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The Portfolio Committee on Social Development adopted its report on the 2024/25 budget vote, annual performance and strategic plans of the Department of Social Development, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the National Development Agency (NDA) today.
 
The report adopted by the committee forms the basis for the budget vote debate. At its meeting with the department and its entities on 10 July 2024, the committee deliberated on the department's budget and plans as presented. It then made several recommendations in the report based on the deliberations.
 
The committee has recommended that the Minister of Social Development provide regular updates on recruitment for executive positions. She must also adhere to the commitment of ensuring significant progress is made in the recruitment of these positions, particularly the position of the Director-General and the Chief Financial Officer, six months after the adoption of the budget vote.
 
Recommendations made by the committee include finalising long-standing policies by the end of the 2024/25 financial year. These include the policy on income support for 18 to 59-year-olds, the policy on integrating child grant beneficiaries with government services, the policy on maternal support, and the policy on voluntary cover for retirement and risk benefits for atypical and informal sector workers.
 
These policies are crucial to achieving a comprehensive social security plan for South Africa as envisaged in the National Development Plan. The committee has recommended that the minister ensures that the department secures a budget from National Treasury to implement these policies, especially the policy on income support for 18 to 59-year-olds as the department proposes that it replaces the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant targeting this age cohort.
 
The committee has also recommended that the minister and the department engage with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition and his department on the status of the Liquor Amendment Bill as it has a significant bearing on the work of the department in the fight against alcohol abuse. The minister and the department should report back to the committee on the outcome of the engagement.
 
Additionally, the committee has recommended that the minister should ensure that the department meets its target of finalising and submitting to cabinet the Victim Support Services (VSS) Bill, the South African Social Security Agency Amendment Bill and the National Development Agency Amendment Bill within a year as planned so that they can be submitted to Parliament. The VSS Bill is a critical piece of legislation for the department in its response to the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide.
 
Other recommendations made by the committee are that the minister should ensure that the NDA submits a report to the committee on donor funding that it has already received for the 2024/2025 financial year. Additionally, it is recommended that the minister ensures that the process of recruiting the CEO of the NDA is approved and finalised within six months from Parliament’s adoption of the budget vote.
 
The committee is scheduled to debate the budget vote of the Department of Social Development on Wednesday, 17 July 2024 at 14:00 at Committee Room M46 in Parliament. The department’s overall budget for 2024/25 is R275 141 088 billion. SASSA receives a budget allocation of R7 748 437 for the 2024/25 financial year, while the NDA receives a budget allocation of R214.3 million for the 2024/25 financial year, down from a revised budget allocation of R222.2 million in 2023/24.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Bridget Masango