Colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen, Members of the media. Good morning.  Thank you and welcome to the media briefing of the Social Protection and Community Development Cluster. This session emanates from the State of the Nation Address of 11 February in which President Jacob Zuma outlined the direction that the government will take during the 2010/2011 financial year. This is therefore an overview of the contributions of the Social Protection and Community Development Cluster towards this year of action.

This briefing, ladies and gentlemen, focuses and elaborates on the priorities of the work of the cluster in Expanded Public Works Programme, Human settlements, Comprehensive rural development strategy, Youth Development, Social cohesion and Comprehensive social security.
 

Expanded Public Works Programme
As you already know, the EPWP has, between April and December 2009, created 482 742 work opportunities which constitute 97 percent of the targeted 500 000 job opportunities promised by the President in his similar address last year. These job opportunities under the EPWP are defined as any period of paid employment. From its inception, this programme was designed as a strategy to bridge the skills gap, provide remunerative employment opportunities for the disadvantaged groups and to fast track the provision of public services.

Over the 2009-2014 period, the second phase of this programme aims to create 4.5 million short-term job opportunities and about R52 billion has been allocated for various expanded public works projects over the next three years. This includes an additional R2.5 billion in the MTEF allocations to support labour-intensive projects in the social and environmental sectors, largely targeting rural areas.

Human settlements
Notwithstanding our government’s commendable progress in successfully providing some 2, 8 million housing opportunities to an estimated 14 million South Africans, the demand for housing has remained high and has far outstripped the pace of delivery.

Because of this, there is no doubt that the biggest and most urgent challenge facing our government is the development of sustainable and integrated human settlement. To this end, the Department of Human Settlement has undertaken a number of key initiatives. Key amongst these initiatives is the upgrading of informal settlements programme, under which we aims to provide the poor with basic services and land tenure rights by 2014. This translates to 125 000 informal settlement units that will be upgraded annually across the country over the next four years. 

We will also increase the delivery rate of affordable rental housing to 300 000 units per year by 2014.  The Department of Human Settlements and National Treasury will set up the Housing Guarantee Fund by November this year for which R1 billion has been allocated to provide incentives for the private sector to supply housing units at lower prices, whilst simultaneously encouraging low income earners to build their own houses. In addition to this, a total of 6 000 hectares of well located land for low income and affordable housing will be set aside. 

Comprehensive rural development strategy

The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform is currently implementing the Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy in 21 wards and will gradually expand to 160 wards by 2014, positively affecting at least 1.9 million people in rural areas. 

To cushion the burden of rising food prices on poor households, the cluster will continue with the implementation of the Household Food Production Programme. This programme has already benefitted 30 024 households. As part of the programme, about 60 vegi-tunnels were established in three learning sites in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and North West province. In support of the foregoing activities, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will implement telefood projects.

Comprehensive social security
In relation to this objective, a number of activities have been undertaken. While other processes have been completed, others have just started and others will only commence in the new financial year. One of the cluster’s key outcomes is the finalisation of the work on comprehensive social security system. As you are aware, the cluster has completed the drafting of the Consolidated Government Document on Comprehensive Social Security, containing a package of strategic reform proposals.

The cluster has also completed a draft No-Fault Policy on Road Accident Fund. In a related development, and as part of our government’s continued effort to protect our people against vulnerability and other contingencies of life, the cluster, led by the Department of Social Development will fast track the development of a coherent policy on Social Relief of Distress. All these documents will be released as a basis for public consultations once it has been considered and approved by the Cabinet. It is our view, and that of our government, that the consultation process will greatly add to our understanding of the issues and the implications of various approaches. The public submissions and views will be distilled into an overall report and this will be an important resource in helping the cluster to decide on the way forward.

Youth Development
Ladies and gentlemen, it is without question that an active and vibrant youth is an essential element of any truly democratic society. Government has pursued social integration and economic empowerment of young people by seeking to put appropriate policies in place and to implement programmes and services to support these policies.

In this regard, we will continue with the implementation of the Masupatsela Youth Pioneer Programme as part of the National Youth Service. To complement these interventions, the National Youth Development Agency will set up provincial structures and Advisory Boards in all 9 provinces, with a special focus on rural areas.

This include support to 86 youth cooperatives 

Social cohesion
Ladies and gentlemen, arts and culture constitute one of our nation’s most powerful natural resources. It is also an important economic empowerment and poverty alleviation tool.

It is therefore our belief that funding arts and culture activities is neither charity nor philanthropy, but rather an investment in the future of our country and promoting national identity. For this reason the Department of Arts and Culture will continue with our national efforts of skills development in the sector and promoting local content through funding the National Film and Video Foundation.

As you are aware, arts and culture can be an active commercial industry on its own. With the hosting of FIFA 2010 World Cup, a window of opportunity is opening for us to showcase and express our identity through this sector and exploring the economic potential of cultural tourism. As a government we strongly believe that our country’s artistic culture could really make genuine and sustainable contribution to job opportunities. Through the Investing in Culture programme, we will continue to provide empowerment opportunities for unemployed people through skills development, training and job creation in the arts, culture and heritage sector by generating opportunities for establishing viable small and medium enterprises.

In a related development, the Department of Arts and Culture is developing a framework that will encompass funding and grading system for statutory heritage institutions. The planned museum policy will ensure that funding of heritage institutions is geared toward enhancing our cultural and infrastructure towards strengthening our cultural distinctiveness and excellence.

In conclusion, we believe that the cluster’s Programme of Action will yield positive outcomes that will benefit poor South Africans– not only in the short term, but for many years to come.

I thank you.