Speech delivered by MEC for Health and Welfare Mr. Seaparo Sekoati on the occasion of Integrated Social Security Services Metz Community Hall

21 October 2004

Programme director
Executive major of Bushbuckridge municipality
Mayor of Maruleng Local Municipality
Representatives of the Tribal Authority
Government representatives
Ladies and Gentlemen:

October is usually referred to as the social development month. This is one of those rare occasions, during the year, when we showcase the breakthrough that we have made to fight and push back the frontiers of poverty.

The celebration of this month, this year, coincide with the worldwide commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Families, but of most importance, the commemoration of the ten years of our freedom and democracy that our people sacrificed for, even paid the highest price for its attainment.

This is an occasion during which, as government working with and through our people, we look back and appreciate our achievements, but also acknowledge our shortcomings and recommit ourselves to spare no effort in our endeavor to accelerate delivery of services to our people.

Over the past ten years we have developed and monitored the implementation of a range of policies that create a conducive environment for and leads to the reduction in poverty, provide social protection and social welfare services to our people.

Through the provision of social grants millions of our people, mostly women, children, orphans, the aged and the disabled, are assured of at least a meal a day.

Through the Integrated National Food Security Nutrition Programme, which is part of an integrated approach to eradicate food shortage and insecurity, we have responded to the immediate food crisis of those indigent households in our country and province. We have provided relief measures to those who cannot afford adequate and nutritious food due to poverty.

The poverty relief programme has helped government to build self -reliant communities and built a culture of sustainable development among our people.

Adequate attention has been paid towards ensuring that child – headed families, orphaned and HIV and AIDS infected and affected children get support and care.

These gains that we made were possible because of the partnership that we have solicited with schools, business institutions, labor, non-governmental, community and faith based organizations.

These partners continue to play a critical role when identifying poor households that are eligible to receive food parcels. These partners remain critical and committed signatories of the people’s contract to create a better South Africa.

The celebration and acknowledgement of these stories of success does not suggest that there are no challenges that we face and have to overcome as government as we strive to built a better life for all.

As we close the first decade and move forward to the second decade of freedom, we are presented with many challenges.

These challenges range from reducing unemployment, providing skills needed by the economy, reducing cases of communicable and non-communicable diseases, fully entrenching the constitutional rights of especially the poor and those at risk to reducing poverty through such programmes as economic development and comprehensive social security.

As we said earlier the past ten years were characterized by immense progress in many of these areas, but a lot still needs to be done to enhance the capacity of poor households to fight hunger and poverty and access nutritious food.

The provision of social grants and the Expanded Public Works Programme are governments major programmes aimed at pushing back the frontiers of poverty.

Through this programme (EPWP) government hopes to create jobs and in the process transfer income to the poor necessary to alleviate poverty. At the same time the programme will provide workers with on- the- job experience and training under special conditions of employment so that when they leave, the workers they have possible longer – term income opportunities.

Studies have shown that social grants are government’s most sustainable, well-targeted poverty alleviation programme.

Under apartheid social grants were allocated on a racial basis. Since 1994 government has sought to reverse this and in the process spread the reach of the grants to all eligible beneficiaries and even introduced the child support grant.

Currently government is administering various types of grants targeting pensioners, children, disabled and orphans and those in need of care and aid.

While the impact of these grants is visible, their full impact will only be realized when all eligible beneficiaries are registered. Of most importance is the ability of government to complete the phased extension of child support grant to cover children under the age of fourteen in 2005.

As government we are confident that we will succeed to achieve this goal, particularly because of the partnership we have with the people and also with the level of commitment displayed by our frontline workers.

We take this opportunity to call on all those eligible, but are without vital documents such ID’s, birth certificates, death certificates and marriage certificates necessary to access these grants to register and obtain them.

We commend the work that the Department of Home Affairs is doing in this regard. We also applaud the Department of Justice for smoothly and timely processing applications for the foster care grants.

While these and other departments are doing a commendable job to bring a better life for all, a lot still needs to be done.

Government is however, concerned about level of fraud and corruption that engulf government services.

The situation is even worse in the administration and provision of social grants; particularly the disability grant and child support grant.

Government has nevertheless introduced the National fraud hotline and Register. The aim of this service is to identify areas of potential fraud, to implement measures aimed at deterring and detecting activities of fraud and to set fraud control responsibilities for all officials.

At the same time government is establishing the South African Social Security Agency, which will speed up the delivery of social grants while cutting down on corruption and fraud.

The agency will manage the National database of all social grants beneficiaries and ensure that grants are paid in conditions of dignity and respect.

Other problems such as long delays in approving grants, long queues at pay points and low levels of service delivery will be attended to.

By shifting social security function to the agency, and alleviating pressure of grants administration on provincial budgets, we hope we will be able to improve our focus on social development in general which has traditionally been overshadowed by social security.

The success of this institution and other government programmes aimed at pushing back the frontiers of poverty depend on joint action and partnership with various stakeholders including business, labor, civil society, and faith based organizations.

We urge all those who have not yet signed the people’s contract to do so and help strengthen our families and communities for a better life for children.

I thank you.

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