Departments of Land, Agriculture, Correctional Services & Transport Relevant Programmes: budget briefings

Meeting report

IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND STATUS OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND DISABLED PERSONS JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE
21 October 2005
DEPARTMENTS OF LAND, AGRICULTURE, CORRECTIONAL SERVICES AND TRANSPORT RELEVANT PROGRAMMES: BUDGET BRIEFINGS

Chairperson: Ms W Newhoudt-Drunchen (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Department of Land Affairs briefing
Department of Agriculture briefing
Department of Correctional Services briefing
Department of Transport briefing

SUMMARY
The Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs briefed the Committee on its budget and projects that prioritised the rights of youth, women and disabled persons. Prominent among these were external bursaries Scheme, Youth Entrepreneurial Development Projects, and the integration of disability issues into management policies. The Agriculture and Land Affairs divisions had been allocated R14.4 million and R3.251 million respectively. Members concerns centred on accessibility of land by disabled and black farmers, as well as the representivity of women and disabled people within the Department.

The Department of Correctional Services then briefed the Committee on its rehabilitation programmes and the budget allocated. Members’ concerns included the high number of children in South African prisons, the viability of the existing skills development programmes in prisons, as well as shock over the non-separation of disabled prisoners from the rest of the prison population.

The Department of Transport outlined a variety of initiatives aimed at promoting the accessibility of transport facilities by the disabled, women and the youth. Issues regarding the accessibility of especially bus and train facilities were also raised.

MINUTES

Department of Land Affairs and Agriculture briefing:
Mr C Khonkwane (Manager in the Transformation Office of the Director-General) and Mr T Mogashoa (Transformation Unit of the Department of Land Affairs) briefed the Committee on the budgets for the programmes in their respective divisions that were dedicated to promoting the rights of children, youth and disabled persons.

The Department of Agriculture had budgeted R14.4 million for four programmes to be undertaken in the coming year, including the pilot project on career awareness of agriculture that targetted schools in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape; the External Bursary Scheme for Scarce Skills in Agriculture ; the Experiential and Internship Programme, and the Entrepreneurial Development Programme.

In the area of youth development, the Department had initiated a programme for ‘young farmers’ development’. This was being conducted in partnership with the Land Bank, National Youth Commission and the National Development Agency

Provinces would also compete in a ‘Female Farmer of the Year Award’ to be held during the Women’s Month in August of each year. Last year’s winner had won up R15 000.

The Department of Land Affairs then briefed the Committee on progress, its budget for the year, and the challenges faced by the Department. Its total budget for the organisation and Transformation Office was inclusive of disability and youth programmes.

Representivity of disabled staff was 2.9%. Accessibility through the Department’s buildings was gradually improving. Integration of disability issues into management policies would take place after an analysis to determine the development of staff.

A Youth Committee had been established to facilitate the implementation of youth development programmes. A bursary scheme, internship and a learnership programme, had also been set up. The Extension of Security of Tenure Act (ESTA) compelled landowners not to evict disabled people who had sustained injury on the farm and assist then to acquire long-term occupier status. A monitor system was also in place to account for the number of disabled people benefiting from the land reform programme.

Two key challenges were highlighted, namely the need to improve externally-focused rather than the internally-focused programmes. The Department was in the process of working with key stakeholders in developing a framework to address the needs of children.

Discussion
Mr M Moss (ANC) asked why the Departments of Land Affairs and Agriculture had not yet merged? Mr Khonkwane and Mr Mogashoa agreed that this was a question of politics. They were not in a position to provide an answer. Mr Moss said a merger was critical because division caused a problem for people accessing land.

Mr Moss then requested actual figures for the number of disabled persons employed by the Departments of Land Affairs and Agriculture. How many occupied senior positions? Mr Andrew asked how many of the 114 students had benefited from the R5.3 million. Was the Department’s external bursary scheme reaching the disabled, and how many beneficiaries were women?

