SEPARATING SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES AND SOCIAL WELFARE GRANTS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/43-2-278Abstract
As a consequence of the fundamental reconstruction and development processes, including alarge-scale macroeconomic stabilisation strategy, South Africa’s economic growth has
consistently averaged 3% over the last decade. It is expected that the government’s new
Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) will increase the
economic growth rate from its current level to 4.5% by 2010 and 6% by 2014 (Yemek, 2006).
Yet with the majority of its citizens living in poverty (with less than $1 per day), South Africa
remains one of the most unequal societies in the world (Statistics South Africa, 2004).
Although there has been some improvement over the last decade, the stubborn legacy of
apartheid persists and can be seen in the concentration of poverty and underdevelopment in
black communities. Twenty four million of South Africa’s population of 45 million are black
females who live below the poverty datum line (Statistics South Africa, 2004). Using the
expanded definition of unemployment, Statistics South Africa (2004) estimated that 41% of
the economically active population was unemployed in 2004. There is, therefore, growing
concern that the strategies employed thus far to raise the unacceptably low standards of living
of South Africa’s vulnerable populations, who continue to lack access to basic services and
employment opportunities, are lagging far behind what is needed.
Downloads
References
BARBERTON, C. 2006. Estimates of the costs to Government of the Comprehensive
Children’s Bill for the period 2005 to 2010. Cornerstone, Economic Research. Unpublished
document.
BOND, P. 2002. Fanon’s warning: A civil society reader on the new partnership for
Africa’s development. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
BUCKLEY, H. 2005. Reviewing children first: Some considerations. Irish Journal of Family
Law, 3:2–8.
CAPE ARGUS. 2006. Children victims in 40% of reported rape cases. Wednesday, 28 June: 5.
CHILDREN’S INSTITUTE. 2005. Child gauge. Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (DSD). 2003. Scarce Skills Policy
Framework. Pretoria: Department of Social Development. Unpublished document.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (DSD). 2004a. Retention strategy. Pretoria:
Department of Social Development. Unpublished document.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (DSD). 2004b. Strategic plan of the
Department of Social Development 2003/4–2005/6. Pretoria: Department of Social
Development.
DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT. 1996. Policy
recommendations of the Inter-ministerial Committee (IMC) on Young People at Risk.
Pretoria. Unpublished document.
DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT. 1997. White
Paper on Social Welfare. Government Notice no. 1108, Government Gazette 386(18166), 8
August. Pretoria: Government Printer.
FINANCIAL AND FISCAL COMMISSION (FFC). 2003. Annual report (2002–2003).
Midrand and Cape Town: Financial and Fiscal Commission.
FINANCIAL AND FISCAL COMMISSION (FFC). (2004). Annual report (2003–2004).
Midrand and Cape Town: Financial and Fiscal Commission.
FRASER-MOLEKETI, G. 2006. All for one is the state’s plan. Fraser-Moleketi sets out how
the government will put a single public service in place. Sunday Times, 17 December: 15.
GLENNERSTER, H. 2003. Understanding the finance of welfare, what welfare costs and
how to pay for it. London: Polity Press.
GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM (GCIS) 2003. Ten
years of freedom: South Africa 1994–2004. Available: www.gcis.gov.za/docs/publications/-
years.htm.
HARTLEY, W. & MABUZA, E. 2004. Social grants: An aid for those in “second economy”.
Business Day, 19 February.
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS AND INTERNATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK. 1997. In: DEPARTMENT OF
WELFARE AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, WHITE PAPER ON SOCIAL
WELFARE. Notice 1108 of 1997, Government Gazette, 386 (18166), 8 August 1997.
KARGER, H. & STOESZ, D. 1990. American social welfare policy: A structural
approach. New York & London: Longman.
LOFFELL, J. 2004. Policy responses to child sexual abuse in South Africa. In: RICHTER,
L. DAWES, A. & HIGSON-SMITH, C. (eds) Sexual abuse of young children in Southern
Africa. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council.
LOMBARD, A. 2004. The professional identity and rights of social workers as social
service professionals. Paper presented at the National Conference for Social Service
Professions. Pretoria, 25–27 October.
