SONA 2011 ANALYSIS – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE

1. SONA 2011 ANALYSIS – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE BY Siyavuya Koyana & Yolisa Nogenga

2. INTRODUCTION • Outline on policy objectives by Social development department • General Strategic objectives – impact on social development sector • Summary of progress on issues raised in 2010 SONA

3. POLICY OBJECTIVES – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT • Phasing of extension of Child Support Grant to cover children under age of 18 years old • Moving away from welfare to developmental State by linking Social grants to economic activity & community development – enhance short-term beneficiaries to become self-supporting in the long run

4. GENERAL STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES • SONA 2011 was declared year of job creation through economic transformation & inclusive growth • Introduction of New Growth Path • Creation of 4.5 million work opportunities through Expanded Public Works Programme • Releasing the Government Position Paper on Social Security Reform for discussion in 2011

5. GENERAL STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES • Government must fill all funded vacant posts • Dealing with drug peddling and drug abuse tearing some communities apart. The cleaning of the social grants system of fraud is also continuing. • Continuing the fight against corruption • R800 million has been set aside for immediate relief to assist communities affected by natural disasters

6. SUMMARY OF PROGESS ON ISSUES RAISED IN 2010 SONA • Extension of the Child Support Grant (CSG) • Eradicating fraud and corruption • Reducing serious and violent crimes • Building a performance oriented state • Expanded Public Works Programme Expansion

7. Extension of the Child Support Grant (CSG) • End of December 2010, total of 10.05 million CSG beneficiaries rise by 7,9% compared to 2009 • The Child Support Grant currently covers between 70 – 80% of children living in poor households (using the R350 per month poverty line) • About 54% of all children under the age of 18 in South Africa receive the CSG. This percentage is expected to rise and peak at around 60 – 65% in the next coming few years with current eligibility.

8. ERADICATING FRAUD AND CORRUPTION • The Department of Social Development has implemented an Anti-Corruption and Fraud Policy • Distribution of awareness booklets to all personnel of the department via the email to provide a better understanding of the Department’s Anti-corruption and Fraud Strategy

9. ERADICATING FRAUD AND CORRUPTION • On 31 October 2003, the United Nations Assembly, declared the 9th of December to be celebrated as a World Anti-Corruption Day • The HSRC in partnership with the Department: Social Development (DSD) and its entities namely; the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the National Development Agency (NDA) is educating employees on corruption and thus raising awareness.

10. ERADICATING FRAUD AND CORRUPTION • A campaign of this nature provided an opportunity for the Department and its Entities to express their commitment in line with the Cabinet’s efforts to eradicate corruption within the public service.

11. REDUCING SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES • The Department of Social Development has implemented the following: • Social crime prevention strategy • Progress to date - The Strategy on Social Crime Prevention was presented at various fora within the department

12. REDUCING SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES - Blue print, minimum norms and standards for secure care centre • Progress to date - Currently there are 27 secure care facilities in the country with a total bed capacity of 2229 and are asfollows:

13. REDUCING SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES

15. REDUCING SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES • Number of children assessed, diverted, placed under home –based care and children under 10 years dealt with during the period under review

16. REDUCING SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES • Policy framework for accreditation of diversion services • Progress to date - Approval of policy by the department in March 2010 and tabled in Parliament on 31 May 2010 • On the20th of August 2010 a Notice was published in the Government Gazette • Three structures (Accreditation, Quality Assurance and Site Verification) were set up in all provinces

17. REDUCING SERIOUS AND VIOLENT CRIMES - Guidelines for Probation Officers, Assistant Probation Officers and Child and Youth Care Workers • The department in partnership with UNICEF developed guidelines for Probation Officers, Assistant Probation Officers and Child and Youth Care Workers to provide appropriate services to children in conflict with the law

18. BUILDING A PERFORMANCE ORIENTED STATE • Progress to date • A total of 150 Master trainers received training and furthermore a total of 270 probation practitioners were trained in all provinces

19. BUILDING A PERFORMANCE ORIENTED STATE • The Department of Social Development has partnered with the Technical Assistance Unit of the National Treasury to review its planning processes and capacity of the strategy unit. • In the past two years over 30 technical staff were trained on result based monitoring and evaluation which is important in performance planning

20. BUILDING A PERFORMANCE ORIENTED STATE • Service Delivery Improvement Plan will be published annually with the strategic plan in accordance with the Public Service Regulation.

21. EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME EXPANSION • Government launched the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in 2003 as a short to medium-term response to high unemployment, marginalisation and halving of unemployment by 2014 • Progress to date • The Social Sector created 206 421 work opportunities in the 2009/10 financial year against the set target of 80 000 for the year in the business plan.

