16 Feb 2017

Parliament was informed that the number of beneficiaries registered under various social protection programmes was 219 793 as at December 2016. This was said by the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen in Parliament on February 15. Mr Van Der Westhuizen said his ministry continued to provide psychosocial and material support as well as cash transfers to vulnerable groups such as old age pensioners, destitute persons, orphans, vulnerable children and people living with disability. He pointed out that the cumulative number of beneficiaries who graduated from destitution programme and community home based care as at December 2016 was 691, (560 being destitute persons and 131 community home based care patients.) The assistant minister further said the beneficiaries did not graduate from the programmes at their own accord, but graduated after they were empowered, rehabilitated and reassessed to find out if they are still eligible for assistance. “The beneficiaries who are able bodied are referred for government empowerment programmes such as poverty eradication for assistance,” he added. He also mentioned that the total number of new entrants for old age pension scheme for 2016 was 4877 while 2993 exited the programme as a result of death. Furthermore, he said he was not in a position to state how many old age pensioners were previously employed in the formal sector.
The Specially Elected Member of Parliament, Ms Bogolo Kenewendo had wanted to know the number of people who benefited from social welfare programmes since 2016 and the number of those who exited or graduated from the programmes on their own accord. She further wanted  to know the annual turnover of old age pensioners (new entrants Vs exist) as well as the number of current old pensioners who were previously employed in the formal sector. ENDS