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Budget Speech for 2000/2001
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Welfare

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EASTERN CAPE  PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

BUDGET POLICY SPEECH: 2000 / 2001

BY THE MEC FOR WELFARE

ON 14 MARCH 2000



1. INTRODUCTION

Honourable Speaker
 The Honourable Premier
 Members of the Executive Council
 Members of the Legislature
 Partners present here from the NGO sector
 Esteemed guests
 Comrades
 Ladies and gentlemen

The financial year 2000 /2001 is the first for which I stand before this House and the Province to present the budget policy speech for the 
Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Welfare.

Mr Speaker, I wish to ask for your indulgence to allow me to preface this presentation with a selection of brief observations concerning my 
present political and social function in relation to the Department of Welfare as well as the provincial, national and global context 
within which the Department of Welfare in the province is challenged to provide its service delivery to the most vulnerable sections of our 
society: To the &#145;wretched of the earth so to speak; to use the now almost age old expression by the visionary Franz Fanon.

Mr Speaker, I wish to put on record before this House my recognition of the special honour which the Provincial Government of the Eastern 
Cape has bestowed on me to provide political leadership as well as to give strategic direction to the Welfare sector in the Province.

I am grateful for the honour and accept it with humility. I commit myself, with my whole heart and soul, to take on the challenge and 
execute the mandate assigned to me with the dedication and zeal which this enormous mandate prescribes .

I undertake to make sure that, at all times, the strategic direction which guides the Departments service delivery process is in line with 
and underpinned by the key provincial goals such as putting in place sustainable reconstruction, growth, development and redistribution 
which the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy articulates.

The Department further commits itself to the implementation of the strategic response to the &#145;time bomb of poverty and social 
disintegration which the Minister for Welfare and Population Development, with the full backing and support of the political leadership of 
the Welfare sector nationally, has formulated to deal with the historically given crisis of poverty and degradation. This strategic 
response is encapsulated in the Ministers Ten Point Plan of action.

2. THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE WELFARE FUNCTION IN THE PROVINCE

* The Department of Welfare is strategically located vis a vis the Provincial challenge to launch programmes designed to meet the 
immediate, medium as well as long term needs of a society which, for reasons of a historical nature, has a skewed demographic profile. A 
demographic profile which is characterised by a high dependency index and a large proportion of destitute people. In addition to providing 
emergency relief interventions, there is a need to go beyond these palliative measures to reach the root of the problem.

* As a geographic, socio-economic and political entity, the Province of the Eastern Cape has suffered at the hands of the historical 
processes of industrial capitalist development which turned large sections of the population of the province into a recruiting ground for a 
vulnerable and highly exploitable labour force which could be deployed or disengaged in accordance with the changing priorities and 
requirements of the emerging industrial order.
This represented a classic case of the creation of a &#145;reserve army of labour; one of whose principal benefit for industry was to 
exercise a downward pressure on the wage level.

* The challenge which the Province continues to face is how to grow the economy in a way that is both vigorous and sustainable so that 
poverty is eradicated and, as Minister Trevor Manuel has put it, &#145;the prosperity and well-being of all our people is increased.

* The above scenario has produced a situation characterised by an absence of secure and sustainable livelihoods. Consequently, many a 
citizen of this Province has been forced to depend on the welfare system as a safety net . Processes of petty commodity production which 
ensured a minimum of independent and self-sustaining social-economic reproduction were choked off and a classic phenomenon of what AG Frank 
has described as &#145;the development of under development set in.

* A few brief points are in order here with regards to how we conceptualise the role of the Welfare Department, given the socio economic 
environment outlined above:

While it is manifestly true to say that the social grants which the Department dispenses to those who qualify do not build facilities such 
as schools and clinics, it must be recognised that these grants do make a contribution towards ensuring access to services which such 
facilities provide.

It bears noting that the welfare function is not confined to the delivery of social grants, however. In point of fact, government relief of 
this kind is regarded with a degree of ambivalence as encouraging passivity and dependency on the part of recipient citizens.

While it is recognised that such assistance might be able to meet the wide spread emergency of the type and scale currently faced by the 
Province and the country, it does not quite fit into the notions and traditions of an independent and self-reliant people.

