Modern, Growing, Successful Province

Social Development Budget Speech 2013

Budget Speech of the Department of Social Development as presented by MEC Alvin Botes

23 May 2013

Honourable Speaker of the Legislature, Mr. van Wyk

Honourable Deputy Speaker of the Legislature, Ms. Beukes

Honourable Acting Premier, Ms. Sylvia Lucas

Members of the Executive Council and Members of the Provincial Legislature

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development, Ms. Sandra Beukes

Mayors and Councillors

Leadership of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, led by Rre Mathobela and Mme Lubidla

Leadership of the National Liberation Movement, presented here by Comrade Honourable John Block

The entire Provincial Executive Committee of the ANCYL, led by Comrade Shadrack Tlhaole and Comrade Honourable Bongiwe Gigaba

Community Based Organisations, and Non Profit Organisations

Mr. Clive Moses of the National Development Agency (NDA)

Ms. Koleka Lubelwana of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA)

Head of Department, Ms. Elizabeth Botes and Government Officials


Today we celebrate the birth of the late Joe Slovo, an anti-Apartheid activist, one of the founders of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC, and general secretary of the South African Communist Party during the 1980s.  Comrade Joe Slovo was and remains one of the chief Architects who helped lay the foundation for a better life. Joe Slovo, has like Dialego in his 1975 book, Philosophy and Class Struggle, emphasises by that there is always "the need to understand the world as it really is.”  We must be conscious that as the Black people of the Northern Cape, the African, the Nama, the Khoi-San, the Boesman, the Coloureds, and Indian people has been colonised, and the land of our forefathers has been robbed, by the white coloniser.  Apartheid has been engineered by a white South African, who had no wish whatsoever for Black people, such as us, to have a better life, free from poverty. 

But Joe Slovo, as a White South African, opposed these liberal white anti-peoples programme, and launched the only housing programme in the world free for the poor.  The RDP housing programme was conceived by this good and genuine white man, who fought for the freedom of our people. 

Honourable Speaker,

I agree fully with the late Joe Slovo when he said, and I quote "sometimes, if you wear suits for too long, it changes your ideology”.  On more than one occasion government gets confronted when it goes to work with the people, in their areas, townships, villages and farms, because we are so conscious that wearing suits for too long, could change your ideology.  It is for this reason that we as the ANC government remains rooted in the people, and firmly inspired by our peoples love for us, the children of Mandela.



Honourable Speaker,

During his inaugural Address to a Joint Sitting of Parliament, 24 May 1994 President Mandela asserted the following “My Government's commitment to create a people-centred society of liberty binds us to the pursuit of the goals of freedom from want, freedom from hunger, freedom from deprivation, freedom from ignorance, freedom from suppression and freedom from fear.”

If we agree with what Nelson Mandela has said, then we must agree that the central and good objective of the ANC for our people in the Northern Cape is for them all to be free from Poverty. The Northern Cape Government, working with our people will ensure where there is despair, we will give hope; where there is darkness, we will give light; and where there is doubt, we will ensure we renewed our people’s faith in the ANC. 

Honourable Speaker,

Allow me to turn my attention to the plans of the Department of Social Development for the 2013/14 financial year in our effort to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.  

On our Policy Priority: Protecting the Poor

Honourable Speaker,

During last year’s Budget Speech I announced that by the end of social development month in October 2012, the department, with the 500 volunteer cadres with matric, would complete profiling of the most poor families or households, which we did. We visited our people living in more than 120 000 families, in every area, from Kimberley to Namakwa, from Upington to De Aar and all villages in Kuruman. 

The Balelapa households profiling project we have use for planning and decision-making regarding critical interventions, service delivery and poverty reduction targets across departments and municipalities in the Northern Cape.  For example, we have discovered that more than 5000 adults do not have ID documents; as a result many poor people would have not being able to access services by the caring Northern Cape government.

We must remind our people that we have actually as this ANC government visited almost all families in our poor townships, villages and farming areas.

Out of this Balelapa report, we have identified 1 250 households or families across the Province with no income, living in abject or chronic poverty. The Northern Cape Cabinet has agreed to coordinate the provision of a comprehensive basket of services to these 1 250 households.  By this time next year, we would have changed drastically the lives of these 1250 families, encapsulating a Better Life for 5000 people altogether. 

