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Honourable Speaker
Honourable Premier
Honourable Members of the Executive Council
Honourable Members of the Legislature
Mayors and Councillors
Marena le Dikgosi
Partners in the Private Sector
Members of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) present here today
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

The presentation of our 2007/08 Budget Vote Speech occurs a day before the celebration of the Human Rights Day, a day that is bestowed to the nation by the patriots who were massacred at Sharpeville on this day in 1960. This historical coincidence is heartily welcome in that it puts an obligation on us to serve our people, well conscious of the sacrifices that were paid to earn us Peace, Freedom and Democracy.

It is therefore a continuation of the historical mission to defend the hard earned dignity of our people that Social Development Services are at the core of the human rights culture of our new democracy. The transformation of our country and the enactment of enabling legislation for service delivery have been centred on a theme of delivering a better life for all.

When we measure the collective progress of our government for the past 13 years, nationally and in the Free State in particular, we can surely proclaim that the complexion of the situation has changed for the better. This therefore places us at the frontline of championing the intensification of the struggle against poverty and underdevelopment.

Priorities and commitments for 2007/08

The establishment of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the subsequent full operationalisation of the agency in March 2007 presented opportunities that will enable the department to expand welfare and community development services. This will ensure that full attention is provided to the most vulnerable members of our communities and at the same time enable us to provide the necessary development to communities to become increasingly self reliant. The separation does not however imply that the department no longer has a responsibility in as far as the administration of social security is concerned.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the Minister of Social Development ensured that MECs in the provinces will exercise an oversight roll on the agency to ensure among others that:

a) The agency remains accountable to government and the public.
b) Social Security Services are linked to services rendered by the Department of
Social Development.
c) The agency delivers services in a manner that reflects the ethos and the principles set out by the government (e.g. Batho Pele).

The separation of social security from the department however does not imply that the department has lesser responsibilities to deal with. In fact this has placed more pressure on the department to deliver those services it has, up to now, not been able to provide to those members of our communities who are most vulnerable. This in itself has placed enormous pressures on the few available Social Workers and Community Development Workers within the department.

This is further worsened by the scarcity of Social Workers within the country as a whole. We are at a point where the need for Social Workers is greater than the output provided by our institutions. This is captured clearly by Minister Skweyiya when he says: "Although tertiary institutions produce an excellent quality of Social Workers and social service professionals, we have not been able to produce these professionals at the rate and pace of demands placed by our needy communities and various local sectors. The need and demand for Social Workers is set to increase. With the passing of the new Children's Act 2005, an estimated 16 000 Social Workers are needed throughout the country to implement services that children are entitled to in terms of the Act over the next three years."

According to the set norms and standards, the Free State province requires a minimum of 484 Social Workers. We see the serious implications of this shortage in the unrest that begins to rear its head among our Social Workers in the province. We will continue to support them in addressing their problems. However, we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated by those who think they can use this situation to sow chaos and lawlessness within the department.

To further address the challenge facing us, the department is in the process of formulating a Recruitment and Retention Strategy for Social Workers and other critical skills, which will be finalised and approved by 31 April 2007. There are also plans for 2007/2008 to improve the working conditions of Social Workers, such plans include appointment of Auxiliary Workers to relieve Social Workers of non professional responsibilities and to increase the number of government Garage vehicle allocations, to enable more Social Workers to reach out to communities at a time.

Deliberations with the University of the Free State are also underway to ensure enhanced quality of professional training for Social Workers as well as increased intake and output of Social Workers and Community Development Workers.
In ushering the new paradigm, the department developed a four pronged turnaround strategy that outlines the key priority areas from which the relevance and the quality of services we render will revolve. Namely:

* redefining the core mandate of the department
* developing the human capital
* enhancing service delivery by leveraging e-government
* forging and strengthening strategic partnerships with fellow government departments, civic society and the private sector. All these will be made possible by the budget appropriation for the department for 2007/08 which amounts to R453 092 million.

The breakdown of the budget is as follows:

Corporate services (Programme 1.)

Speaker,

Corporate Services is a component that consists of Human Resource and Auxiliary Services. It strives to maintain an effective, efficient, and transparent administrative system, which focuses on supporting and advancing the strategic objectives of the department. For this purpose an amount of R149 502 million has been allocated. The new Departmental Organisational Structure, which is in line with the Integrated Service Delivery model for the Department of Social Development, though still not fully operational will assist to align the priorities of the Department with the Human Capacity required to provide effective and efficient services.

The implementation plan of the revised organisational structure gives effect to the re-distribution of human, financial and social capital to the districts, the service delivery level and repositions the provincial office as the driver and custodian of policy analysis and development as well as monitoring and evaluation of activities. As a means to address the shortage of Social Work skill as well as a contribution towards the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA), the department will in 2007/2008 spend R5 267 million to provide bursaries and learnerships to deserving young people.