Sustainable development makes it imperative that the focus of service delivery falls on the building of institutional capacity to address 
structural problems rather than the symptoms of socio- economic challenges.

It was primarily in order to deal with the above limitation in previous policy that the White Paper on welfare propounds a paradigm shift 
from the traditional protective and therapeutic forms of social intervention in dealing with these socio-economic challenges towards 
developmental social welfare.

The implementation of this paradigm, which is now being actively rolled out, and enhances the potential role of the social welfare sector 
in meeting the basic needs of communities and reducing dependency and poverty.

This policy framework is steeped in the concepts of a self-reliant and independent people; a people who desire least of all to become 
objects of charity or wards / surrogates of government

Honourable Speaker, while these principles are valid and are shared by the majority of our people, they stand threatened by the effects of 
the seemingly unstoppable process of globalisation under which international markets impose crippling cuts in social spending and push more 
and more people into the ranks of the unemployed.

* An illustrative example of the unfavourable effects of the globalisation process - one of whose features is the mechanisation and 
computerisation of production processes - is reduced employment. Added to this has been the emigration of homeland industrial plants 
resulting from the removal of state incentives which had given these industries and the country a faade of viability.

It is the poor and the most vulnerable who always bear the greatest burden of stress and pain when traditional economic trends and patterns 
undergo unanticipated dislocation .

3.  KEY DEPARTMENTAL PRIORITY ISSUES

* In this financial year, the Department will accelerate its implementation of the paradigm shift within welfare from protective and 
rehabilitative forms of material and social intervention and broaden the base of the developmental approach across programmes.

* As part of its strategy to pursue the developmental approach as well as address the imbalances created by the precious dispensation, this 
financial year will witness a phased implementation of the New Financing Policy.

The implementation of this policy will put in motion a process which has a potential of revolutionising service delivery to the extent that 
it would quicken the movement towards giving practical effect to the vision of achieving equity in the distribution of; welfare resources; 
ranging from institutional, material as well human resources.

It should enable the department to address core questions about redistribution and empowerment which are recognised across a wide spectrum 
of political opinion. Its should also give an impetus to the empowerment of the emerging NPO sector by transferring skills for community 
management, access to critical information and decision making opportunities.

* In line with the National Departments implementation plan aimed at dealing with the social crisis which faces the country, the following 
priorities  which are already part of the business of the Department - will be pursued with renewed vigour: These are dealt with in detail 
under the different programmes.

* Strengthening family, community and social relations for the purpose of promoting social integration.

* Integrated Poverty Eradication Strategy - A provincial structural arrangement for achieving this goal is in place in the form of the 
Social Needs Cluster.The Welfare Department has been assigned the role of spearheading the process of integration.

* A Comprehensive Social Security System - The Department will play its part, in partnership with the National Department, in contributing 
to the initiative of putting in place an integrated, comprehensive and developmentally oriented social security system; linking 
contributory and non - contributory schemes.

* Violence Against Children And Woman - The Departments ongoing Victim Empowerment Programme, a constitutive component of the National 
Crime Prevention Strategy, will receive priority attention and projectised implementation in view of the unacceptably high levels of 
violence perpetrated against children and woman. The strategy will address both victims and perpetrators.

* Co-operative Governance - Also high on the agenda for this financial year is a vigorous pursuit of current efforts to strengthen existing 
ties with the NGO/NPO sector. Due to insufficient inhouse human resource capacity, the role played by this sector is regarded as crucial in 
the delivery of the mandate of the Department

The forging of a structured and vibrant relationship with this sector cannot be over  emphasised. The promulgation into an Act of the 
Developmental Governance Bill, 1999 will, no doubt, assist in providing a framework for structuring these relationships.

* Vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities - The strategy to deal with the integration of people with disabilities in a way which 
protects and promotes their human rights, their economic needs as well as their general self-reliance will be accelerated.

* HIV/AIDS - The implementation of an integrated plan involving Health and Education as key role players - for tackling the scourge of 
HIV/AIDS will be put in place along the lines of the National Integrated Plan for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS

* Human Resource Plan - The Departments human resource plan which aims at the reorientation of all social service personnel towards the 
developmental approach will be implemented.

