Chairperson, hon Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, MECs for social development, chairperson of the select committee, the director-general, the CEOs of the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, and the National Development Agency, NDA, representatives of civil society, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to send condolences to the families of those who died in Springs on the East Rand this week. May God assist them to overcome this tragedy.
On 18 May this year the people of our country overwhelmingly decided that the movement that has historically been at the forefront of the struggle for liberation should continue to build a caring society, with the goal of a better life for all. Mindful that the month of June has a special place in the history of our country, as Minister Dlamini said earlier, it is with a commitment to serve that we table Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Social Development before this august House today.
When we commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 16 June Soweto student uprising tomorrow, we have to remember that we owe the youth of this country a historical debt. In memory of the youth who were killed that day and at other times during the years of struggle, we commit ourselves to better the lives of our young women and men.
Ladies and gentlemen, it was also in the month of June in 1955 that the Freedom Charter was launched. Despite many people laying claim to this event, it was the progressive forces in the country at the time, led by the ANC, who were responsible for the birth of the Freedom Charter. That is a historical fact.
The rights of all people, but especially the vulnerable, were a salient feature of the Freedom Charter. These rights have been reinforced in the Constitution of our country. Our people come first in all government development programmes. Each and every member of our society is cherished equally, which is exactly what our Constitution demands. We remain aware that the socioeconomic challenges facing us are not just figures on paper but the livelihoods and wellbeing of every single citizen, family and community.
The mandate of the Department of Social Development is to ensure effective protection against vulnerability by creating an enabling environment for the provision of a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable development service. Community development holds the key to people's full participation in development initiatives and to the improvement of conditions for their survival and social progress through sustainable development.
To this end, during this financial year we will embark on a nationwide campaign of taking the Department of Social Development to communities. This campaign seeks to create greater public awareness of the department's services and programmes. It is our intention to reach the most vulnerable communities to inform them of the services offered by the department and its entities. The NDA and Sassa will be key partners in this campaign. I have to thank Minister Dlamini for her support for this campaign, which was approved by the social development Minmec. We look forward to working together with provincial departments and hon members of this House in rolling out this programme.
Programmes under community development, such as sustainable livelihood, emphasise self-reliance and people's participation in their own social and economic development. We will intensify efforts to facilitate the implementation of policies, guidelines, and norms and standards to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of community development services and programmes.
Recognising that employment is vital to people's livelihoods and knowing that it is young people who make up the greatest number of the unemployed, President Zuma declared 2011 a year of job creation. In line with this priority, the department will work closely with local government to facilitate employment opportunities through the community work programmes. We will also focus on the recruitment and training of a cadre of community development practitioners at local level to enable our people to access the fruits of democracy.
To this end the process of standardisation of the training of community development practitioners has been completed with the production and registration of a four-year Bachelor of Community Development degree. I am also pleased to report that the National Community Development Policy Framework has been developed and will be finalised during the course of this financial year.
In keeping with the theme of Youth Month: "Youth Action for Economic Freedom in our Lifetime", we will endeavour to provide training and employment opportunities to young people through the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme. We will continue to work in collaboration with the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, and other partners in the sector to create opportunities for young people. Nonprofit organisations are an important partner in the provision of social services. The department is responsible for the administration of the Nonprofit Organisations Act, which seeks to create an environment in which NPOs can flourish. During the 2010-11 financial year the departmental records show that of the total number of 10 542 NPOs, 97% were voluntary associations, 2% were section 21 companies, and the remaining 1% were trusts.
We have improved our services to nonprofit organisations. Registration times have decreased. All nine provinces have been assisted with structures for the support of registration of NPOs and we have developed funding guidelines. In the course of this financial year we will pilot the NPO online registration and compliance monitoring system. Provinces have set up structures to register and monitor NPO compliance. This is in order to bring services closer to where they are needed and to cut down on the expenses involved in having to travel to Pretoria for registration. We urge members to encourage communities to register their NPOs, not only to access funding but also to operate with a sense of integrity.
During this financial year we will redouble our efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV and Aids on families and communities through the implementation of the home community-based care and prevention programmes. This includes the roll-out of community conversations as part of our contribution to the national strategy on HIV and Aids, TB and malaria. We will also continue to work together with lovelife to implement HIV and Aids prevention, focusing on behaviour-change programmes.
Other priorities include the training of 63 community capacity enhancement facilitators; building the management skills capacity of 50 community organisations as part of the capacity-building programme; facilitating the training of 100 organisations, including early childhood development centres on HIV and Aids management; and rolling out a manual and computerised home community-based care data capturing system. The system is currently being utilised in the following provinces: North West, KwaZulu- Natal, Limpopo and the Northern Cape.
Another priority is implementing an agreement between the department and the German Development Bank focusing on innovation and the construction of community centres as well as skills development programmes for child-headed households.
The department will host the sixth annual Population Association of South Africa conference from 6 to 8 July 2011. The conference seeks to raise awareness of population-related issues and their role in development, especially in the Southern African region. The department will also host various activities of Partners in Population and Development, PPD, including the Partners Country Co-ordinators meeting, the international conference on population dynamics, climate change and sustainable development, as well as the 16th annual board meeting from 31 October to 3 November 2011. The PPD is an intergovernmental organisation of 25 developing countries dedicated to the promotion and strengthening of South African co-operation in population and development. I know that we can and will contribute substantially to the successful organisation and outcome of these upcoming global events.
We are acutely aware that the challenges that lie before us, as outlined in the National Planning Commission's Diagnostic Overview report released early this month, are great. On more than one occasion the people of this country have shown that we can overcome what often seem like insurmountable challenges.
I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our partners and numerous organisations for their tireless efforts in addressing the needs of vulnerable South Africans. I would like to thank the Minister for her leadership. I would like to express a special word of thanks to the director-general, the CEOs of Sassa and the NDA and all staff of the department.
Budget Vote 19 is a commitment to improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of our society. I would ask that you support the budget. Ke a leboga. [Thank you.]