This includes bursaries for those who will be doing social work and learnerships for auxiliary Social Workers as I have already indicated. The department will also be embarking on the following projects to develop our human capital:

* Leadership Programme for Senior Management Service (SMS) members in support of the Management by Project Management philosophy, which the department will implement in the new financial year. Already the first batch of SMS has undergone training in Project Management with the support of the Free State Training and Development Institute.
* A skills audit was completed during 2005. Emanating from these audits 500 officials has been identified to acquire basic Information Technology (IT) skills needed for the actualising of the e-government project. The department will also build the capacity of employees in the following areas: Employment Equity, Strategic Management, Basic Labour Relations, Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Treasury Regulations, as well as Supply Chain Management for Social Service Professionals.

In terms of organisational performance management, the main problem we have been experiencing in the past years is the monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the officials to ensure that it resonates with the Annual Performance Plans of the department. The adjustment of the official's Performance Plans to be in line with the Annual Performance Plan will be done as a matter of urgency. This will not only assist in achieving the targets we have set ourselves, but will also determine the accuracy and objectivity of assessments in the Performance Management Development System, to ensure that performance rewards are mainly for outstanding service.

Fortunately, the Department has successfully expanded an electronic progression system. Supervisors have been trained to utilise the system and training for other officials is ongoing. In terms of the third priority of the department for 2007/2008, which is the enhancing of service delivery by leveraging e- government, we are planning to introduce effective mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation. We will be employing Information Technology with advanced software to ensure proper electronic systems for monitoring and evaluation, Management Information System (MIS) and Human Resources Management Systems.

Infrastructure Development

Speaker,

We intend to improve the physical working conditions of our officials by improving office accommodation across the five districts. Already, we are in the process of exploring the possibilities of a joint venture with the Department of Health for the Trompsburg offices.

In terms of the current infrastructural projects, the construction of the
Bloemfontein Secure Care Centre is in its final stages. A similar institution will be built in Thabo Mofutsanyana, the initial planning phase has been finalised and construction will begin shortly. With the above Corporate Services injunctions for 2007/08, I am convinced that we will contribute positively to the Free State Growth and Development Strategy, especially on the Priority of Efficient Governance and Administration.

Social welfare services (Programme 2)

The main objective of this programme is to provide integrated development Social Welfare Service to the poor and vulnerable in partnership with stake holders and civil society organisations at provincial and district level. To this end an amount of R260 206 million has been allocated. This amount will be invested in the following services:

Care of Older Persons:

The department will invest R29 149 million for services to older persons. In making this allocation, the Department is mindful of the strategic objective to promote social integration and independent living of Older and Frail Persons through:

* community based care and support services including outreach
* support to older Persons already accommodated in residential care facilities.

The department is also mindful of the fact that the State President has assented to Act No13 of 2006 (i.e. Older Persons Act 2006) which has already been published for general information. As soon as regulations are completed, the Act will come into operation with huge financial and human resource implications for the department.

Child Care and Protection Services

The department will spend R77 157 million for Child Care and Protection Services. My decision as MEC for Social Development to prioritise support to orphaned and vulnerable children, resonates with Mason Cooley's, (an American aphorist and an activist for Children’s rights), 1927 assertion that:
"Children must be protected not because they are innocent but because they are powerless." The Department of Social Development protects children also because they are the future of our nation. For this reason, Early Childhood Development remains one of the major programmes in the department. It is a prevention programme as it develops and prepares children for the future. It is also a major poverty alleviation programme as it provides income for Child Carers and ensures that children get at least one good meal a day.

This programme will be promoted further by increasing the funding to Early Childhood Development facilities from R28 million to R33 million. The increase will enable the department to increase the subsidy per child from R4,50 to R9,00 per child per day. Large numbers of children are annually removed from families due to the social conditions they live in. Nevertheless, the department maintains a stance that human development thrives better in natural settings. As a result, the department plans to re-unify 200 children with their biological families by the end of 2007/08 financial year.

Through this and other interventions we will be building on what we have already outlined on the 21 February 2007 as we launched a campaign on "Families are the core of society." We wish to emphasise the need for individuals to take their rightful places in communities and serve to build families that will be strong to impart good morals, norms and values to the young, who are the future of our nation.

Crime Prevention Support

During the State of the Nation Address, the Honourable President Mbeki mooted that: "Working together to achieve the happiness that comes with freedom applies equally to the challenges of dealing with crime" as it does to other imperatives. With the given allocation, the department will continue to develop and implement social crime prevention programmes in partnership with cluster departments and provide services targeting children, youth, and adult offenders to be in line with the National Crime Prevention Strategy.

To achieve this, the department has set aside a budget of R1 101 million that it will utilise to support initiatives which will include:

* providing assessments of all arrested children in police cells or/and prisons
* conducting awareness and prevention programmes aimed at early and pro-active intervention as well as the development of policies to address Child Justice concerns.

Services to people with disabilities

The department will invest an amount of R10 459 million towards services for people with disabilities. The programme will continue to support the Integrated
National Disability Strategy that is aimed at reaching 10 000 disabled people in the financial year 2007/08. This strategy promotes, among others, independence and self reliance for people with disabilities as well as integration and elimination of discrimination against people with disabilities.