* Anti-corruption - The Department commits itself to playing its part in &#145;putting words into action with regard to the provincial 
anti-corruption drive. The Departments ongoing efforts to eradicate corruption will continue unabated and regular strategic consultations 
with investigative agencies will be stepped up.

* Infrastructure  It is by no means an exaggeration of the situation to say that the Departments infrastructure, especially office 
accommodation, is in a parlours state.

The quality of office space is such that the installation of service delivery improvement infrastructure such as computers, the email, the 
faxes, etc, is impracticable. In addition, installing such expensive infrastructure would be a serious risk factor.

This state of affairs harms the departments capacity to provide quick, efficient and effective service delivery and compromises the public 
profile of the Department as well that of the Province. The work environment is not only insecure but also unhealthy for staff and 
beneficiaries alike .

The Department will endeavour to ensure that a proper audit of its infrastructure is conducted and infrastructure needs costed for the 
purpose of campaigning for funding to rectify the situation.

Mr Speaker, I would be failing in my responsibility as the Executing Authority and MEC for Welfare if I did not draw the attention of this 
House to the fact that the bulk of the key priority areas listed above fall under Developmental Welfare Services.

This is a core function of social welfare to the extent that its service delivery is focused on the societal groups which fall under the 
general rubric, vulnerable.

However, there is an irony here. The bulk of the budget for running the programmes within which these priorities are implemented is 
allocated to the Department from National as Conditional Grants. The consequences of the termination or even reduction of these grants 
would be too catastrophic to imagine in terms of fulfilling the mandate of the Department.

4.  BUDGET ALLOCATION 2000 / 20001

The exercise of developing the Departments budget for the 2000/ 20001 financial year was preceded by a strategic planning process aimed at 
identifying priority service delivery areas and developing an appropriate implementation plan. This was an inclusive process in which the 
provincial, regional as well as district departmental spheres of managing service delivery participated.

The plan of action to which the various budget allocations are attached is underpinned by the mission of the Department which is:

"To provide a comprehensive, integrated, equitable, accessible and developmental social service in partnership with all welfare 
stakeholders for the improvement of the quality of life of the people of the Eastern Cape making use of all appropriate resources of the 
country"

The total Departmental budget allocation for this year is R3 , 950,911which represents 7,5 % increase as against the R3,676,418 allocated 
in the last financial year.

Mr Speaker, in presenting this budget, allow me to deal with the two components, namely,

* Revenue Budget

R 2 261

* Equitable Share

R3 948 650
It must be stressed that this is not an income generating Department and it is of great concern to note that it is expected of the 
Department to collect R2,261 million of Revenue.

The only income the Department generates is boarding and lodging fees paid by officials in an institution and that figure is minimal.

The split of the main cost drivers as determined by the department is as follows:

         VOTED 99/00     BUDGET 00/01    INCREASE        %
TRANSFER PAYMENTS        3,501,673      3,728,394       226,721         6.5
PERSONNEL        97,770         135,576         37,806  38.7
OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE         76,975  86,941  9,966   12.9
         3,676,418      3,950,911       274,493         7.5

* TRANSFER PAYMENTS : R3 728 394

The Transfer Payments represent amounts directly paid to beneficiaries or Institutions in line with the departmental policies.

The amount is further split per programme as follows:

SOCIAL GRANTS   3,600,000
SUBSIDIES        127,000
SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES         1,394
         3,728,394
The Social Grants take up approximately 91% of the welfare budget as against the envisaged 80% : 20% ratio between allocations for Social 
security grants and other more developmental welfare services respectively.

The detail split of the Social Grants is as follows:

Description     No. Of Beneficiaries    Amount R'000
Child and Family Grants  84,343         145,938
Old Age Grants   385,205        2,347,443
Disability Grants        132,559        795,287
Child support Grant (as at 31.3.2000)    162,000        141,600
Social Relief            2,000
Growth ( 2% )            66,144
Increase ( 4 % )                 101,588
                 3,600,000
Mr Speaker it is important to note that the re-registration process as well as the Departments commitment to combat fraud has been taken 
into consideration in compiling this budget.