Mr Mogoshua said that the Department of Land Affairs employed 81 disabled persons. One occupied the position of director, another that of Chief Director. He added that the Department had come up with extensive affirmative action measures. It had a bursary scheme in place to give staffmembers the opportunity to improve their skills in order to position themselves for any vacancies.

Mr Khonkhwane said that the Department of Agriculture at present only employed ten disabled persons, none at a senior level. This was a challenge the Department still needed to meet. So far, nine disabled students had benefited from the bursary. However, disabled persons would be targeted for the current bursary. No exact figure was available regarding the gender structure for awarding bursaries, but the awards were ‘gender-sensitive’.

Mr Moss was curious why black people did not own land on the West Coast or the Swartland. All farms were ‘white-owned’. What was the progress in this regard, especially regarding disabled persons?

Mr Mogoshua said that this situation remained a challenge for the Department of Land Affairs. Issues raised at the recent Land Summit would be addressed with a view to developing effective implementation strategies for land redistribution and improved service delivery.

Mr M Andrew (ANC) asked how any disabled people were involved in the internship and learnership programmes, and the gender of those involved.

Mr Mogoshua said that that none of the interns at the Department of Land Affairs were disabled. The inclusion of the disabled for these programmes would however be considered. No exact figure regarding the gender composition of the intern and learnership programmes were available, but most of those in training were women.

The Chairperson asked whether the Department had any monitoring system on child labour on farms. Mr Khonkwane responded that question would be better answered by the Department of Labour.

The Chairperson asked whether the bursaries offered by the Department extended to any particular field of study. Mr Mogoshua said that the bursary schemes were open to all fields relevant to the Department and that would add value to service delivery in the Department of Land Affairs.

The Chairperson asked whether the Department school programmes also covered disabled schools. Mr Khonkwane said that these schools were also targeted.

Mr Andrew wanted clarity of the Department of Agriculture’s role in alleviation of poverty, especially in urban areas. To what extent would the Department provide assistance to those projects, such as the community vegetable gardens, to ensure both sustainability and commercial viability of these initiatives?

Mr Khonkwane said that the Department of Agriculture, together with its provincial counterparts, would provide both the training and infrastructure for well-organised projects and farms. The organised groups had to have a business plan in place, after which the Department provide equipment for the project. The Department would monitor the process throughout.

Mr N Hendricks (ANC) expressed concern over the high cost of land and disadvantage this posed for emerging black farmers. He asked what progress had been made regarding the goals of the recently held Land Summit in this regard.

Mr Khonkwane said that the goals of the Land Summit were to pursue integrated development planning, as well as the creation of constructive communication and consultation strategies to mend the breakdown of relations with especially white farmers. Generally, the Department of Agriculture had to ensure assistance to emerging farmers. The development of strategies should be part of a consultative process with all role players to come up with viable solutions.

The Chairperson wanted clarity about the status of the Land Bank. What was the Land Bank’s relationship with the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs?

Mr Khonkwane said that the Land Bank fell under the authority of the Departments. Mr Booysen (Director of Financial Administration: Department of Land Affairs) said that the Land Bank often provided assistance to those farmers eligible for grants. It had also provided an additional R200 million for projects initiated by the Department.

Department of Correctional Services briefing:
Ms J Sishuba (Department Chief Deputy Commissioner: Development and Care) and Mr P Gillingham (Department Chief Deputy Commissioner: Finance) briefed the Committee on its budget and activities for the promotion of youth, women and the disabled in correctional facilities.

He said that a high number of children were in South African prisons, including young offenders and babies living with their incarcerated mothers. The total included a high number of unsentenced children. Mothers and their young children were kept in separate units. These units promoted sound physical, social and mental care and development. These facilities had been created in selected regions within the nine provinces.

A total of 240 disabled persons were in custody. The cost for their incarceration was calculated as R10 807 per year. The disabled were not separated from the rest of the prison population.

Programmes and interventions for rehabilitation included skills development training, sport, recreation and culture, health care services and psychological services. Correctional programmes that targetted particular behaviour, included the aggressive offender programme, and the sexual offender programme. Child offenders were also separated from adult offenders.