On Social Security

Honourable Speaker,

Social security or the provision of grants remains an important instrument in the fight against chronic poverty in the Northern Cape. The child support grant is there to assist the poor mother with the upbringing of her child. The disability grant is there to assist people living with disabilities with their expensive caregiving and maintenance of a minimum livelihood.  The pension grants are for our elders of society, who because of old age cannot work and be economic productive.  Our people must understand that social grants is not a salary, it is there for the beneficiary, to render an added or helping hand.


These grants serve as a buffer for many people against abject poverty.  Children must be clothed and given food with child support grants.  People living with disabilities must be enabled to have a live generally free from poverty.  Our older people must not starve in their golden age, after they have served families and communities. 

During the 2013/14 financial year South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), on behalf of the Northern Cape government, will pay just over 433 500 grants, at a cost of more than  R3.1 billion.

Of these grants more than 75 500 are Old Age Grants, at a cost of more than R1.1 billion. More than 50 000 are Disability Grants, at a cost of more than R750 million.

Our children gets a special attention, whereby 15 000 Foster Care grants at a cost of almost R140 million, will be distributed; Child Support Grants is more than 280 0000, at a cost of almost R990 million.  On top of this, Care Dependency Grants of almost 5500, at a cost of more than R81million will be issued.

When the ANC was voted in government Old Age pension, Disability and Care Dependency grants was a mere R 600 a month, now it is R 1.260 per month.  When the ANC was voted in government Foster Care grants was R30 a month, now it is R 800.00 per month. Under the ANC, comprehensive Child Support grant has been increased to R 290, 00 in April and as from October 2013 this year; it will be R 300.00 per month.

War Veterans’ Grants is issued for 12 veterans, at a cost of more than R180. 000 and Grant-in-Aid is given to more than 4600 beneficiaries, at a cost of more than R16 million.

In addition to this, government will spend an amount of R19 million rand on Social Relief of Distress.  The food parcels of R19million for our people, will includes R 13 million from SASSA and R 6 million from Social Development.

The total money government gives for both Social Grants and Food Parcels is R3.7 Billion. 

Any of our people which qualifies and applies for social grants, will get formal approval in 3 weeks from the time.  Where there is a crisis of poverty, and where there is absolutely no money or income, help will be immediate, not exceeding 72 hours. 

Honourable Speaker,

The re-registration process of SASSA has now been concluded, the new system will enable Government to pay the right grant to the right person, therefore ensuring the integrity of the payment system, by identifying fraudulent beneficiaries and eradication of duplications.

The great benefit of the new system is that it will enable beneficiaries to access their grants, kae kapa kae, leng kapa leng, Njalo.




On Food for all

Honourable Speaker,

Like former President Thabo Mbeki, I too believe that “our nights cannot but be nights of nightmares while millions of our people live in conditions of degrading poverty.  Sleep cannot come easily when children get permanently disabled, both physically and mentally, because of lack of food. “ 

Honourable Speaker,

Because we cannot sleep when our people is hungry, the Department of Social Development will therefore establish 28 new soup kitchens in War on Poverty areas to the value of almost R 3 million, ensuring that all 63 War on Poverty areas in the Province have a soup kitchen.  This will bring the total soup kitchens made possible by government to 106.  This will ensure that the most deprived communities have access to a meal and therefore need not to perish from hunger.  In addition to this, the Department will strengthen thirty one Drops in Centres and seventy eight Soup kitchens to the value of more than R 15m.  

Honourable Speaker,

John Taolo Gaetsewe District has been identified as one of twenty three District Municipalities in the country that government has prioritised for development because of extreme poverty and underdevelopment.  In pursuance to this noble agenda, the Department and the National Development Agency has set aside R1m for the establishment of a food bank in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District, in partnership with Food bank South Africa and the Department of Agriculture as the lead Department.  

Honourable Speaker,

Our revered leader, former President Mandela once said “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children and its youth”.

On Policy Priority Two: Youth Development

Honourable Speaker,

The National Development Plan 2030 acknowledges that “South Africa has an urbanising, youthful population and that this presents an opportunity to boost economic growth, increase employment and reduce poverty”.  