I am proud to announce that by the end of March 2001 the Department will be supporting 162 000 children under the age of 7 years. An 
allocation of R2 million has been provided for Social Relief. It should be borne in mind that this allocation is meant to cater for food 
parcels for victims of disasters within the first 24 hours. Provision has also been made to increase the grants by 4% as from 1 July 2000.

The budget has been split according to programmes as follows:

PROGRAMME 1 : ADMINISTRATION : R40 583

The aim of this programme is to conduct the overall management of the department which includes the formulation of policies, establishment 
of working methods and procedures, managing personnel and financial administration and exercising control through head office, districts 
and local offices. The strategic thrust of the programme is the provision of an efficient and effective overall management mechanism.

As part of the implementation of the newly approved organogram for the Provincial office, appointments are being made which will 
significantly beef up the capacity in the Department .

Crucial posts will also be filled at the Head Office and at the Districts Offices which will improve service delivery and accountability in 
areas such as Finance, Human Resources, etc.

PROGRAMME 2 : SOCIAL SECURITY: R3 672 389

This programme is the major cost driver of the department. It consumes approximately 93% of the total Welfare budget.

The aim of the programme is the administration of social security grants, viz, Child and family grants, disability and care dependency 
grants, grants for the aged and war veterans.

The major focus of the programme is to ensure that the right beneficiary receives the right grant and right amount at the right time at the 
right place.

In addition, the programme incorporates a developmental component in the form of encouraging beneficiaries to participate in development 
projects which focus on women and children in particular.

The following activities are and will be undertaken to fulfil the above mentioned goals:

* Re-Registration Of Beneficiaries:

This project is funded by a conditional grant. It is aimed at ensuring the accuracy, currency, completeness and validity of beneficiary 
data as well as to identify and put in place administrative systems that will ensure the maintenance of beneficiary data integrity. It is 
not intended to remove beneficiaries from the database. The project commenced in earnest in January 2000 and it is scheduled to be 
completed by July 2000.

* Data Mining-

Zero tolerance for fraud and other forms of abuse constitutes one of the fundamental goals of the Department. Indeed, this is the basic 
goal of any social security programme world-wide.

The focus of this project is the verification of beneficiary data and the identification of exceptions.

This exercise was carried out in Idutywa, Centane and in Lady Frere. In Idutywa syndicate fraud was uncovered. In Centane, Tsomo and in 
Lady Frere persons drawing grants fraudulently have been identified. Investigations are continuing.

The Department is determined to extend this exercise to other areas. It is deemed necessary that this exercise forms part of the on-going 
process of eliminating fraud and other forms of abuse.

It is common cause that in order to save money we must spend to generate savings.

* Continuous Grant Reviews-

The procedure of continuous reviews of grants was not scrupulously observed in the past. This was partly a result of limited technological 
resources and a lack of uniform national standard. A policy document has been developed and will be applicable nationally. Strict adherence 
to the policy directive will be observed and will be closely monitored.

Other significant social grant administrative issues which the Department will prioritise for implementation during this financial year 
include the following:

* Additional allocation (Ring Fenced) : R35 000

        Outsourcing Of Grant Payments.

At present beneficiaries are paid by means of the following payment methods:

Payment method  No. of beneficiaries    Unit cost        Total
ACB     47 868   00.73   419 324
Post Office     194 346  10,08 plus VAT  23 508 092
Cashed at bank   150 000         22.05   39 690 000
Cashed elsewhere         210 980         16.00   40 508 160
TOTAL    104 125 576
(ie. R6.05 service fee for all cheques going through the bank and R16.00 for each cheque cashed at the bank)

In the case of cheque payments, bank charges alone cost the Department R80 million and an amount of R750 thousand was spent for the 
purchase of cheques. An additional cost factor is the security and transportation of cheques to pay-points. Cheque fraud is an attendant 
risk factor .

In addition to the above, our staff members spend the best part of the month paying out grants instead of performing their core functions. 
Cheque reconciliation becomes a difficult process as the current systems, SOCPEN and FMS, that are being used for pension payments, cannot 
do reconciliations.

The Department is encouraging the beneficiaries to be paid through ACB at a cost of 0.73 cents per transaction resulting to bank charges of 
R3 million per annum as against R22.05 per cheque paid at the bank resulting in R80 million per annum for the 360 890 cheques.

