Chair, hon Minister, Members of the Fifth Parliament, Deputy Ministers, fellow South Africans, it is much harder for children who are born into poverty or disadvantage or whose family structures have collapsed to use their talents and seize opportunities later in life. That is why the DA believes the state has a duty to ensure that all people have equal access to opportunities and that they are all equipped with the tools they need to use those opportunities. This must start from childhood.
There are 2,8 million households vulnerable to hunger, 72% of which are in rural areas. Over a third of very young children do not get enough food and nutrition, which affects their growth, health, cognitive development and full participation in society. Nowhere is this more evident than in South Africa's poor schooling outcomes and low skills base. Early childhood development, ECD, is critical in addressing these concerns.
The success of the next generation is dependent on the decisions of this government and this department, that are made now. The Department of Social Development has continually talked about the plans to improve the quality of ECD. We hear, yet again, Minister, that this department will develop and implement an ECD policy. In the diagnostic review of the ECD presented to this committee in March of 2013, recommendations were made that policy and legislation must be addressed to ensure that ECD services are adequately resourced and provided. What progress has been made?
In the same meeting it was reported that this committee would implement a national plan of action. In the 10 points of the plan that it would implement, priority would be given to developing a new ECD policy that would provide the legal basis to fully support a defined set of critical ECD services and universal access to ECD centres.
Hon Minister, the time for talking is over. Plans must be implemented now in order to give the current young generation a reasonable future. The National Development Plan makes it compulsory that every child under the age of five should have access to ECD services. We are a long way from meeting that priority.
While the National Development Agency plans to focus on infrastructure upgrading and capacity-building, this is old news. Oversight is seriously lacking in this department. Visits in recent weeks to some community-based ECD centres have revealed that there are centres that are more detrimental to the health and safety of young children than they are a benefit. Infrastructure is collapsing or nonexistent. Many do not have access to running water, toilets, even the basics. There are no cooking facilities, nothing in the way of stimulation materials or adequate playing facilities. The qualifications of caregivers were seriously questionable and several could not advise when last a social worker or a representative of the Department of the Social Development had even visited.
Plans by the NDA to improve 375 ECD sites over the next five years translate to 77 per year. This is not acceptable. Which sites are prioritised and when, and at what cost? This is unclear. What progress has been made by the Department of Social Development and the NDA as a collective, and where does the accountability lie? There is a serious lack of integration between the agency's performance targets and the Department of Social Development mandate.
Hon Minister, we call upon you to address this lack of convergence between the NDA and the Department of Social Development. There is no co-ordination with regards to proposals and points of departure in several areas, including early childhood development, which has resulted in confusion, ineffective management and the collapse of essential services to communities.
Minister, let us forget about Jan van Riebeeck. This ... [Interjections.]
HON MEMBERS: Why?