BY
HON NJ NKWANYANA 2018
Hon Speaker,
Iqembu leNkatha lisakumela ngezandla ezimhlophe isabelo-zimali esethulwe uNgqongqoshe kodwake lifuna ukukusho ukuthi lilindele ukubona lesabelo zimali silekelela ekuqashweni kosonhlalakahle njengoba kukhona abangu 166 ababefundiswa umnyango okwakumele baqashwe loluhlelo alusheshiswe. Okwesibili, njengeqembu leNkatha sithi akwenyuswe amaholo osonhlalakahle ukuze nabo bakwazi ukuphila njengoba umkhulu umsebenzi abawenzela umphakathi, okwesithathu sithi abasebenzele ezimweni ezifanele njengokuthi bahlinzekwe ngezinsiza kusebenza ezifana nezimoto nezinye izidingo. Akugcwaliswe zonke izikhala ezingenamuntu emnyangweni ngoba ukungaqashwa kwabantu kwenza umnyango uhluleke ukusebenza ngendlela efanele.
Many social workers operate using two or one car to do Home Visits or to go to court for an example. That alone holds at ransom the profession to deliver service to people in need of services. It is the well-known fact that the conditions that Social Workers operate upon are dangerous and it puts their lives in danger in particular those that normally do removals of children’s or deal with abuse matters.
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?
Social workers advocate for the rights of those disempowered by society. We are the voice of the voiceless when others won’t listen to them. Social workers are brokers for the community by identifying the needs of clients, locating service providers and linking our clients with resources needed in a timely manner.
Social service professions stay with our grandmothers at old age homes and look after them with love and care. Despite all of these great qualities and services that they deliver they are also subjected to depression and anxiety due to financial stress. They are admitted day and night to hospitals for mental distress due to the inability to find balance and to afford basic day to day living.
We are aware that wherever there are elections this department suddenly becomes very generous in hosting social outreach programmes where all sorts of items such as spades, wheelbarrows, seeds, spectacles, walking sticks, etc are dished out. I am not saying that needy people should not receive social assistance, but it would be good if such programmes are ongoing in a structured manner throughout the year. Ukukhuthala kwaNgqongqoshe uma kuzoba nokhetho kugcina kusenza sicabange ukuthi ngabe hlambe imbongolo idla emthwalweni yini njengoba uNgqongqoshe ephinde abe nesikhundla ophikweni lwe-ANCWL.
The department of Social development plays a critical role in the lives of ordinary South Africans. Without its critical interventions many South Africans would be left out of the social safety net. There is a high incidence of fraud and corruption and non-compliance with specified procedures; some doctors and public servants are plotting with criminal syndicates to defraud the government and deprive legitimate claimants of their rights. Sifuna ukwazi kuNgqongqoshe ukuthi bangaki abasebenzi bomnyango abahola izibonelelo zempesheni ngokungemthetho? Iziphi izinyathelo abathathelwa zona uma betholakala ukuthi benza lomkhuba kanye nokuthi abavuma yoke ukuthi bayahola ngabe imali bayikhokha isinenzalo yini?
While I support active ageing – like running gyms for the elderly, I wonder what the department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture is doing because this to me sounds like something that should not be the core focus of Social Development.
Also, the issue of loan sharks is a major area of concern. We often heard the MEC saying that her department would be clamping down on loan sharks preying on social assistance beneficiaries when they come to collect their grants, describing them as “predatory, immoral and exploitative in nature”. The Hon MEC must tell this House what she has done to solve this issue because loan sharks are still operating at pension pay points. Abafundiswe abantu ngobungozi bokuthatha imali komashonisa ngoba abanye abachazeleki kahle. Ukulwa lempi idinga ukuthi kubanjiswane namalungu omphakathi ngoba iwona ahamba ayoboleka imali komashonisa.
KZN’s NGO sector has suffered from lack of proper financial support with no tariff increases for the past three years. Umnyango awuqinisekise ukuthi lezinhlangano zithola ukwesekwa okufanele.
Also, other programmes besides those that appear to be grant driven are needed. These include programmes that involve communities, schools and NPO’s giving moral support to orphaned children. Activities to prevent drug abuse, despondency, school leaving, are needed and closer working relationships with schools, the Department of Health and religious institutions should be encouraged.
Sinxusa ukuthi ziqiniswe kakhulu izinhlelo zokuvikelwa kwaantu abadala nabaphila nokukhubazeka.
This past year has also seen the ill-treatment of older persons and those with disabilities take the spotlight. This Department needs to work closely with the South African Police Service and the Department of Community Safety and Liaison. The number of reported incidents of crime targeting older residents of this province is alarming. More needs to be done by this Department beyond just raising awareness about the rights of older persons and the pride of having them in our communities.
We should have faith in older persons giving them greater responsibility and this is not only in marginalised decisions or those affecting older persons but in central decision-making. Any form of discrimination must not be tolerated. Policies for older persons should directly concern the present population of young and middle-aged persons within every population.
The ageing population constitutes a valuable and important component of society’s human resources. It is high time that more attention be given to utilising invaluable resources of older persons to the fullest extent possible
This Department, as well as the SAPS, needs to work closely with communities, to identify and prioritise the safety of our elderly population. The continued raping and pillaging of our elderly citizens in this province, is unacceptable. And this happens because the elderly is neglected by social and policing services. I urge the MEC to prioritise the safety of our elderly residents, because the current budget allocation fails to do so.
Community based care and support services for the elderly continues to be a problem. We know that this Department closed a number of unregistered non-profit organisations (NPOs) providing care for the elderly – which is a welcome development. But it is to be questioned why these providers can operate if ongoing compliance with departmental regulations a priority of this Department is.
Sikhathazekile ngendaba yokusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa emphakathini. Nakuba sazi ukuthi umnyango unazo izinhlelo zokulwisana nalesisihlava kodwa sinxusa ukuthi uqiniswe umkhankaso waloluhlobo. Lokhu kuhlasele ngisho ezikoleni imbala. The Department needs to work closely with the Departments of Education and Health in addressing substance abuse in this province, which is by all accounts spiralling out of control.
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.
I thank you
