WE MUST NOT FAIL OUR PEOPLE – SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DEPUTY MINISTER PUSHES FOR PROTECTION OF THE VULNERABLE

By Precious Mupenzi.

• Delivering his Budget Vote 19 speech in Parliament today, Social Development Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks painted a sobering picture of the everyday struggles many South Africans face.
• He highlighted how targeted investments in welfare services can restore dignity and hope.
• R109 million has been set aside to fund welfare services under the deputy minister’s delegated responsibilities

The Deputy Minister of Social Development, Ganief Hendricks, has called on government, civil society, and communities to work together to protect South Africa’s most vulnerable populations, warning that the country’s social support system must be strengthened to meet rising challenges.

Delivering his Budget Vote 19 speech in Parliament today, 10 July 2025, Hendricks highlighted the need for urgent and unified action to protect children, older persons, people with disabilities, and those affected by HIV/Aids and substance abuse.

Hendricks painted a sobering picture of the everyday struggles many South Africans face and highlighted how targeted investments in welfare services can restore dignity and hope.

Behind the numbers: A budget with a human face

Of the department’s total budget, R109 million has been set aside to fund welfare services under Hendricks’ delegated responsibilities.
These include:
•⁠ ⁠R44 million for HIV/Aids interventions;
•⁠ ⁠R19 million for substance abuse;
•⁠ ⁠R18 million for older persons;
•⁠ ⁠R10 million for families and parenting; and
•⁠ ⁠R18 million for persons with disabilities.

But beyond the figures, Hendricks emphasised the human stories behind the allocations.

“It is high time we revisit our partnerships to build a system that won’t fail our people,” he said, calling for stronger collaboration between government, communities, and civil society.

A cry for safety from the next generation

Recalling a community engagement with university students, Hendricks was struck by a young woman’s simple, yet powerful question: “What is the government doing to keep me safe?”

“That moment reminded me why we do this work,” he said.

“Women, children, and the LGBTQIA+ community are still unsafe in their own homes and neighbourhoods. We must start early by empowering our boys to become respectful men.”

Through initiatives like the Boy Child Parliament, already established in Gauteng, and community dialogues on positive masculinity, the department is seeking to change attitudes and prevent violence before it begins.

Caring for elders who went before us

One of the most emotional moments in Hendricks’s address came as he spoke about elder abuse, a silent, growing crisis in many communities.

“Our elders queue from 5am in the cold to collect their pensions. That’s not service delivery, it’s neglect,” he said.
He condemned the continued abuse of older persons, especially in hotspots like Healdtown in the Eastern Cape.

“These are the people who raised us, who fought for our freedom. They deserve protection, not pain.”

A portion of the budget will be used to strengthen the department’s response to elder abuse, including partnerships with helplines, community watchdogs, and non-governmental organisations.

Fighting substance abuse in youth before it’s too late

In townships and rural areas, the deputy minister said, substance abuse is robbing children of their futures. “We now have reports of children as young as eight using drugs,” he said with concern.

This year, the department aims to roll out prevention campaigns in 40 institutions of higher learning, with plans to expand to primary schools.

“We cannot arrest our way out of this crisis. We must start at the root,” he urged.

Children still vulnerable to HIV

Hendricks also raised alarm over the high rates of new HIV infections among children and adolescents.

In 2023 alone, more than 6 500 children were newly infected. More than 150 000 children are currently living with HIV in South Africa.

“We are working to change this through social behavioural programmes like YOLO and ChommY,” he said. “Ending this pandemic requires not only medicine but mindsets to shift.”

Putting families back at the centre

The re-launch of the White Paper on Families and the Family Matters Programme signals the department’s intention to restore the role of families as a source of protection.

“We cannot talk about social development without talking about family,” said Hendricks.

“In Milnerton, I saw firsthand how families are struggling, but also how resilient they are when supported.”

A German-funded positive parenting programme has already reached over 1 000 children and youth across KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and the North West, with plans to expand to 17 more community care centres.

Uplifting the rights of people with disabilities

Hendricks shared progress in mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities, noting that over 20 new support programmes are already in motion in the Western Cape following public consultations.

“Many disabled persons living on farms have been forgotten. They have the right to live with dignity and earn a decent income,” he said, calling for greater inclusion in services and employment.

Farm dwellers still waiting for justice

In Paarl and Wellington, Deputy Minister Hendricks met farm dwellers who had been evicted from their homes, forced into overcrowded informal settlements, and harassed for not working on farms.

“These are our people – some born and raised on that land. The system is failing them,” he said. Their grievances have been escalated to the Human Rights Commission.

No child left behind

As the District Development Model Champion for Johannesburg, Hendricks closed his address with a promise: “We will make sure no child, no elderly person, no person with a disability is left behind.”

He threw his full support behind the department’s R283 billion pro-poor budget, calling it one of the most inclusive social protection systems in the world.

“We must build a system that everyone can rely on. When people fall, we must be there to catch them, not as a handout, but as a hand up,” Hendricks concluded to applause.