Honourable Chairperson
Honourable Speaker
Honourable MEC of Social Development, Hon Weziwe Thusi
Honourable Members of this august house
Distinguished Guests
Honourable Chairperson!
The Vision of the Department of Social Development is stated as: A caring and self-reliant society.
As the Inkatha Freedom Party we are of the opinion that the Department, both national and provincial, is neither caring nor focussed on creating a self-reliant society.
I say this against the backdrop of the social grant payment fiasco that caused undue stress and anxiety for those millions of people who are dependent on social grants. During the months of February and March this year our people were agonising over whether they will be paid their social grants from April. Fortunately, they were paid but one cannot forget the administrative and political bungling that led to a crisis that still remains hanging over our heads. Such inefficiency on the part of the National Minister and the silence by our MEC cannot amount to a caring department that has the interest of our people at heart. We did not see or hear our MEC for Social Development offering any words of assurance when this issue was causing stress to our people.
Secondly Honourable Chairperson, the IFP is not against people receiving social grants, but we would like to see people become self-reliant as is stated in the Department’s Vision statement. We do not see initiatives that tell us that this government is moving towards creating a self-reliant society but what we see happening is that this government is creating a grant-dependent society that will prove to be unsustainable in the long term.
One of the key principles of the IFP is that of “Self-help and Self-reliance”. We have the winning formula in this regard but the ANC-led government is too arrogant to admit it and to work with the IFP in the interest of our people.
The Former President of the Philippines, Ms Gloria Arroyo said:
We have to be bold in our national ambitions. First, we must win the fight against poverty. Second, we must improve moral standards in government and society to provide a strong foundation for good governance. Third, we must change the character of our politics to promote fertile ground for reforms.
These are indeed wise words that can inform a progressive government in catering for the needs of its people.
Honourable Chairperson, the IFP acknowledges the budget allocation of R3.041billion to the Department of Social Development.
In view of the growing demands for social work services in all parts of our province, the IFP believes that this allocation falls far short of what is needed. In the face of the high incidence of substance abuse, child and women abuse, teenage pregnancies and other social ills, there is an urgent need for an increase in the present number of social workers. The present downturn in the economy and the huge job losses that we are currently facing, there will be an increase of social ills. This calls for visionary thinking and forward planning in order to keep our communities safe and well-informed. In view of this the department’s budget needs to be aligned to cater for the changing dynamics within communities across the province. We are aware of the usual gate keeping tactics of the ruling party of sabotaging opportunities for the most vulnerable in our communities to ensure their loyalty to the ANC.
In this regard Programme 5: Research and Development plays a pivotal role since its aim is to provide sustainable development programmes that will empower communities based on empirical research and population dynamics. The Community Mobilisation and Women Development sub-programmes need to be monitored very closely since they were not able to provide financial records previously. Funding provided to different sub-programmes must result in the desired outcomes otherwise it will amount to wasteful expenditure.
One of the Strategic objectives of this Department is to provide care and social welfare services to older persons. The IFP is deeply concerned about the increase in the number of cases involving abuse of older persons. This is a very serious matter since older persons belong to one of the most vulnerable sectors of our population and they need to be protected and treated with dignity. Very often we find that older persons are being abused by their own children or their grandchildren. We want to urge the department to use its Youth Development programmes to encourage our youth to care for their elders and not to abuse them.
Okunye esikhala ngakho sinxusa ukuba uqine umkhankaso wokuvikela abantu abaphila nebala elimhlophe. Ngeke sikumele ukuthi kube nesigaba esithile somphakathi esiphila ngokuhlala sethuka izanya ngoba nakhu sesiphenduke abazingelwa ngenxa yabazingeli abafuna izicubu zabo okunenkolelo yokuthi zimandla kakhulu ekutheni abantu bagwilike babe zinjinga. Sinxusa ukuthi nezinyanga uqobo azenze konke okusemandleni ukunqanda lomkhuba owenziwa abanye ozakwabo abaye banukeke ezenzweni zokubulawa kwabantu kucwiywe izitho zabo zomzimba. Kumele bajeziswe kanzima abantu abacwiya izicubu zabantu.
Honourable Chairperson, the IFP is pleased to note that there are plans to employ more social workers as this will go a long way to ease service delivery pressures in all districts. Presently, in many areas, social workers are carrying very large case loads and this is adding to the stress that they are experiencing. The IFP welcomes the Social Worker Employments grant that will see 185 social work graduates be appointed. The IFP would urge the department to ensure that these social workers are employed in areas where there is the greatest need.
We note that the sub-programme: Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Livelihoods seeks to support 42 Community Nutrition and Development Centres in the most deprived wards. The Hon MEC needs to inform this House as to which are those most deprived wards and where those centres are located. We also need to know what criteria was used to identify those wards.