During my Budget Speech last year, I announced that the Department of Social Development will commission a comprehensive research report on the Status of the Northern Cape Youth 2001 to 2011 - a Ten Year Overview. The Northern Cape cabinet will launch the youth research report next month as part of our June Youth Month Programme.     The outcomes of the Status of Youth Research in the Northern Cape will strengthen our provision of developmental programmes and services to young people.  It will further serve as a guide to Government, Private Sector and Civil Society as to what are the needs of young people and how best can we respond as a collective to address these needs.

Honourable Speaker,

We are mindful of the fact that our young people have aspirations and want to participate fully in the lives of their societies.  Therefore in responding to the aspirations of our young people in terms of skills development, the Department has set aside R 2.2 million in terms of the provision of accredited training to unemployed young people across the province, thus enhancing their employability, therefore enabling them to lead the lives they desire as espoused by the Constitution and the National Development Plan 2030.

The Department has further set aside R 1.7 million for socio-economic initiatives aimed at young people to ensure we create an environment that spurs entrepreneurial activities amongst our young people.

The Department will further spend an additional R 2.1 million on strengthening its 25 Youth Service Centres to ensure these Centres are able to render developmental programmes and services aimed at young people at community level.

Honourable Speaker,

When I arrived in office as MEC, the total youth budget was R3.6 million; the total youth budget of Social Development now stands at R23.78 million.

In addition to earlier outlined programmes, the Youth development budget for Frances Baard is just over R2 million; for Pixley almost R1.9million; for Siyanda just over R1.6 million; for Namakwa over R1.8 million and John Taolo Gaetsewe youth will receive R2.1 million. 

We do all this for our youth, Honourable Speaker, because we believe ‘that in its youth, a tree bears the best fruits’. 

Honourable Speaker,

On EPWP

The Expanded Public Works Programme in the short and medium term is expected to play a significant role in the fight against poverty and unemployment. South Africa has made a commitment to the Millennium Development Goals of halving unemployment and poverty by 2014. Unemployment undermines human dignity; we are therefore duty-bound to ensure we create as many as possible work opportunities for our people to participate in productive work.

The department of Social Development manage to convince National Government to give us an additional of R5.7 million, which will create jobs for 308 persons.  More Home- Based Care Givers, ECD Practitioners, Disability Coordinators, Older Persons Coordinators, Soup Kitchen Administrators and  Youth Service Centre Operators will be appointed.

Agbare Speaker,

Die hoogste wetlike gesag in Suid-Afrika, naamlik die Grondwet, waarborg dat almal jonger as 18 jaar kinderregte het. Die regte sluit in maar is nie beperk tot die reg om kinders te wees, die reg om beskerm te word teen kwaad, om skuiling te hê en om veilig te voel en die reg tot opvoeding.

Die Regering moet dus alles binne sy vermoë doen om kinders beskerm teen verwaarlosing, misbruik en vernederende straf deur ouers en oppassers. 

On Child care, protection and empowerment

Honourable Speaker,

We have identified the Isibindi Programme Model developed by the National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers to be rolled out in communities across the Province. The model has proven to be effective in addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children through the appointment of the Child and Youth Care Workers who provide direct support to children in their homes and at community level through safe parks and life skills programmes.

To this end, the Department has set aside R 8 million to roll out the Isibindi Programme to three new sites bringing the total sites to 12 in the Province.  John Taolo Gaetsewe and the Namakwa Districts have been identified for the expansion of the programme.  

On Early Childhood Development

Honourable Speaker,

Early childhood development (ECD) remains one of the most powerful levers for accelerating education for all and meeting the Millennium Development Goals for reducing poverty. Early childhood Development must be recognised as a public good and as an important part of the education process.

It is against this background that we prioritised this service by increasing the allocation from R 48,6 million in 2012/13 to the amount of R 71 million in 2013/14. The increased allocation constitutes a 46% increase and will therefore enable the Department to render ECD services more children in our province.  The Department will spend a further R 2, 5 million on ECD Practitioners, therefore ensuring the provision of cognitive stimulation programmes at ECD centres by trained ECD practitioners.


Honourable Speaker,

The Department will spend R 137 million during this financial year on child care and protection because we must at all times ensure that our children are safe and their developmental needs are met.

We must at all times ensure that we create an environment that respects the human rights of our vulnerable sectors of society, namely; women, children, people with disabilities and the aged, because wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated.  We must therefore work in unison to ensure that these rights are respected.  This is our solemn duty.