Discussion:
Mr Andrew asked what proportion of the total number of staff employed by the Department were disabled. He also requested the gender composition.

Mr Gillingham said that 101 disabled persons were employed by the Department. Of these, 63 had mobility-related problems, 12 were blind, 15 had hearing and speech related problems and 21 would be enumerated soon. The Department’s recruitment policy stipulated that at least 5% of the total number of new recruits should be disabled people.

A ‘Gender Desk’, with a total budget of R2.03 million, had been established within the Department. Although the Department was lagging behind its goal of 50% representivity of women, 23.5% of the staff were women. In addition to this, 50% of the recently recruited personnel were women. Although the Department was committed to gender representivity, it would not reserve specific vacancies for women or men. All staffmembers’ skills would be developed to ensure an equal opportunity for career advancement.

Mr Andrew expressed concern over the safety of disabled prisoners from violence in prisons. What mechanisms existed to ensure that disabled prisoners would not be victimised? Mr Moss was shocked that disabled prisoners were not separated from the rest of the prison population. He asked why, in light of violence committed in prisons, disabled prisoners had not been separated.

Ms Sishuba said that security within prisons was being upgraded. This included a strategy to combat gangsterism and had identified disabled prisoners as a vulnerable group. Measures were in place to research why individuals got involved in gangsterism as well as training staff to manage gang-related incidents.

The Chairperson enquired about the accessibility of prison facilities for both disabled staff and prisoners. She also asked whether the hospital section of prisons (not mentioned in the presentation), could adequately provide the disabled with the necessary care the normal prison system could not provide.

Mr Gillingham said accessibility within prisons and other correctional facilities had been discussed with the Department of Public Works. Through its maintenance programmes, the majority of correctional facilities (both prisons and offices) were now ‘disabled friendly’. These changes focused specifically on the accessibility of correctional facilities for disabled prisoners, visitors and staff. Universal accessibility was regarded as a prerequisite for the new generation of facilities either under construction.

Only certain provincial facilities had a fully developed hospital section The rest of the prisons in the country had what could be termed "sick bays". Prisoners were referred to these provincial hospitals where more adequate care was given. An extension of these specialised services to all prisons would be too costly.

Mr Hendricks expressed his concern over the number of young people in jails. He questioned whether the existing skills development programme could properly prevent (especially young) offenders from committing crime again.

Ms Sishuba also expressed her concern over the high number of young people in prisons as well as the nature of crimes young people committed. These were mainly aggressive and sexual offences. The Department’s social reintegration system was important in incorporating young offenders into society. This strategy promoted the training in market-related skills, as well as entrepreneurial development. These qualifications were accredited. The Department was however in constant consultation with both the Department of Labour and the Skills Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to assist in the improvement of this skills development strategy each year. The criminal record of individuals, not the irrelevance of skills learnt, hampered employment opportunities for released offenders. Since a criminal record was detrimental to the reintegration of past offenders into society, the Social Reintegration Programme would establish for how long a past record should be public.

The Chairperson asked whether there was a referral system between businesses and the Department that would ensure the relevance of skills training in prisons and employment possibilities for prisoners once released.

Ms Sishuba said that the Department had no clear referral system The Department did not actively seek employment for offenders. The pre-release part of the social reintegration system would link the prisoners with relevant organisations.

Mr Hendricks said that skills training was not sufficient to ensure that newly released prisoners found employment. Committees comprised of business people should be set up to get business involved in assisting newly released prisoners. This was particularly important regarding the rehabilitation of young offenders.

Ms Sishuba said that the Department had been assisted by business and other relevant stakeholders in creating sufficient skills training and opportunities for offenders. A Memorandum of Understanding with particularly Business Against Crime, had committed business to this cause. Links with these organisations were still at the beginning stage and thus not yet formalised.

Mr Hendricks suggested that that measures such as safe houses outside crime-prone areas be established. These would isolate young offenders from the influences of hardened criminals.