MANUEL, T. 2004. Wage gap a threat. Business Report, 29 October.
MANUEL, T. 2006. Budget speech. Parliament, Cape Town.
McKAY, P. 2003. Welfare in crisis: Social workers face war of attrition. Children First,
(50):14–15.
McKENDRICK, B. 1998. Social work education and training: From preparing for apartheid
society to training for a developing democracy. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 34(1):99–
MIDGLEY, J. 1995. Social development: The developmental perspective in social welfare.
London: Sage Publications.
MINISTRY FOR WELFARE AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT. 1995. Draft White
Paper for Social Welfare. Government Gazette, 368(16943), 2 February. Pretoria:
Government Printer.
MOKGATA, S. 2004. The NGO sector in crises. Paper presented at the National Conference
for Social Service Professions. Pretoria, 25–27 October.
NACOSS - NATIONAL COALITION FOR SOCIAL SERVICES. 2003. Memorandum
submitted to the Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, March. Unpublished
document.
NACOSS - NATIONAL COALITION FOR SOCIAL SERVICES. 2006. Comments on the
draft recruitment and retention strategy for social workers in South Africa, June. Unpublished
document.
NEUGEBOREN, B. 1985. Organisation, policy and practice in the human services. New
York: Longman.
PATEL, L. 2004. Toward a strategic funding model for developmental welfare services.
Paper presented at the National Conference for Social Service Professions. Pretoria, 25–27
October.
PATEL, L. 2005. Social welfare and social development in South Africa. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
SASSA UPDATE. 2006. Fraud & Corruption. 11-12. Department of Social Development,
Pretoria. January/February.
SEPTEMBER, R. & BLANKENBERG, C. 2004. A quest for excellence in multidisciplinary
child protective services: An exploratory review. Child and Youth Research and Training
Programme, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.
SEPTEMBER, R.L. 1998. The development of a protocol for the management of child
abuse and neglect. Cape Town: University of the Western Cape. (PhD thesis)
SEPTEMBER, R.L. 2004. Beyond Social Security: Trends and Options for Developmental
Social Welfare Services in South Africa. Commissioned research for the Financial and Fiscal
Commission. Unpublished report.
SEPTEMBER, R.L. 2005. Protecting children where it matters most: In their families and
communities. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 41(1):27–37.
SEPTEMBER, R.L. 2006. A review on the status of child protection services in South Africa:
State of the art policies in need of implementation. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk,
(1):54–67.
SEWPAUL, V. & HOLSCHER, D. 2004. Social work in times of neoliberalism: A
postmodern discourse. Johannesburg: Van Schaik.
SHERRADEN, M. 1991. Assets and the poor: A new American welfare policy. New York:
Armonk.
SHOOK, K. 2002. In: WALDFOGEL, J. (ed) 2003. Welfare reform and the child welfare
system. Paper presented to the Joint Center for Poverty Research, Washington, DC. 20–21
March.
SKIDMORE, D. 2000. Civil society, social capital and economic development. Available:
www.drake.edu/artsci/PolSci/personalwebpage/socialcapital.html [Accessed:15 May 2006].
STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA . 2004. General household survey July 2004. Statistical
news release P0318. Pretoria, Statistics South Africa.
STREAK, J. & VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, J. 2004. Fitting the pieces together: A
composite view of government’s strategy to assist the unemployed in South Africa 1994–
Cape Town: Idasa Budget Information Service.
SKWEYIYA, Z. 2006. Ready for big fight to have social grants hiked, Sunday Times, 10
September: 7.
SWILLING, M. & RUSSELL, B. 2001. The size and scope of the non-profit sector in South
Africa. Durban: Centre for Civil Society, University of Natal.
YEMEK, E. 2006. Budgetary perspectives on shared growth policy interventions in South
Africa. Unpublished Occasional Paper: IDSA, Cape Town.
VAN WORMER, K. 1997. Social welfare: A world view. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
WALDFOGEL, J. 2003. Welfare reform and the child welfare system. Paper presented to
the Joint Center for Poverty Research, Washington, D.C, 20–21 March.
WIKIPEDIA. 2006. Human development theory. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-
Human_development_theory [Accessed: 15 May 2006].
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
