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29 January 2009

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare, Dr. Mvuyo Tom,
Members of the Executive Management of the University of Fort Hare,
Deans of Schools and members of the Faculties of the University of Fort Hare,
Director of the School of Public Management and Development, Professor Sipho Buthelezi,
Members of the Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by congratulating the Director of the School of Public Management and Development, Professor Sipho Buthelezi, and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare, Dr Mvuyo Tom, for the great effort and achievement in bringing about the birth of the Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies. Congratulations are also due to the Deans of Faculties and members of the School of Public Management and Development who contributed to the goal of establishing the Centre we are launching today. This is a remarkable milestone that deserves recognition by all who are committed to building and strengthening the role of research and its contribution to the fundamental transformation of our society.

The Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies is a critical undertaking for a country such ours which is still faced with huge challenges of underdevelopment and multi-faceted poverty. Great efforts are being made in the fight against poverty. But, the challenge remains. It is in tackling this challenge that the role of research is without doubt both relevant and critical.

The fact that this Centre, with its initiative that seeks to link research to decision making through policy choices, has been started and will be driven here at the University of Fort Hare, carries a strong symbolism that has not been lost to our government that is led by the African National Congress. This institution played a very important role in the education and the political enrichment of many of our liberation heroes and heroines as well as some of the leadership that is currently spearheading the transformation agenda of the government. We expect the University of Fort Hare to continue in its role of contributing in various ways in the social transformation agenda. We expect the University of Fort Hare to continue nurturing future leaders and scholars to ensure the attainment of the vision of an Africa free from poverty. The Centre we are launching today has to be guided by these principles among others. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

Last year we were gathered here at the first colloquium on social policy hosted jointly by the School of Public Management and Development and the Centre for the Analysis of South African Social Policy at the University of Oxford. Indeed at the time, we were meeting for the purpose of crystallising a vision that sought to bring about the establishment of an entity that was to drive a rigorous research agenda in the area of social policy and local government. What we are witnessing today is that such an undertaking is no longer an abstraction but has become concrete reality. Given the historical socio-economic conditions of this country and the many challenges we face, the role of social policy in the development of post-apartheid South Africa has largely been underplayed. Due to this, the knowledge and expertise in this area, which is extremely crucial to our transformation efforts is seriously lacking in the country. It is this space and terrain of fostering a rigorous understanding of the link between research and policy, the connection between research and lasting solutions to our many social challenges that the Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies is going to fill.

This Centre could not have been incepted at an opportune time than now as we boldly forge ahead with our transformative agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen

There is growing urgency for us to work together to better the lives of our people by delivering quality social services and limiting the harmful socio-economic conditions that give rise to poverty and social exclusion. For us to succeed in this great challenge we require robust research inputs from South Africa’s academic and research institutes. It is with this understanding of the critical link between research and policy that the Department of Social Development established the Social Policy Programme to drive evidence-based policy making in the department as well as advance it to the Social Sector Cluster and government in general. That is our vision. Since 2004 the Department of Social Development has been leading the SACED Programme which is funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). SACED stands for Strengthening Analytical Capacity in Evidence-Based Decision Making. Under this programme the Department of Social Development working with partners at the University of Oxford continues to offer training in Social Policy and Social Policy Analysis. The training targets senior civil servants at both national and provincial government departments. In August 2008 several academics and researchers from the University of Fort Hare attended the course on Social Policy as part of strengthening the partnership we are building with the University of Fort Hare in the area of Social Policy.