Ms Sishuba said transferring released offenders to ‘crime-free areas’ would create rather than solve problems. The rehabilitation of offenders was a responsibility of all members of society. Issues affecting society such as unemployment and illiteracy should be addresses to ensure that offenders would not revert to committing crime. This should be tackled through an integrated approach involving all government departments.

Mr Moss also expressed his shock at the number of unsentenced children in prisons. What measures would the Department consider to assist those who could not afford to pay bail? Would the Department consider the payment of bail as a method of coping with the overcrowding of prisons?

Mr Gillingham agreed that unsentenced offenders posed a challenge to the Department. The current bail system was inadequate. Solutions had to be found by the whole Safety and Security Cluster, rather than the Department alone. In addition, the new Child Justice Bill would address the issue of sentencing. The Department could not however pay the bail of offenders.

The Chairperson asked whether adequate care facilities existed for the children of women prisoners. Were measures in place to cope with the care of these children beyond the specified three years?

Ms Sishuba said that the number of women prisoners with children was very small, therefore care facilities for children were only provided in certain prisons. Generally, officials within correctional services were trained to care for these children. In addition, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Hope Worldwide, also provided assistance. Ideally, children should be taken outside of these facilities, but this was currently not possible. Overall, there were no fully-fledged care centres for children except in Pollsmoor. The latter facility was funded by a donor.

Mr Moss requested the current staff and prisoner ratio. How did this compare with international standards?

Mr Gillingham said that the ideal ratio was 1: 4, but currently in South Africa the ratio was 1:7. This ratio might not reflect the actual number of prisoners handled by staff as it also included administrative staff. Correctional Services facilities had also changed from five-day to seven-day week establishments. This meant that there were now an additional 9 731 staff. This would ensure that the Department could reach its ideal ratio in the next three years.

The Chairperson asked whether specialised education were provided for those offenders under the age of 18. Ms Sishuba said that specialised educators were employed by the Department on a contract basis.

The Chairperson wanted clarity on who had assisted the Department in drafting the Draft Policy for Offenders with Disabilities. Had the Office of the Status of Disabled Persons (OSD) in the Presidency participated in the drafting of this legislation?

Ms Sishuba said that the OSD, together with other advocates in this field, had been widely consulted. The OSD had assisted in the drafting the policy on staffing. The policy had been drafted a while back, but had had to be brought in line with the White Paper. This was the logic for the recent update.

Department of Transport briefing:
Mr J Mokokoane (Department Chief Operations Officer) and Ms A Belford (Deputy Director: Employees Assistance Programme and Special Programmes) briefed the Committee on their programmes aimed at improving the status and life of children, youth and disabled persons. These included accessible transport projects for disabled persons; the Shova Kalula Bicycle Campaign; taxi recapitalisation, and capacity development training. A Life Skills Orientation Programme had been developed to educate learners on road safety matters. These included television programmes, radio programmes, scholar patrols, etc.

The Shova Kalula Project, established in 2001, aimed to promote the use of bicycles as a low-cost mobility solution, especially targeting disadvantaged rural and urban people who would had to walk long distances. To date, 5 900 bicycles costing R535.70 each had been distributed across the nine provinces. Provincial projects complimented the national initiative.

The Taxi Recapitalisation Programme aimed to promote the accessibility and mobility of people with special needs. All taxi operators would have to comply with the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) safety regulations for disabled persons. A total budget of R7.7 billion had been allocated for this over the next seven years.

Disability issues had been mainstreamed within accessible transport projects. The Short-term Strategic Framework on Accessible Transport would be tabled in Cabinet for approval when finalised by the Minister. The following demonstration projects had been embarked upon: The Dial-A-Ride Project; and the model tender contract document that set out minimum vehicle standards for disabled persons. R2.4 billion has been put aside for the transformation of the bus industry.

Three ‘Centres of Development’ had been established to assist the Department in developing a pool of transport professionals as well as to build capacity, especially among previously disadvantaged students. A key challenge was to address the skills shortages in the following areas: civil engineers, technicians and technologists. A total budget of R6 684 000 had been allocated in this regard.

