ANC+NGC+Commissions+9+and+10,+Social+Transformation



CONSOLIDATED REPORT ON SECTORAL STRATEGIES
 * ANC National General Council, 29 June - 3 July 2005**

=**__Commissions 9 & 10__**=


 * SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION**


 * 1. SOCIAL SECURITY**

1.1. Council noted good progress (UIF, extension of the child support grants; fraud being curbed).

1.2. Council recommends that ANC branches should educate communities about services available and how to access them (e.g, through campaigns).

1.3. ANC cadres to encourage communities to correct their ID documents to ensure access to benefits.

1.4. Recommend that social security grant system be reviewed with respect to its growth, backlogs and abuse and consider extending grants to those aged 18 or still in school.

1.5. Need to explore ways to ensure grants linked to sustainable livelihoods through a developmental approach rather than a welfare approach.

1.6. Grants should be given to child minders and not necessarily the parents only.

1.7. Review disability grant system including temporary and permanent disability grants.

1.8. Need to link access to social grants to education, skills and employment and immunisation.

1.9. Need permanent structures for pay points (rather than tents); post offices and banks should be used where possible.

1.10. To improve the social security system need increased integration especially between the Dept of Social Development/Social Security Agency and Home Affairs.

1.11. ANC to continue to explore opportunities for extending the social net and consider the pros and cons of the BIG issue.

1.12. Special pensions Act no 96 of 1996 be amended to ensure that it covers all veterans; age limit to be lowered.

1.13. Distribution of national lottery funds to be monitored.

1.14. Ensure that all civil servants practice Batho Pele.

1.15. Encourage registration of traditional marriages e.g. use Women's month.

1.16. Government needs to encourage emerging black farmers especially in rural areas (self sufficiency and food security).

1.17. Need to accelerate food gardens in both urban and rural areas and create a food garden movement.

1.18. Encourage one stop service delivery models.

1.19. Need to conduct a review of progress with regard to women, youth and people with disabilities


 * 2. BASIC SERVICES**

2.1. Agencies that provide basic services should ensure that these services are accessible to the poor in particular.

2.2. Provincial and national government to capacitate municipalities to provide basic services especially in rural areas (Accelerate Project Consolidate)


 * 3. HEALTH FOR ALL**

3.1. Need to continue to strengthen the health care system at public sector clinics and hospitals and ensure appropriately staffed and resourced facilities especially in rural areas, including the training, recruitment and retention of additional health professionals; and the training of medical assistants and other mid level health workers.

3.2. Need to accelerate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

3.3. Need to give clinic committees and hospital boards guidelines on their roles and responsibilities and ANC cadres are encouraged to participate in these structures.

3.4. Members are encouraged to work with support groups in communities.

3.5. Need to improve co-ordination and working relationship between home-based care (HBC) and clinics and expand the HBC programme.

3.6. Support the government programmes on healthy lifestyles which includes physical activity, nutrition, reduction of tobacco and alcohol use, etc.

3.7. Encourage the expansion of wellness programmes for health personnel.

3.8. Government should take action against those who act in ways that are harmful to women's health for example back street terminations of pregnancies.

3.9. On an ongoing basis ANC members are encouraged to raise problems with service delivery with relevant local structures.

3.10. Community and especially family members are encouraged to assist hospitals to care for the sick.

3.11. NGC should endorse the community health worker programme and ANC members should avail themselves of this opportunity.

3.12. Government should explore the pros and cons of making HIV a notifiable disease.

3.13. NGC should endorse the importance of nutrition as the basis for good health and ANC branches should be encouraged to undertake healthy lifestyles campaigns.

3.14. Government should investigate ways to bring down the cost of private hospital services.

3.15. Government should research the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicines.


 * 4. HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT**

4.1. Need to accelerate the implementation of the skills development strategy especially in rural and farming areas, including increasing awareness of this strategy.

4.2. Encourage ANC members to participate in School Governing Bodies.

4.3. Review school funding model and its impact on the poor.

4.4. Provide information to branches to inform communities about free education

4.5. Provide more information on the curriculum with respect to the implementation of the following: IT; life skills; and agricultural skills.

4.6. Need to establish a redress fund for small schools to enable them to implement the new curriculum.

4.7. Absence of bursaries for the FET sector affects access of the poor; also establish more FET institutions in rural areas.

4.8. Review and strengthen the ABET sector.

4.9. Need to integrate homeless children into learning institutions.

4.10. integrate issues of moral regeneration into schools.

4.11. Support government's integrated ECD strategy.

4.12. Develop skills for local production of goods and services.

4.13. Review the targeting and effectiveness of the school feeding programme.

4.14. Review the impact of restructuring of higher education and monitor its funding and enrolment trends.

4.15. Review the role of SGBs and the Schools Act.

4.16. NGC to endorse the government's language policy.

4.17. Need strategies for children who fail matric.

4.18. NGC to endorse expansion of programmes on maths, science and technology.

4.19. Support for teachers performance management system and review the National Teachers Awards.

4.20. Consider using teachers as part time psycho-social counsellors.

4.21. ANC to discourage teachers as candidates for part time local government councilor positions.


 * 5. HOUSING AND HUMAN SETTLEMENT**

5.1. NGC endorses the human settlement strategy of Dept of Housing.

5.2. Investigate the inaccessibility of prime land due to high prices.

5.3. Need moratorium on sale of land to foreigners & regulate the price of land.

5.4. Strengthen local government capacity to improve service delivery in housing.

5.5. Consider hosting a land and housing summit.

5.6. Stop the sale of RDP houses except to government.

5.7. Strengthen the participation of communities in the people's housing processes.

5.8. Need to explore housing co-operatives for single women for example.

5.9. Need to review the role of financial institutions - banks should provide more loans.

5.10. Government is selling state land when there is a shortage of houses; place moratorium on sale of state land.

5.11. Government has assets in various cities that are not utilised - use this to house people close to the economic hubs.

5.12. Need to accelerate strategies to curb corruption in the allocation of RDP houses.

5.13. Need to link housing development to BEE (especially increase participation of women).

5.14. Need to accelerate the hostel redevelopment programme.

5.15. Need to find ways of completing houses that were started but not completed.


 * 6. SOCIAL COHESION**

6.1. Lack of transformation in a number of sporting codes - need transformation charters and a national indaba process.

6.2. Increase provision of sports facilities in particular to rural areas and schools and training of educators.

6.3. ANC sports desk needs to be more vocal and monitor transformation in sports.

6.4. Need to take stock of youth development (many complaints about youth institutions) - may need to amalgamate all youth institutions as proposed by the Secretary General.

6.5. Libraries (esp rural areas) have insufficient resources - need to identify sponsors and encourage communities to use these facilities and encourage reading.

6.6. Encourage municipalities to include sports facilities in IDPs and to ensure that they are accessible and appropriate to women and people with disabilities.

6.7. ANC branches to support children who participate in sports.

6.8. Need to encourage young girls in particular to participate in sports and ensure that security is provided.

6.9. Department of Arts and Culture should explore ways of sustaining cultural practices.

6.10. Values to be used to promote social cohesion and nation building


 * 7. GENERAL**

7.1. Call on big business to increase its social commitment.

7.2. NGC urges the Human Rights Commission to release its report on abuses in farming areas.

7.3. Need to strengthen strategies to support the NEPAD agenda.

From: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/ngcouncils/2005/consolidated_report.html