Ladies and gentlemen

It is true that the challenge of poverty and underdevelopment we are facing, also presents itself in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and in many countries in the African continent. As we advance our transformation agenda, we need to look at the social development experiences and achievements in the post-colonial period of some of the countries in the African continent. Many of our fellow nations invested in education, health, infrastructure and other policy choices that ensured the reversal of some of the socio-economic outcomes of the colonial era. It is a valid fact that African universities have produced eminent scholars and academics that are internationally recognised. Observations in the post-colonial era indicate that governments on the continent failed to create strong bridges between themselves and, the academic and research institutes in their countries. This opened the way for international organisations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to exert influence and enforce policies that have undermined the efforts to eradicate poverty and the advancement of peoples of Africa. In South Africa it is important to make sure that we keep the bridge between academic and research institutions strong and open. One of the questions we should be asking is ‘What relevant lessons can we learn from the countries in the African continent that shared similar challenges at independence?’

Beyond the borders of the African continent there are important social policy and social development lessons that we need to explore and study very closely. We are not the first country, region or continent to tackle the kind of challenges that our people face every day of their lives. Latin America, East Asia, South Asia, Scandinavia and some examples in Europe offer important lessons and experiences on how to deal with the human and social development challenge. Therefore our expectations is that the Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies will amass these many lessons and experiences and assist us in choosing and adapting to our context the best policies and practices. We do not seek to advocate the wholesale importation of solutions and practices from other countries or regions of the world. We must consider our own social and economic context.      

Ladies and gentlemen

Our interest is in knowing what works and what does not work. We see the Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies rigorously pursuing an agenda that involves the creation and maintenance of partnerships with other centres and research institutes in different parts of the world. The sharing of knowledge, lessons and experiences remains one of the surest ways of advancing a sound research agenda. As we know comparative studies have become one of the areas of growth in social policy as different countries try to establish what works and what does not work as well as the best practices in different contexts.
 
There are many topical and urgent areas that we would like to see the Centre contributing research-based knowledge in. As government we are extending the child support grant to the Constitutionally-determined age of a child which is eighteen years. We are doing this in phases. However there are those who hold the view that state income assistance to households living in poverty through the different types of grants we provide creates dependency. Research that we have commissioned and that has been undertaken by other institutions has shown that this is not the case. Social grants to many households are about the difference between having food to eat and starvation. The Department of Social Development does not see social grants as the solution to poverty. We seek to address destitution and severe deprivation which is evident in many parts of this province. The difficult financial situation in South Africa demonstrated by the rise in food prices and continuing lack of jobs and massive retrenchments in many industries has forced the government to look at ways of assisting households living in poverty. We are carrying on with this campaign here in the Eastern Cape as we speak.

We will look up to the Centre we are launching today to contribute in the understanding of the interplay between social policy and economic policy. This is a critical area for South Africa as we develop comprehensive and integrated approaches through initiatives such as the Anti Poverty Strategy. At the United Nations Commission for Social Development, we build the understanding ‘Investments in the social sector, including education, health, shelter, nutrition and social protection/social security, are productive. The establishment and enhancement by Governments of social security systems and access to basic social services for all should form an important component of policies for social development’. Analysis of the social and economic dynamics and impact of macro economic policy choices at the local level remain an area that has not been thoroughly explored.

Further, we look up to the Centre to contribute in both the understanding of and best practice in ensuring comprehensive and integrated human and social development. In other words what policy choices and which policy linkages are crucial if we want to see a fundamental transformation of South African society.

Ladies and gentlemen

Our voyage into the post-apartheid and democratic dispensation has brought us to the juncture where we have identified local government as the main driver of service delivery at the local level. All developmental efforts made at the national and provincial levels will come to naught if they are not implemented at the local level. It is therefore gratifying to note that the University of Fort Hare already identified this node of development and partnered with the Eastern Cape government in order to provide capacity building training to government officials. This new Centre is also a culmination of such an understanding of the nexus of research and government’s development work.

Let me end by again restating my congratulations to members of the University of Fort Hare who have made a sterling effort in bringing the vision of establishing the Centre for Social Policy and Local Government Studies to fruition. Let me also give the commitment of the Department of Social Development to this initiative. I wish to assure the Vice Chancellor of the continuing support and engagement of my Department in the activities of the Centre.

I thank you 

Issued by: Department of Social Development
29 January 2009