SOCIAL Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini says government is going ahead with plans to ban alcohol advertising and to bar drivers from consuming even a single alcoholic drop before taking the wheel.
Dlamini was speaking during her department's budget vote in Parliament in which she said there was a recognised link between acts of violence against women and children, and alcohol and drug abuse.
"The inter-ministerial committee approved the Draft Control of Marketing of Alcohol Beverages Bill early in February. The bill aims to restrict the marketing, and promotion of alcoholic beverages," said Dlamini.
She said other measures in the bill included reducing the hours in which alcohol may be sold, workplace interventions for those abusing drugs and alcohol, along with a proposal that anyone consuming alcohol be banned from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
"Each one of these measures is a step towards reducing the heavy health, social and economic burden of alcohol and substance abuse in our country," Dlamini said.
She said government's social assistance programme now reached more than 16 million South Africans, with 11 million of these beneficiaries being children. This was a significant increase from the 30000 beneficiaries the programme started off with when it was started in 1998.
"These considerable achievements can be attributed to the extension of social security coverage to previously excluded and marginalised groups in line with the Constitution," said Dlamini.
A year after the implementation of a biometric grant payment solution, the minister said her department already saw the benefits. More than 150000 grants had been cancelled, saving R150-million per annum.
She said her department was delivering on a promise to root out fraud and corruption, and that during the last financial year more than 70000 cases had been lodged with the police. She said more than a half of those cases had been finalised.
"In an effort to clamp down on unscrupulous micro-lenders, who exploit social grants beneficiaries, SASSA will not be processing any other deductions, except for funeral deductions that do not exceed 10% of the value of the grant in line with regulations," Dlamini said.
She appealed to social grant beneficiaries not to give their SASSA cards and PIN codes to micro-lenders.
In his response to her speech, the DA's Mike Waters criticised the Department of Social Development, saying six out of eight top management positions remained vacant.
Booze ban looming
SOCIAL Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini says government is going ahead with plans to ban alcohol advertising and to bar drivers from consuming even a single alcoholic drop before taking the wheel.
Dlamini was speaking during her department's budget vote in Parliament in which she said there was a recognised link between acts of violence against women and children, and alcohol and drug abuse.
"The inter-ministerial committee approved the Draft Control of Marketing of Alcohol Beverages Bill early in February. The bill aims to restrict the marketing, and promotion of alcoholic beverages," said Dlamini.
She said other measures in the bill included reducing the hours in which alcohol may be sold, workplace interventions for those abusing drugs and alcohol, along with a proposal that anyone consuming alcohol be banned from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.
"Each one of these measures is a step towards reducing the heavy health, social and economic burden of alcohol and substance abuse in our country," Dlamini said.
She said government's social assistance programme now reached more than 16 million South Africans, with 11 million of these beneficiaries being children. This was a significant increase from the 30000 beneficiaries the programme started off with when it was started in 1998.
"These considerable achievements can be attributed to the extension of social security coverage to previously excluded and marginalised groups in line with the Constitution," said Dlamini.
A year after the implementation of a biometric grant payment solution, the minister said her department already saw the benefits. More than 150000 grants had been cancelled, saving R150-million per annum.
She said her department was delivering on a promise to root out fraud and corruption, and that during the last financial year more than 70000 cases had been lodged with the police. She said more than a half of those cases had been finalised.
"In an effort to clamp down on unscrupulous micro-lenders, who exploit social grants beneficiaries, SASSA will not be processing any other deductions, except for funeral deductions that do not exceed 10% of the value of the grant in line with regulations," Dlamini said.
She appealed to social grant beneficiaries not to give their SASSA cards and PIN codes to micro-lenders.
In his response to her speech, the DA's Mike Waters criticised the Department of Social Development, saying six out of eight top management positions remained vacant.
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