* Human Resource Development

One of the key enablers for the efficient and effective delivery of social security is trained personnel.

The skills of our Social Security personnel leaves much to be desired. This is not peculiar to our Province but is a National concern.

To this end, a module for social security specific training has been developed in conjunction with the National Department.

The training will take place during April 2000. It is the aim of the Department that 90% of its Social Security staff should receive basic 
Social Security training by the end of the 2000/2001 financial year.

These attempts are aimed at improving the efficiency of staff at the service points.

* Infrastructure Development

Technological infrastructure constitutes yet another key enabler for the efficient delivery of Social Security. The majority of our 
offices, especially in the rural areas, do not have even the most basic technological equipment.

The availability of this facility will enable service officials to respond timeously to beneficiary enquiries regarding the status of their 
grants.

* Educating The Public About Social Security Programmes.

This is one of the key goals of the programme. Beneficiaries and prospective beneficiaries need to be informed about the programmes that 
the Department offers. The Directorate took the initiative to arrange Radio talk shows with local Radio stations.

These talk-shows gave the beneficiaries the opportunity to voice their concerns and to offer advice to the Department.

Beneficiary information kits, which outline the qualifying criteria for the different types of grants, have been developed.

Welfare forums have been set up in most districts. These forums are used to disseminate information to beneficiaries. They also advise the 
Department on issues affecting our beneficiaries.

The Department has also established links with other structures, notably with the Council of Churches. These links will be strengthened to 
include other significant organisations.

A policy document which provides guidelines for the establishment and functions of Welfare forums is currently circulating in the 
department for your comment

* The Child Support Grant.

This grant is an illustration of the governments commitment to achieve equity by integrating into the social security system sections of 
the community, which were previously excluded. The intention is to have 3 million children in payment in the country.

This Province was set an initial target of 241 000 for the 1999/2000 financial year. This figure was revised and it was expected that the 
Province would have 70 000 children in payment during by the end of the 1999/2000 financial year. 30,997 children were in payment by 
January 2000.

The advocacy campaign and the taking of applications have commenced in earnest and will continue well into the 2000/2001 financial year.

The National Department has made available funds to enable the Department to meet the budgetary implication of an increased uptake of the 
grant.

The Department is encouraging recipients of the grant to participate in developmental projects. This is in line with the paradigm shift of 
promoting integrated development. This shift not only focuses on children but targets unemployed women as well.

The phasing out of the State Maintenance Grant presents the Department with a challenge to make provision for recipients who, as a 
consequence, are falling out of the system.. The department will intensify its development programmes to attract these beneficiaries.

We look forward to the results of a study that is being undertaken to determine the impact of the child support grant and the effects of 
the phasing out of the state maintenance grant. The results of this study will enable the department to make strategic decision in this 
regard.

PROGRAMME 3: WELFARE FUNDING: R127 000

This programme provides subsidies to Not-for-Profit and community based organisations which provide social welfare services.

The budget is split amongst the different focus groups and special development areas as follows:

FIELD OF SERVICE         AMOUNT         %
Child and family Care    68,723         55
Care of the aged         38,409         30
Care of the Disabled     10,256         8
Drug Dependant Care      2,900  2
Care of the Offender     1,496  1
Shelters for the Homeless        1,100  1
Community services      4,116   3
         127,000        100
The challenges which face this programme in this financial year can be summarised as follows:

* The implementation of the New Financing Policy. In this regard the new service plans have been forwarded to all funded organisations and 
to new applicants. Departmental staff have engaged NPOs in workshops to orientate them to the new business plan. These business plans and 
the way they are completed and assessed will contribute towards achieving the principles of an integrated, affordable, accessible and 
developmental service.

* The implementation of a Development Quality Assurance (DQA) process in respect of all funded organisations and to programmes of the 
Department ensures that services meet the minimum required standards and are efficient and effective. The department has established a new 
unit within the revised provincial organogram to cater for the DQA. Training on the DQA has already commenced.

* The implementation of a monitoring and evaluation tool which has already been developed to measure impact.

* Developing an instrument to ensure the equitable distribution of resources across the regions.

