditional councils to make available their facilities for payment of social grants. I think we can rent their premises, especially churches, and pay for the services that they offer us. The delay in pension pay outs was because of the holidays and nothing could be done about that. You know South Africans, they love their holidays. You can't force them to do anything at all.
With regard to children without birth certificates, if you had listened properly, most probably from 1 June, that is this month, anybody who does not have the proper identity documents to get a grant can go to the department for that. Individually and collectively as Members of Parliament of both the National Assembly and this House, you are commissioners of oaths and can easily sign to certify that that person is entitled to that grant. We will give that child, older person or orphan whatever they need.
With regard to child support grants I understand you are talking in reference to the means test. We are working towards removing the means test or in fact lowering it, I hope within the next three to four months. We would then be able to ensure that the 2 million people who are not getting the grant, because they happen to be just R50 or R60 or even R100 above the means test, will be able to get it. We calculated that the number of people in that category will be about 2 million or a little bit more than that.
Do you understand what is meant by "means test"? We are changing it so that people who are not getting the grant at the moment simply because they get about R50 more and sometimes merely R3 or R10 above the means test, are not simply cut off. So, we are beginning to work on that. At the moment it will enable 2 million people to get the grant that they are entitled to, but later on, after negotiations with Trevor, we might be able to remove it all - in the future, not now.
There are many things that we are working on which we have basically been able to do simply because of the support that we received from the communities, particularly from Members of Parliament and all concerned South Africans. And for that we really thank you all. We have worked very well together and I think we have been able to reach out to as many people as possible.
I think one of the things which has not happened since I came to this Parliament 15 years ago is that we have not been out there to see what is happening, not in the cities but definitely in the rural areas of South Africa first of all. Only when we do this will we be able to understand what we are talking about when we say there is poverty in this country.
I remember when I first said this, many comrades thought that I was very critical of the way in which we were working as government. But the reality is that if you go out there as a Member of Parliament - don't sit around Durban, Cape Town, the Rand or Gauteng, get into the bundus; go to the former Bantustans - then you will see the face of poverty in our own country, amongst our own people, the people who sent us here and who hope that we will be able to improve their lives. I think that is where it ought to be.
Don't only go when the Chairperson is calling you there, because you just go and sit in that hall and after that you get into your car and fly back and say you have seen the local people. Go there with your people; go and talk to your church; go and listen to what the people are saying and then ask them how they live under those conditions. Then you will be able to work with us all to ensure that every child gets his or her grant.
It is not an easy task but I think in the process we have been able to ensure that at least 12,8 million South Africans get a little bit of support from government. I know that that money is not enough. You can't bring up a child on R200 a month. It's just not possible, but at least it does assist in one way or the other. We should therefore be thankful for the efforts that have been made by this ANC government.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support you have given my department and I in the past ten years in respect of social development. It is my tenth year in Social Development and it is a very long time. It is a very long time and it is a very stressful job! It makes you old and causes sleepless nights sometimes. It's not a nice job like running around the world being a diplomat and all those other things. [Laughter.]
It actually makes you think: What did we come here for, who are we, where do we come from and where do we want to go to? I know many people don't want to be associated with poverty. We forgot how we came here, who sent us here, and what we are doing here for our people in general. So, it has been very stressful and I think the time has come for somebody to take over, especially these young people around here. [Interjections.] I hope you are not coming with me, because I don't think I will be coming here next year. But I want to say that you have helped; your comments and criticisms have made us in the department a bit more aware of our duties individually and collectively as public servants and representatives of our people.
There are many things that our people still want. It has been proved beyond any reasonable doubt that you can't get by on the grants alone. The majority of South Africans are very proud people. In fact, when some of them take this social grant, most of them maintain, "I would not take it, hon Minister, but there is nothing at home. I would appreciate it if I could get a job so that I can take care of my own children and not only depend on somebody from somewhere whom I don't know, who pays this tax.''
So, the best thing that we can do is to ensure that we encourage our people to educate themselves, and that they get more skills to make themselves employable. It's not easy; it's difficult. It becomes worse for instance in the provinces. You can ask the MECs there, they will tell you. Not all provinces are like the Western Cape or Gauteng. Definitely not! So we've got to work together to ensure that the services that we give to our people ensures their dignity. We shouldn't turn them into beggars; we should encourage them to demand their rights. Sometimes it's not nice to be criticised, but when you find that it is true and it is the only thing that person has and is dependent on, then you agree and accept the criticism. I take this opportunity to thank you all for the assistance you have given us here. I hope that when we come to your provinces next time we will be able to see you. We will be going to Limpopo in July and all these MECs will also be coming to Limpopo. Last month we were in North West, while others were in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. We are going to Limpopo, then afterwards to the Free State to try and see what we can do together as MECs and top officials of the department.
It's not been a nice time; hard work has been the basics and that has been done. But I would not have done that first of all had it not been for the support I received particularly from the MECs themselves from all the provinces. They have made a very wonderful team; they have been able to say things and do things that I would not have been able to do alone. They have really been true servants of the people and in this new phase they've been soldiers of uMkhonto we-Sizwe, sacrificing everything that they could for the benefit of our people. And more importantly, I thank the staff of my department, both nationally and provincially, the director-general, his deputies and especially the chief financial officer who has been looking after our money in order to ensure that everybody gets what he or she is entitled to; and, of course, the hon Deputy Minister.
You have been a wonderful team and as I leave to become an ordinary South African for the first time, not a Member of Parliament, just ... Ndibe ngumntu nje ... [... an ordinary citizen ...]
... I would be very pleased to know that I can rest. I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night and say, "Oh my God, there are children in North West whom I saw today and I don't know what's going to happen to them". Leave that to somebody else; a young man or woman who will be able to run around - not in cars and all these other things - and do the work that he or she is supposed to do.
Ndithi kuni, nonke nangamso; ningadinwa. Anga uNkulunkulu anganani. [I thank you all for what you have done for me; may you do it to others as well. May the Almighty Lord be with you all.]
God bless you all. Thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.