Increased Number Of People Covered by Social Security Net
By Richard Mantu, BuaNews
Pretoria, South Africa
June 22, 2004
The number of people accessing social grants increased
dramatically by 966 311 from April 2002 to March 2003, a SA Human Rights
Commission (SAHRC) report has noted.
The SAHRC released its 2002/03 fifth Economic and Social Rights report in
Johannesburg yesterday, detailing the progress and shortcomings of
government's measures to cater for the needs of vulnerable people.
In April 2002, the report says, the number of beneficiaries was just over
four million and this increased to just over five million by the end of
March 2003. Over 2.7 million children were registered for the Child
Support Grant by the end of March 2003.
The report attributed the increase to the increased registration of Child
Support Grants for children up to the age of seven.
This resulted in allocated budgets to provinces falling short to cover the
increasing number of beneficiaries, which caused overspending for social
security, said the report.
"Government has to be commended for putting children first and striving
towards the advancement and promotion of children's rights. Government
even went a step further by extending the Child Support Grant up to the
age of 14 years by the year 2005/06," said the report.
However, the report lamented the inefficient delivery of social services
in other parts of the country due to administrative problems, lack of
proper documentation, and poor conditions at pay points as well as alleged
corruption.
Due to such factors, 289 390 people were denied social assistance, in this
particular financial year, it said.
The report recommended that owing to the rate of poverty, inequality and
exclusion from social security, a Basic Income Grant should be introduced
and Child Support Grant be extended to all children up to the age of 18
years.
However, Social Development Director General Vusi Madonsela said social
security should be looked at in its entirety such as pension, disability,
foster care and care dependency, amongst others, but not only in terms of
the child support grant.
"We will study the report and comment thereafter. But we should not be
taking a narrow view of social protection, as there are other services we
provide other than child support grants."
He said government would continue to assess the situation for child
support grant in terms of age.
Turning to other rights, the report said there was year-on-year
improvement in land delivery by government, especially through the Land
Restitution and Land Redistribution sub-programmes.
Between 2000 and 2001 there were 12 094 settled Restitution claims, while
in February 2002 there were approximately 32 000 settled claims and by
March 2003, there were 36 488 settled claims recorded.
However, the report decried the shortfall in budget allocations towards
land reform programmes, saying legislation alone was not enough and
government should "muster political will to make expropriation
practical."