Programmes will target children, youth, families, women, older persons and people with special development needs for example, HIV/AIDS, 
disability, etc. The department will seek expertise which could be supported through donor funding

* Marketing the New Financing Policy and the whole transformation of services to ensure that previously marginalised communities access the 
services and are funded. The additional challenge is to build their capacity for the purpose of promoting the sustainability of their 
programmes.

* Filling all the critical funded posts in order to strengthen the capacity of the Department to monitor the utilisation of funds and to 
ensure sustainability of programmes.

        Critical provincial and district posts in the new organogram will be filled for the first time since 1995.

* Piloting the different options for financing welfare services. Treasury approval will be sought before implementation.

PROGRAMME 4: PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK SERVICES : R99 337

This programme includes all those direct and indirect welfare activities of a professional nature aimed at enhancing the optimal 
functioning of individuals, groups and communities which are provided within residential and community based facilities.

In keeping with the developmental approach, the trend is to move away from institutional services towards community based care with 
community participation as an important dynamic in service delivery.

In the coming financial year the following key priority areas have been identified under this programme:

* Transformation of welfare services to ensure an integrated, equitable, affordable and quality service.

* The opening of the Enkuselweni Secure Care facility.

* The implementation of a provincial integrated plan for the prevention of HIV/AIDS infection and the care of persons infected and affected 
with HIV/AIDS.

* The integration of the Transformation of the Child and Youth Care System (TCYCS) with all departmental programmes to ensure integrated 
developmental service delivery to children, youth and families.

* The implementation of an integrated provincial plan to deal with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence as part of the Victim 
Empowerment Programme under the auspices of National Crime Prevention Strategy.

* Implementation of programmes which seek to promote the socio-economic and human rights of people with disabilities.

* The implementation of programmes which seek to reconstruct family life and engender community social responsibility through voluntarism.

STEPPING STONE - ONE-STOP YOUTH JUSTICE CENTRE

This project emphasizes the restorative justice approach in dealing with children in conflict with the law. Children are dealt within an 
integrated multi-disciplinary team approach which involves the Departments of Welfare, Justice, SAPS and NGOs.

This is an innovative programme and the first of its kind nationally. In December 1999 the project won one of the 15 Impumelelo Innovations 
Award. The award acknowledges innovative projects which make a contribution to the improvement of the lives of poor communities.

The challenge for the coming year is to appoint nine additional Probation Officers for the implementation of early intervention services 
for youth in the districts. The financial costs will be born by the National Department.

An additional challenge is to ensure the full integration of all TCYCS pilot programmes into the line functions of the department. In 
essence, this means the replication of programmes such as the family preservation project, the professional foster care project, etc, in 
all districts.

The integration of these programmes into line functions poses major challenges because of the financial constraints of the social welfare 
services budget. The continued success of the projects is dependent upon the department securing additional funds.

HIV/AIDS PROGRAMME

The Department of Welfare is one of the key departments in the social needs cluster tasked with implementing the National Integrated Plan 
for children and youth infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

It is estimated that 5% of the child population in South Africa is affected by HIV/AIDS and that an increasing number of children are 
losing one or both parents. The number of orphaned children will exert a big strain on the welfare budget and on community resources which 
the present welfare services budget cannot absorb.

A five year national and provincial welfare plan on HIV/AIDS has been developed. Funding (R75m) has been set aside by Cabinet from the 
National Budget.

Key challenges for the programme in the coming financial year include:

- Setting up integrated community based programmes and services to support quality community based care for people living with HIV/AIDS in 
each district.

- Implementing community based care models for people living with HIV/AIDS and, in particular, AIDS orphans.

- Developing and implementing preventive and promotive programmes for persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

- Implementing programmes to provide socio-economic support to people living with HIV/AIDS through the Anti-Poverty programmes.

- Strengthening partnerships intersectorally and between the different tiers of government in the prevention and promotion of care for 
HIV/AIDS infected and affected.

- A vigorous training programme for welfare personnel on HIV/AIDS management.

VICTIM EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (VEP)

This programme is a sub programme of the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) which targets women and children with skills training as 
victims of domestic violence. The programme also seeks to assist perpetrators of violence to rehabilitate and learn more effective ways of 
dealing with their aggression.

The key challenges for the programme in the coming year include:

- The implementation of an integrated one-stop service centre to deal with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence in each region.