On Care and Services to Older Persons, families and persons with disabilities

Honourable Speaker,

The provision of integrated and developmental programmes, services and facilities to promote the well being and protection of older persons remains a key focus for the Department.  We therefore condemn the abuse of our elderly.  The Department will therefore embark on a campaign to create awareness about the abuse of older persons and to ensure that such cases are reported and the perpetrators are dealt with in terms of the law.


Honourable Speaker,

We have trained ten people as trainers on Alzheimer’s - dementia and we will be engaging in research, training and establishment of support groups and referrals for elderly abuse cases throughout the province. This programme will be rolled out in partnership with Age-in-Action and Alzheimer’s South Africa.  

We have set aside R 11.9 million for care and services to older persons, this will enable the Department to ensure that we allow our older persons to enjoy their rights as contemplated in the constitution of the Republic.

Honourable Speaker,

We must restore the integrity of the family, because the family is the most important unit of society.  The Department will therefore continue to strengthen its family preservation services across the province through delivery of an integrated basket of services aimed at the entire family.  We will therefore be spending R 1.9 million during this financial year to ensure we reassert our families as the basic unit of our society.



In terms services to people with disabilities, the Department has also set aside more than R 750 000 for the funding of two Protective Workshops, namely Ba One in John Taolo Gaetsewe and Oasis in Siyanda District.  We have allocated R 2, 8 million to Homes for People with Disabilities.  This will enable the Department to provide a safe haven for people with disabilities.  A further R 1, 3 million will be spend on Non-Profit Organisations that render services to people with disabilities.  

On HIV and Aids

Honourable Speaker,

HIV/AIDS remains a deadly disease it poses a great threat to development prospects of our people, especially the poor, who have no economic cushion.  The impact of HIV/AIDS within the social sector is made obvious by the increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children, the increase in the number of child headed Households and the increase in the number of households in need of Home Based Community Care Services.

The Department will therefore spend R 17.3 million rand on Home Based Community Care to ensure the provision of services to those unable to access services otherwise.

The ANC Government is very happy that working with our people, HIV transmission has been reduce to 17 percent, the Northern Cape being the best performing province in the fight against HIV and Aids.


On Policy Priority Three: Crime prevention

Honourable Speaker,

Substance abuse destroys lives and communities; it undermines sustainable human development and leads to crime. Substance abuse affects us all, either directly or indirectly. The abuse of drugs has many negative effects in society of which unemployment, low self esteem, educational failure, psychological and family problems are a few to mention. 

We can therefore confirm that the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research is conducted in partnership with FARR in Roodepan and Galeshewe as mentioned in my Budget Vote Speech last year. This financial year we will be extending our partnership with FARR with the roll out of the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby programme in the Siyanda District. The Healthy Mother Healthy Baby programme is a preventative and interventionist programme targeting mothers, pregnant women and babies.

Our objective is to decrease alcohol consumption by Young girls and Women of child bearing age and pregnant with 30 percent.

We have entered into an agreement with the Resilia Clinic in Upington to provide bed space for 15 people in terms of in-patient treatment facility.  To date we have treated 30 people with the first intake that commenced in April 2013 and the second intake in May 2013.  The Department has therefore set aside R 3.1 million during the 2013/14 financial year; this will result in a total allocation of R 9.6 million over the MTEF period.  This clearly demonstrates our commitment to fight the scourge of substance abuse in the Province. 


Like the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Banki Moon, I too believe, "Our efforts to promote development and fight drugs and crime will be more effective if they are rooted in partnerships with the young, civil society, government and the international community". Therefore to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society, the Northern Cape will be hosting the national Annual International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking on the 26 June 2013.

An amount of R 5.4 million has budgeted for the Departmental Substance Abuse programme for the 2013 / 2014 financial year.


Honourable Speaker,

Crime and violence, especially against women and children pose a grave threat to our hard earned democracy and serve as an impediment to the attainment of a better life for all. Despite our best efforts as government as well as civil society organisations to prevent crime and especially crime against women and children, crime remains a challenge for all South Africans.  Many women, children and the elderly are victims of this heinous cowardly act.

Therefore as government we will continue to support the victims of these horrendous violent barbaric actions. We must however strengthen our value system as a society, a value system that acknowledges that “Motho ke motho ka batho”. We must therefore continue to create awareness of these atrocious acts and therefore encourage the victims of these crimes to report such crimes.