As a matter of significant interest, the department in partnership with First National Bank will place 10 people with disabilities on a learnerships programme for 2007/2008 financial year. Even more exciting is the fact that First National Bank has guaranteed the appointment of all 10 trainees within its structures upon completion of the course.

Substance Abuse

The scourge of substance abuse continues to ravage communities, families and particularly our youth, especially if it occurs concurrently with poverty, crime, reduced productivity, unemployment, dysfunctional family life and escalation of chronic disease. The department will strengthen its efforts of targeting effective partnerships towards a drug free society by allocating R3 062 million towards the operationalisation of the Drug Master Plan (DMP). Ten Local Drug Action Committees will be established to ensure constant support and availability for communities.

Victim Empowerment

Speaker,

About a week ago the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa committed to placing the fight against abuse of women and children high on the national agenda. In support of the efforts of the Deputy President, which aligns with the strengthening of the Victim Empowerment Programme, the department will invest in excess of R7 million to ensure accessible, good quality and sensitive services to victims of abuse.

This will involve the strengthening of services to existing city centres in partnership with the Flemish Government to provide shelters for victims of domestic violence and rape as well as the training of 500 key stakeholders in victim empowerment services.

HIV and AIDS

Central to the empowerment of communities is the war against HIV and AIDS. As a department we are going to upscale our intervention on HIV and AIDS in support of people infected and affected. Protection services for children, home community based care and support for family members of infected persons will be broadened. A co-ordinated action programme for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children will be fast tracked in 2007/08. The multi-sectoral action plan will be finalised for implementation by Saturday, 1 September 2007.

Speaker,

Transfer Payments to CBOs and NGOs

The NGOs and CBOs have been a pillar of support for our department. May I, therefore, take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for the sterling work they have done over the years under difficult and strenuous circumstances. An overall amount of R148 116 million will be paid to Non-Government and Community Based Organisations through transfer payments.

Indications from preliminary findings of the auditing of non-profit organisations (NPOs) are that training in organisational development, financial management and compliance with legislation related to NPOs and Co-operatives is necessary. The department will therefore ensure that the newly funded NPOs and co-operatives participate in a comprehensive training programme. Monitoring and evaluation will occur monthly to ensure maximum benefit for vulnerable communities.

Community development and research (Programme 3)

The objective of this programme is to provide sustainable development programmes which facilitate empowerment of communities, and provide empirical research and demographic information for the department. An amount of R43 384 million is allocated for this purpose.

Youth Development

For 2007/08 financial year, the department will invest R7 124 million towards youth development. Gardening services projects that benefit young people were established to render services at the offices and institutions of the department as well as other government departments. To further expand this initiative, the department has taken a decision to reserve all Garden Service to such youth projects. It is of significance to mention that efforts to unlock job opportunities for youth culminated in the placement of six young people, securing positions as trainee manager, technicians and marketers at Nashua Free State.

Fifty-five organisations, ten of which are new will be funded for youth services in 2007/08 financial year. In relation to the integrated and inter-sectoral approach towards youth services, we intend to:

* develop a capacity building programme for youth leaders in partnership with other service providers
* co-host Private Sector Youth Development Summit with the Free State Youth Commission
* establish Youth Forums to facilitate implementation of Youth Development
Services functioning in all districts
* have the Youth Workers training plan and recruitment strategy in place
* align National Youth Work Policy with provincial strategy.

Poverty alleviation

The poverty alleviation pilot project in Thaba Nchu was launched during October 2006. The project is currently reaching 160 households, the majority of whom are women. Ten other projects of equal significance in the districts of Thabo Mofutsanyana and Xhariep are being supported.

Institutional Care

In pursuance of the programme relating to the care and protection of the vulnerable as encapsulated in the Free State Growth and Development Strategy, the department continues to provide protection of the rights of the children in conflict with the law through Institutional Care. This protection is ensured through the implementation of early intervention programmes, which focus on the promotion, and harmonisation of social functioning of children. These facilities provide residential care; ensure physical, behavioural and emotional containment of young people below the age of 18 who are in conflict with the law. May I at this point recognise the immense contribution that is made by our partners involved in the broad Child Justice System.

Research

It pleases me further to announce that the Research and Demography Unit has been placed on a sound footing and will as from now carry out research projects which are aimed at gathering data for various planners and institutions in the Free State in support of evidence-based decision and policy making. The department has invested R5 445 million towards rendering this service.

In conclusion,

Let me take this opportunity to express my greatest appreciation to the Premier of the Free State, Me Beatrice Marshoff and her Executive Council for their advices and guidance throughout the year. My appreciation also goes to honourable members of the legislature for the support and companionship they always provide without hesitation. To the members of NGOs and CBOs we appreciate your dedication as a partner in welfare service delivery. My sincerest appreciation also goes to the Head of Department (HOD) Dr Maboreng Maharaswa and the staff of the department for their constant support.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Social Development, Free State Provincial Government
20 March 2007
Source: Free State Provincial Government (http://www.fs.gov.za)