In 1994, Former President Nelson Mandela articulated that “Freedom should not be understood
to mean leadership positions or even appointments to top positions. It must be understood as the
transformation of the lives of ordinary people in the hostels and the ghettos; in the squatter camps;
on the farms and in the mine compounds. It means constant consultation between leaders and
members of their organisations; it demands of us to be in constant touch with the people, to
understand their needs, hopes and fears; and to work together with them to improve their
conditions”.
- The Batho Pele Principle encourages government to be open, honest, transparent, and
accountable about all aspects of our work. We should amongst other things table budgets annually
as we hereby do. These are standards we are consciously bound to live by, in order to maximise our
impact in addressing the issues President Mandela referred to above including being in touch with
the hopes and aspirations of our people. - It is precisely for this reason our Administration remains committed to our 2030 vision of Growing
Gauteng Together with a concerted focus on our Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels. - Honourable Members, Gauteng is one of the provinces that leads in the provision of social
services, in providing dignity, care and solace to the majority of those dependent on the state. Ours
is to push back the frontiers of poverty, inequality and unemployment. - Madam Speaker despite what some naysayers may claim against the department, the facts reveal
that this province spends the most on the vulnerable, the Department spends R2,3 billion on NPOs,
followed by Western Cape at just over R1 billion and KZN at R600mil, the remainder of the provinces
spending below R500mil each. The facts speak for themselves, we far outweigh many and
misinformation can never rub off facts. - When other provinces lose their residents to Gauteng in search of gold – be it business
opportunities, talent exposure, entrepreneurship, or job search – it is Gauteng that makes sure that
such residents see another day. Our motto, of Growing Gauteng Together is a clear commitment to
working with all in the quest to build and grow a Gauteng that we all dream of. - The recent encounters between the Department and the NPO sector over the Departments
allocation of the R2.3 billion to the NPO sector clearly mirrored and underscored the centrality and
impact the Gauteng Department of Social Development has on the war on poverty and on how the
vulnerable are responded to and assisted in Gauteng. - Further highlighting a contestation of priorities. Whilst the province’s population continues to
grow and its social ills multiply, our budget has not grown as rapidly to match the growing demands.
Resulting in a contestation of priorities. As the Department must serve the vulnerable: our elderly,
children and people with disabilities, whilst at the same time is tasked with the mandate to ensure
food security, care for the homeless, and deal decisively with substance abuse. - It was out of this conflict in priorities and no additional funds provided for the provincial elevated
priorities that the Department embarked on a reprioritisation. Resulting in much conflict with the
NPO sector. We are proud to indicate that the chapter is now closed as the Premier has committed
to call an urgent Premiers Budget Committee meeting to discuss funding our elevated priorities. - Madam Speaker, peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by
peaceful means. The Department working together with its stakeholders are readying itself towards
the NPO Summit, where we will discuss governance issues, funding opportunities the NPOs ought to
explore in this tight economic environment, monitoring and evaluation and importantly how we are
to ensure we realise our developmental agenda. - Madam speaker, It is important to note that as we near the end of our current electoral term,
the configuration on the management of departments was changed. At the beginning of the 6th
parliament, the Gauteng Department of Social Development was a standalone department, and last
year in October after Premier Panyaza Lesufi took over from the then Premier Mr David Makhura,
the Department of Social Development was paired with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture,
Rural Development and Environment to be under one MEC. - During the introduction of the new cabinet in October, the Premier outlined the elevated five
priorities in the Growing Gauteng Together (GGT2030) action plan. Key focus is to change the living
conditions of people particularly in townships, informal settlement and hostels (TISH). In his SOPA
speech, the Premier further detailed the action plan for executing these priorities:
The reconfigured portfolio of the two departments was charged with the following elevated
priorities: - A heightened fight against substance abuse.
- Drastically reducing homelessness
- War on poverty through improving food security
- Welfare to work programmes through accelerated skills development
- Promotion of Environmental Sustainability
- Whilst administratively they remain departments in their own right, both departments report to
- the Executive Authority and it is my duty to ensure that both departments are streamlined and work
together to achieve the above elevated priorities. - The GDSD is tasked to champion GGT Priority 4: Safety, Social Cohesion and Food security. This
covers the elevated priorities of rehabilitation of individuals addicted to drugs, accommodating
homeless people and ensuring food security.
