Page 8 - DSD ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2

PART A: GENERAL INFORMATION

3 FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER

While our society was on the path to reconstruction and recovery
out of the effects of the gruelling COVID-19 pandemic, we were
beset by the destructive public unrest that mainly affected the
KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces in July 2021. Not only did
this affect our services adversely, it also demanded that some of
our operational sites be significantly rebuilt from the wilful and
systemic vandalism, theft and violence that our society experienced.
Unsurprisingly, the demand for social development services
immediately increased in the violence-affected communities. Once
again, the Social Development portfolio was responsive to the
needs of the affected communities.

Over and above the unprecedented achievements that it established
with benefitting 10.9 million beneficiaries with the COVID-19 SRD
grant, SASSA increased its pre-existing beneficiary population to
18.6 million. The combined figure of these beneficiaries is a fraction
of the totality of the population whose lives we influence positively
on a sustained basis. This is a demonstration of our determination
to protect South Africans against all forms of vulnerability.

Through our improved Gender-Based Violence Command Centre
(GBVCC), we continued to provide immediate psychosocial care
and support services to the victims of gender-based violence and
femicide. Over 74 000 interactions were recorded with the GBVCC
using various channels of communication such as phone calls, short
I introduce to you the Department’s 2021/22 Annual Report which messages services (SMSs), please call me service, as well as Skype
encapsulates our challenges and achievements that the Social line for the Deaf community. Likewise, we continued to implement
Development portfolio had during the period under review. With focused programmes such as the Men and Boys Assemblies,
the 2021/22 financial year marking the mid-term point of the Sixth Asikhulume on GBVF Interfaith Sector Forum, and Village-to-Village
Administration of our democratic government, this report signifies programme. The latter is targeting tribal and traditional authorities
the re-commitment of our government to improve the human-level to help them deal with gender stereotypes and harmful cultural
outcomes of every South African. In pursuit of these outcomes that practices. All these efforts contribute to the implementation of the
are measurable by the conditions of the people, this Annual Report National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide,
reflects on our ongoing quest to embody government’s seven particularly pillars: 2, 3 and 4, as much as they are addressing
priorities. themselves to government’s priorities on social cohesion and safe
communities.
In the past financial year, the Department of Social Development
and its entities — the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) In partnership with the International Labor Organization, we
and the National Development Agency (NDA) — earnestly tapped conducted extensive consultations on the policy proposals for
into technological innovations that made our services accessible the extension of the Basic Income Support (BIS) for incomeless
to South Africans. Though much still awaits to be in easing the people who are currently not accessing social assistance and are
accessibility of more social development services by means of between the ages of 18 and 59. We released a technical report on
technology, this initial step proved beneficial in counteracting the feasibility and sustainability of these proposals. In February
the limited service implementation that accompanied the 2022 we launched the inaugural Social Security Review publication
national lockdown restrictions at the height of the COVID-19 which will henceforth be the essential authority in public debates
pandemic. These technologically-mediated service innovations on social security issues.
came at the opportune moment when social ills such as hunger,
unemployment and economic slowdown were self-evident. Owing During the reporting period, we presented the Older Persons
to these technological innovations, we could attend to these by Amendment Bill to Cabinet, and it was approved to be tabled in
implementing the second iteration of the Special COVID-19 Social Parliament. The Bill amends the current Older Persons Act 13 of
Relief of Distress (SRD) grant from which 10.9 million beneficiaries 2006 in seeking to strengthen measures that protect older persons
were benefitting at the end of the 2021/22 financial year. and improving the services that they are being offered. We will
table this Bill in Parliament during the 2022/23 financial year.

8 DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22