- The appointment of a VEP programme manager on a contract for 3 years.

- The establishment of provincial and district coordinating steering committees in order to strengthen intersectoral collaboration.

- Promoting preventative campaigns on domestic violence and child abuse.

- Integrating the child abuse and protection programmes into the VEP for more effective impact.

- Establishing a provincial list of child abuse offenders as a statutory obligation.

This programme will be funded from a conditional grant from the National Department.

The challenge facing the department is how to ensure the integration of the programme into the budget of the department at the end of three 
years given the non elasticity of the social welfare services budget.

PROGRAMME 5: SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: R4,095 m

This programme is geared at facilitating the community development process and includes as its major component the Anti-Poverty Programme. 
The budget allocation of R4, 095 m makes provision for the filling of new provincial and district posts for development workers and 
administrative costs. The actual development or anti poverty programmes are funded from a conditional grant from State Expenditure

ANTI POVERTY PROGRAMME

The Anti Poverty Programme is the key feature of the departments strategy to shift from a social welfare orientation towards a 
developmental orientation in line with the new financing policy and the White Paper on Social Welfare.

The purpose of the programme is to bring about sustainable improvement in the quality of lives of targeted groups which include women, 
children, youth, HIV/AIDS infected and affected and people with disabilities who live in targeted poverty pockets in rural and peri urban 
communities.

The programme provide these target groups with financial and human resources support.

In the financial year 99/2000, the Province submitted 788 projects to an amount of R19 892,771 to the National Office of which only 652 
managed to operate and claim to a total of R16 307 781.41. Hereunder is the split of the funds distributed per region with number of 
projects in each.

Region A: R3 662 474 (116 Projects)

Region B: R2 796 109 (183 Projects)

Region C: R4 803 776 (152 Projects)

Region D: R3 982 514 (140 Projects)

Region E: R4 647 898 (197 Projects)

The key challenges which have faced this programme since its inception include:

* Inadequate management systems which are critical for the successful implementation of the programme.

* Lack of clarity on governance structures of the programme and in particular the different role responsibilities between the national and 
provincial structures and the other stakeholders who serve as agents for the disbursement of funds.

* Lack of a strategy designed to ensure that the programme targets the poorest of the poor and vulnerable communities.

* Inadequate human resources to ensure an appropriate development process which engages the communities in participatory development.
The key challenges for the next financial year include:

* The development and implementation of a departmental Anti Poverty Strategy which will link to the overall provincial Integrated Rural 
Development Strategy.

* The implementation of administrative and management systems which clearly define the functions to be undertaken in the programme, specify 
role responsibilities of different stakeholders and build on a team approach.

* The development and implementation of a financial management plan for the programme to prevent fraud.

* Equitable distribution of the budget allocation to ensure that the "poorest of the poor" are targeted. With assistance of the HSRC the 
Department has identified poverty pockets in each region and has also developed a tool for the equitable sharing of the budget.

PROGRAMME 6 : POPULATION UNIT R349

The purpose of this programme is to monitor the population trends and related variables. This programme has been non operational . The 
department is in the process of engaging a Director to drive this programme during the financial year 2000/2001.

PROGRAMME 7 : WELFARE FACILITIES, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE R 2, 113

The aim of this programme is to make provision for new welfare facilitites, upgrading and maintenance of existing ones. With the available 
funds, it is only possible for the department to allow R2, 113 million for the completion of facilities under construction and day to day 
maintenance.

Facilities: The department can only finalise payment for three capital projects which are Maluti Place of Safety and the Mt Ayliff Child 
and Family Counselling Centre as well as assist in the completion of Sikhuselekile Place of Safety . The department suffers from a gross 
shortage of office accommodation and the current office circumstances are degrading and are not suited for providing a dignified serve.

PROGRAMME 8 : AUXILLIARY AND ASSOCIATED SERVICES R1,000

The limited budget available will only enable the Department to replace existing poor vehicles.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Honourable Speaker, I wish to assure this House that the Department of Welfare is committed to executing its mandate in 
relation to the vulnerable and marginalised citizens of this Province in a manner which preserves the moral values of dignity, self-
reliance and self respect.

I thank you



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About the Eastern Cape

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