Honourable Chairperson, as the IFP we are deeply concerned about this department’s abuse of state resources in the run-up to by-elections. It is no secret that this department manipulates its programmes not according to its Annual Performance Plan but rather according to the IEC’s by-election schedule. It is unacceptable, unlawful and highly unethical that the Hon MEC will allow and even encourage such blatant abuse of state resources for party political purposes. We are not against food parcels, walking sticks, wheel barrows, seeds, etc being provided to our people but it cannot be done with the intention of buying votes. We want to warn the Hon MEC that our people on the ground are watching and we will not hesitate to take action if her department continues with such illegal practices.
Ngiyacabanga ukuthi njengoba kuzobanjwa ukhetho lokuchibiyela eNquthu mhlaka 24 kulenyanga kumanje konke sekumi ngomumo mayelana nezinhlelo zokuthi izijumbana zokudla zihanjiswa nini eNquthu. Phela kuyaziwa ukuthi uMhlonishwa uWeziwe Thusi udume ngokuba sophondweni ekukhankaseni ngezijumbana ungafunga ukuthi izithupha ziya egwayini benoMhlonishwa uDokotela uMeshack Radebe naye owemandla kakhulu ekukhaseni ngezijumbana ngesikhathi esaphethe lomnyango. Ugade Ngqongqoshe ungagcini usubizwa ngokuthi unguNgqongqoshe wezijumbana.
Honourable Chairperson, The IFP expresses its concern about the working conditions that many social workers are forced to work in. Social workers are professionals who are dealing with sensitive cases that touch the lives of our people. Their working conditions should, therefore be conducive to the kind of work that they are engaged in. When we visit some of these offices, we find that social workers and their clients are cramped into tiny, dusty and ill-equipped make-shift offices. Such conditions do not allow for a pleasant working environment that will ensure that social workers can give off their best.
Ubufakazi balokhu emahhovisini aka-Sassa eXobho kunezindlu ezingomahamba nendlwana kanye netende elingcolile futhi eligugile eligxunyekwe egcekeni elikhosela abantu uma bezobhalisa izimpesheni. Konke lokhu kubizwa ngani? Ngqongqoshe uwakha nini amahhovisi akwaSassa eXobho na?
Kuyadumaza ukuthi uNgqongqoshe uba matasa kakhulu uma kunokhetho kodwa uyehluleka ukuxazulula inkinga yokwentuleka kwemipheme ezindaweni zokuholela. Lokhu ngikusho ngento engiyibone ngamehlo KwaVishavisha eMkhunya lapho abantu abahola impesheni ziholela esitolo kwaMkhize lapho kungekho khona mpheme wokukhosela. Liduma, lina, libalele noma kumakhaza baphila lempilo ngoba akukho ngisho ihholo lapho kungaholelwa khona. Kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi uma kungase kuthiwe kunokhetho kulendawo uNgqongqoshe angafika qathatha ezokhohlisa abantu ngokuthi uzobakhela umpheme. Sekwaba usiko ukuhlekisa ngosizi lwabantu kulomnyango. Ngikuphonsela inselelo Ngqongqoshe ukuthi wakhe umpheme kulendawo kanye nezinye. iQembu leNkatha lifuna ukubona umfutho onawo uma kuwukhetho uwusebenzisa ekuxazululeni izinkinga ezifuze lezi emnyangweni wakho. Umfutho wakho uchithe ezintweni ezisiza umphakathi hhayi ezintweni ezizuzisa wena siqu ngokwesikhundla sakho eqenjini lakho.
Hon Chairperson, As the IFP we are eager to hear from the MEC on what progress has been made in the issue of the fraud involving the processing of 1376 foster care grants for people who did not exist, defrauding the government of R19m, at the department’s Lower Umfolozi office. The IFP demands that all implicated officials and social workers at the department’s Lower Umfolozi offices be arrested and criminally charged in terms of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12/2004 and Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121/1998.
Sengiphetha ngiyafisa ukukukhaba ngazozombili okuhlezi kushiwo uKhongolose ukuthi uhulumeni unemali, lokho kungamapunge futhi kuyimfudisoze. Kanjalo nalokhu okuhlezi kukhulunywa ukuthi impesheni eyeqembu likaKhongolose kuyimfundisoze eyenziwa ngamabomu ngenhloso yokudunga abantu imiqondo njalo uma kuyiwa okhethweni. Impesheni ivela kwintela yabantu nathi nejngamalungu eNkatha esiyikhokhayo. Ayikho into okuthiwa imali kahulumeni; imali eyabakhokhi-ntela. Ngkhoke abantu abanikezwe izidingo zabo ezibafanele. iQembu leNkatha lizoba mehlo mane ngenhloso yokuqapha ukuthi isabelo-zimali salomnyango sisebenze ngendlela efanele akukho yini okudla amantshontsho emsamo. Angeke savuma ukuthi kukhulunywe ngezigidi zemali kodwa uma uqhathanisa okwenziwe ngaleyomali kubonakale ukuthi kukhona okunuka santungwana.
Ngiyabonga.