22. EXPANDED PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME EXPANSION • The Social Sector has managed to mobilise R56 million for HCBC in the 2010/11 financial year • Challenges • There is also a long standing backlog in terms of standardisation of stipends within the stipends which gets exacerbated by the rate at which EPWP pays.

23. CONTEXTUALISE PRIORITIES • Locate the priorities identified by the 2011 State of the Nation Address within the New Growth Path (NGP) as it provides a policy framework. • The NGP provides a strategic framework on how South Africa can achieve its goals of creating decent work, reduce inequality and eradicate poverty.

24. SOCIAL GRANTS TO BE LINKED TO ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO ENABLE SHORT-TERM BENEFICIARIES TO BECOME SELF-SUPPORTING • This priority was identified in 2009 State of the Nation Address • The 2011 State of the Nation Address reiteration of this priority indicates that the Department of Social Development needs to put more focus in expanding the pilot project and roll it out to other provinces. • Department launched two Sustainable Livelihood pilot projects in North West, where 50 toilets were constructed in Bokfontein and Eastern Cape through the Silindithemba eDutyini Cooperative.

25. CONTINUED • This is a potential area for the Committee to conduct oversight on as means of evaluating the impact of the projects. The oversight could assess the following: • How many beneficiaries are/were linked to the projects? • What impact has these projects had on their lives? • How many beneficiaries are women, youth and people with disabilities? • How did the pilot projects demonstrate the possibility of making social grant beneficiaries move to self-sustenance? This is importance because the two projects appear to have been short term projects. • How did these projects contribute towards skill development and community development? • The Committee may further enquire from the Department on how the Department aims to expand the implementation of this priority.

26. PROVIDE FINANCIAL AND NON-FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO COOPERATIVES • During the Budget hearings in June 2009 in Parliament, the Department indicated that it will focus on investing on NGOs • The Department also reported that it was going to explore possibilities of establishing or implementing sustainable livelihood through community foundation associations or cooperatives. • The NGP proposes investment in social capital and public services. • The social economy includes no-for-profit institutions that provide goods and services, including co-operatives, non-government organizations (NGOs) and stokvels. •  The framework estimates that if the social sector grew in South Africa closer to international norms, it is anticipated that 260 000 new employment opportunities can be created. Evidence has shown that NGOs perform 60% of the Department of Social Development’s services. This indicates the ability of NGOs in generating employment opportunities.

27. CONTINUED • Implications to the Committee • The Committee should be briefed by the Department on the progress it has made in investing in cooperatives. The Department should also provide the Committee with a list of cooperatives that it either established or supported. • It is also important for the Committee to see to it that the Financial Award Policy is implemented and that discrepancies in the funding model across provinces are eradicated. •  The issue of stipends between the Department of Health and Social Development needs to be urgently addressed. Guidelines to address this should be prioritised and therefore it is within the prerogative of the Committee to see to it that the guidelines are developed.

28. EMPLOYMENT CREATION • The NGP proposes that the government needs to invest in social investing in social capital and public services through skills enhancement and support for social wage (meaning public services targeted primarily at low-income households) measures. • The framework makes special focus on generating job opportunities for young people because they face the highest unemployment rate. The Department of Social Development can contribute towards realisation of this goal through its Masupatsela, Home Community Based Care (HCBC) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes

29. CONTINUED • Implications to the Committee •  It is crucial for the Committee to monitor how Masupatsela and HCBC and ECD programmes are enhanced and evaluate their impact both in the services they give as well as in creating employment opportunities for the youth.

30. FINALISATION OF THE GOVERNMENT POSITION PAPER ON SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM BEFORE THE END OF 2011 • The NGP acknowledges that there is a need for a more competitive and stable exchange rate and that entails aligning macroeconomic measures, microeconomic interventions and social partner commitments. •  Most applicable to the social development sector is the suggestion for government to maintain the real value of social grants and improve the social wage in poor communities, including housing, healthcare and education. • The government aims to increase social security coverage by improving levels of private savings in the economy. •  Personal savings will be improved through proposed changes in the structure and regulation of retirement funds, including affordable compulsory membership for all employees. •  This means integrating public (tax financed) and private (contributory) social security schemes.

31. CONTINUED • Implications to the Committee • The Committee may need to consider organizing a seminar in which experts in the field of social security can be invited to update the Members of Parliament of the discussions around integrating tax financed social security schemes and contributory schemes. •  Also on what role should parliamentarians play? • This will not only keep the Committee abreast with the discussions and debates but also afford the members to have a broader perspective on the subject matter.

32. Fight Against Substance Abuse • The Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act (No. 70 of 2008) was promulgated in 2008. • The Department was to develop draft Regulations on the Act in 2009/10

33. cont • Implications to the Committee • The Committee needs to see to it that the Department the Regulations are developed and finalised.

34. Thank you