Discussion:
Mr Andrew queried the lack of focus on the status of disabled persons in the Department’s presentation.

Ms A Belford responded that the Department had focused more on targeted projects rather than staffing. The Department employed about 300 people, of which five were disabled. These individuals occupied few middle level positions as well as junior levels. There was no particular recruitment policy seeking the inclusion of the disabled. The Department had however envisioned the identification of a specific post advertised for the disabled.

Mr Hendricks expressed interest in the Shova Kalula bicycle programme. He asked whether NGOs could assist the Department in the success of the project. Concern was also raised over the safe use of bicycles, especially in the rural areas.

Mr Makokoane said that NGOs had been involved in the bicycle project from the start. These organisations had taken an active part in the formulation of strategies regarding safe use of bicycles. Ms Belford added that this project would boost the growth of local economies as the construction of roads and infrastructure would lead to the creation of jobs.

Mr Hendricks raised concerns over the safety of South African roads. Would the Department consider the introduction of a point system used by countries like Australia to ensure that motorists obeyed the rules of the road? He suggested that this system be applied to especially reckless taxi-drivers and owners?

Mr Mokokoane responded that that the Department had considered the incorporation of the point system used by Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Moss enquired whether the programme to improve the infrastructure of transport held any employment and financial empowerment opportunities for young people, particularly in light of the 2010 Soccer World Cup infrastructure needs.

Mr Mokokoane replied that all nine provinces had met to identify Transport Management Priority Areas with regards to 2010. The Interdepartmental Adjustment Committee would select projects in which to invest. The Minister of Finance had set aside R3 billion to respond to the transport needs for 2010.

Mr Moss asked why, the Department had not focused attention on railways, since this was the most cost-effective mode of transport.

Mr Makokoane agreed that this sector had been neglected. Institutional measures such as the merger of Metrorail and the SA National Railways would advance the improvement of rail transport. Projects like Shosholoza Rail to be introduced in the next financial year, would contribute to rail transport’s cost-effectiveness. Railways would also be used as a means to connect local economies with the mainstream economy.

The Chairperson enquired whether and where the Platform Rectification Projects had started. She expressed concern over both the gaps between trains and platforms, and the lack of any assistance by railway staff for disabled commuters.

Ms Belford replied that the Department was committed to the accessibility of trains for disabled people, but remained hampered by a shortage of funds. Those rail facilities that had been made accessible were Mandalay and Lentegeur in the Western Cape. Reconstruction of Germiston station was currently underway.

The Chairperson asked whether the Taxi Recapitalisation Process was also underway in the Western Cape since she had not yet encountered taxis that were accessible.

Mr Makokoane said that the process of transforming the taxi industry into the South African transport system remained a challenge. The ‘Be Legal Campaign’ was one of many formalised measures to regulate the industry. The 97 000 taxis in South Africa lacked the necessary infrastructure to make universal access possible. The Department of Labour would determine the levels of salaries for drivers as another step towards this industry’s improved regulation and formalisation.

The Chairperson and Mr Andrew expressed their concern over the accessibility of busses for the disabled, with special reference to the Western Cape. The Chairperson asked about the results of past pilot accessibility projects. Mr Andrew asked whether exact measures were in place to improve accessibility of buses.

Mr Mokokoane said that a Model Tenure Document had been finalised to advance universal access to the public transport system. The Contract Document set out the minimum vehicle standards for disabled persons. R2.4 billion had been put aside for the transformation of the bus industry. Careful planning of sustainable projects had been emphasised as accessibility depend on the number of disabled people using particular facilities.

The Chairperson wanted clarity on the Departments’ school-based projects. Were disabled schools also targeted for these programmes?

Ms A Belford answered that she had no information available about the existing Streetwise project. Televised projects regarding road safety targetted both able and disabled children.

The Chairperson stressed that the Committee would maintain contact with the respective departments to ensure that all unanswered questions would be responded to in writing. The relationship between the Committee and government departments needed to be strengthened.

The meeting was adjourned.