Honourable Speaker,

I am aware that the 16 Days of Activism Campaign is not enough to raise awareness around the abuse of women and children, therefore we will be intensifying the 365 Days of No Violence against Women and children throughout the Province.  We are mindful that creating awareness on its own is not enough to address crime against women, children and the elderly.  We are also aware that this is a societal challenge we therefore wish to call all sectors of society to partner with the Department in creating a safe environment for all.  

Honourable Speaker,

During March 2013 we launched the Keimoes Safe House for victims of crime and violence.  The Department have already spend R 850 000 to date to ensure that we provide a protective environment for women and children through the erection of the Keimoes Safe House. 

Honourable Speaker,

We have set aside R 1 million for Victim Empowerment.  We are mindful that this is not enough that is why we call on private sector to partner with us to create a safe environment for our vulnerable people.  We must continue to work together in creating a society that value life and that respect the rights of people to enjoy a life of dignity free from any form of abuse.  

We are aware that most contact crimes against women are committed at their homes, by their husbands or partners; we will work with the Fatherhood Foundation of Neville of Sevende Laan, to assist men in families, to become better guardians of women and children.


On Children in conflict with the law

When dealing with Children in conflict with the law, it is important for the justice system to treat every child in conflict with the law in a manner that recognizes and upholds human dignity and worth, and instils in the child respect for the fundamental rights and freedom of others.

Therefore our programmes and services for crime prevention, diversion, rehabilitation, re-integration and aftercare continue to ensure the normal growth and development of the child in conflict with the law.  To this end, the Department have set aside R880.000 to realise this noble objective in line with the Child Justice Act of 2005 ( Act 38 of 2005)

Honourable Speaker,

We are mindful that in order for us to deliver on all this commitments, we need to the support of our Non-Profit Partners.


On NPO Support and strengthening of Communities

During the past Financial Year, the Department spend R 1.6 million on training of our Administrators and Project Coordinates of all our Soup Kitchens, Youth Service Centres and Drop in Centres, in terms of Project Management and Basic Financial Management.  We also established a Programme, namely Institutional Funding, Support and Capacity Building to ensure that we streamline funding of NPOs, monitoring and evaluation as well as their capacity building. R 2.6 million has been allocated for Non Profit Organisations (NPO’s) capacity building interventions as part of our plan to entrench good governance and to ensure the institutional sustainability of the 700 NPO’s to be funded by the Department during the 2013/14 financial year. The Department has set aside a further R 5.3 million for the 2014/15 and R 8 million for the 2015/16 financial year bring our total capacity building budget for NPOs to R 16 million over the MTEF.

Honourable Speaker,

A further R 1 million has been set aside to appoint Social Work graduates in the Non-Governmental sector.  This will further enhance the capacity of our NPOs to respond swiftly to challenges faced by our communities.

Honourable Speaker,

The budget for the 2013/14 financial year of the Department totals an amount of R 606 million and the allocation is as follows, Social Welfare Services

R 396 million; Research and Development R 114 million; and Administration R93 million. Our core programmes continue to demonstrate a budget increase, while for the 4th consecutive budget year; Administration’s allocation is consistently showing a significant reduction.  This represents a clear demonstration of our tacit commitment to ensuring we redirect financial resources to where it is needed most in terms of service delivery.  It also bears testimony of our efficiencies through better planning and application of existing resources.

The Department received its 7th consecutive unqualified audit opinion during the 2012/13 and the Department of Social Development was also awarded the Auditor General’s country’s Best Performing Department Award for the 2012/2013 financial year. Equally so, the Balelapa household profiling has received the 1st runner-up award for the Most innovative service delivery instrument by government. This bears testimony of our efficiencies through better planning and application of existing resources.

Honourable Speaker,

I wish to express my gratitude to the officials of the Department of Social Development under the capable leadership of the Head of Department, Ms. Elizabeth Botes.  Also to the ministerial team, headed by Reverend Given Pieterse, for rendering political support.


Honourable Speaker,

Allow me, to conclude with a quotation from Paulo Freire, from the historical writings in the book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, “a person does not consider himself or herself the proprietor of history or of all people, or the liberator of the oppressed; but he or she does commit himself or herself, within history, to fight at their side.”

I Thank You.

Ke a leboga

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