Cape Town - In the next few months, South Africans will get an opportunity to debate what kinds of reforms can be taken to improve the country's social security system.
Speaking at the Social Protection and Community Development Cluster media briefing on Friday, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini said the reforms would be published in the Consolidated Government Discussion Paper.
The nature of these reforms, she said, will have quite significant implications.
"The thrust of these reforms will be aimed at addressing a glaring defect in the system, namely the creation of statutory social insurance arrangements aimed at ensuring that income security is available during any break in employment; enhancing income smoothing; reducing poverty in old age, in the events of disability or the death of a breadwinner; increasing income replacement in retirement and incentives to increase the national savings rate," she said.
The thrust of the reforms will be:
* The consolidation of social security policy making and service delivery in a more efficient and effective manner which will enhance service delivery
* The introduction of a mandatory pension system that will encompass retirement savings, alignment of disability and survivor benefits; and
* Doing away with fragmentation and the consolidation of adjudication, disability assessment fraud detection, payment of benefits and significant improved regulations of social security.
Meanwhile, a high level Advisory Council comprising of key government departments, civil society organisations and other relevant partners will be established to strengthen and drive the implementation of the 365 Plan of Action of No Violence against women and children.
Minister Dlamini said the council will enhance ongoing measures and national efforts of all sectors to address violence against women and children.
