The government will soon start giving households that are hardest hit by the drought once-off cash payouts of R900 for survival.
The government estimates that about 100 000 people who depend on farming will benefit from the programme, which marks a departure from the current practice of handing out food parcels to poverty-stricken families to cushion them against the effects of rising food prices.
Appearing before parliament's portfolio committee on finance, Taz Chaponda, a senior treasury official, said the reason the government had opted for the cash payments instead of the usual food parcels and fertiliser packs was because the relief was needed urgently.
There is a realisation that if the government were to buy food and other material for the survival of these people affected by drought, it would be likely to take more time before aid . This experience gained over years, he said.
Chaponda said the treasury had put aside R60-million for the department of social development to spend before the start of the new financial year. He said the money must have been spent or committed by March 31.
Chaponda conceded that there was likely to be a scramble for the R900 payouts.
It's a difficult task distinguishing who are more deserving than others, but from the proposal we received , traditional leaders, faith-based organisations and non-governmental organisations are likely to play a central role in ensuring that those who deserve the cash payments know about them and them, Chaponda told parliamentarians.
He said the government knew that the R60-million set aside was not enough, adding that more money was most likely to be made available for further relief in the 2004/5 financial year.
Asked when the R60-million would be available for use by the department, Chaponda said this would happen as soon as parliament adopted the Drought Relief Adjustments Appropriation Bill.
He said even before the treasury had transferred the R60 million, the department would be allowed to use some of its money for relief, knowing it would be replaced when the transfer took place.
Kgati Sathekge, the spokesperson for the department of social development, said that concerns that people could use the money for alcohol and other frivolous acquisitions were discussed by the Disaster Relief Fund Board, which would be working with the department to ensure that the money was spent.
Sathekge said it was felt that drought was a serious matter and that people who abused their share of relief cash would be doing so at their own peril.
They would not be able to say that the government had not been there for them when they needed help, he said. Sathekge explained that those who wished to benefit from the cash payments would have to apply for them. Names of people they had to contact would be released soon.
Sathekge said the drought had hit KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West, which were declared disaster areas by President Thabo Mbeki.
The drought could cost the government about R18-billion and its effects were being felt by those living on farms.
The government has drawn up criteria, according to which relief will be allocated to the following categories of people:
- Vulnerable individuals and households of poverty-stricken families who are destitute as a result of the drought in certain districts of the provinces affected;
- Those who live in such areas and who have no, or limited, employment and/or income-generating opportunities;
- Farm workers who have been laid off work due to the persistent drought;
- Persons in farming communities whose livelihoods have been severely affected by the drought; and
- Persons and households who rely directly and/or indirectly on farming.
Meanwhile, in terms of the Drought Relief Adjustments Appropriation Bill, R35-million was set aside for the health department to combat possible outbreaks of malaria and cholera and R30-million was set aside for the provision of fodder to developing and established livestock farmers.
An amount of R125-million will be used by the water affairs and forestry department to supply water to drought-affected communities.