South Africa: Numbered Acts

NO. 106 OF 1996: WELFARE LAWS AMENDMENT ACT, 1996.

PRESIDENT'S OFFICE No. 1904.

27 November 1996

NO. 106 OF 1996: WELFARE LAWS AMENDMENT ACT, 1996.

It is hereby notified that the President has assented to the following Act which is hereby published for general information:-

GENERAL EXPLANATORY NOTE:

Words in bold type indicate omissions from existing enactments. Words in italics indicate insertions in existing enactments.

ACT

To amend the Social Work Act, 1978, so as to make the South African Interim Council for Social Work more representative by enlarging its membership; to amend the Probation Services Act, 1991, so as to further provide for the delegation of powers and the authorisation to perform duties; to amend the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992, so as to amend a

^{certain definition; to provide for the establishment of programmes regarding}

the prevention and treatment of drug dependency which are aimed at persons in treatment centres; and to further provide for the delegation of powers and the authorization to perform duties; to amend the Social Assistance Act, 1992, so as to amend a certain definition in order to authorize financial awards to unregistered, non-profitable organizations rendering developmental social welfare services; and to broaden the activities in respect of which financial awards may be made to any activity in the field of developmental social

welfare services; and to extend the application of certain laws relating to welfare services to the whole of the national territory of the Republic; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

(English text signed by the President.) (Assented to 12 November 1996.)

^{BE IT ENACTED by the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, as}

follows:-

Amendment of section 5 of Act 110 of 1978, as substituted by section 6 of

^{Act 52 of 1995}

1. (1) Section 5 of the Social Work Act, 1978, is hereby amended-

(a) by the deletion of the word "and" at the end of paragraph (c) of subsection(1);

(b) by the addition to subsection (1) of the following paragraph:

"(e) from a date determined by the Minister by notice in the Gazette- (i) a social auxiliary worker;

(ii) a student social worker registered for his or her second year of study;

(iii) a social worker engaged in full-time or part-time private practice;

(iv) a member of a nongovernmental organization or an organiza- tion based in a community-

(aa) which renders developmental social welfare services;

(bb) which is not registered as a welfare organization in terms of the National Welfare Act, 1978 (Act No. 100 of 1978); and

(cc) which is not receiving any financial grant or loan from the

State;

(v) a representative from organizations which represent persons who use social welfare services;

(vi) a person engaged in developmental social welfare services in the territory of any former entity known as Transkei, Bophu- thatswana, Venda or Ciskei, whether or not he or she is a social worker; and

(vii) a representative from trade unions which represent employees engaged

in developmental social welfare services, elected in the prescribed manner by the electoral college referred to in subsection (1A) from nominations, in the case of subparagraphs (i) to (iii), by the electorate, and, in the case of subparagraphs (iv) to (vii), by the general public.";

(c) by the insertion after subsection (1) of the following subsection: "(1A)(a) There is hereby established a body to be known as the

^{electoral college and the meetings of the electoral college shall be}

convened by the registrar.

(b) The electoral college shall consist of the following members, namely- (i) the Director-General or his or her representative;

^{(ii) the person from the provinces who obtained the most votes in}

the election which took place for the members of the council referred to in subsection (1)(a);

(iii) a representative from the Joint Universities Committee for Social

^Work;

(iv) a representative from the South African Black Social Workers

Association;

(v) a representative from the Social Workers Association of South

Africa;

(vi) a representative from the National Welfare Social Services and

Development Forum;

(vii) a representative from the South African Association of Social

Workers in Private Practice; and

(viii) a representative from trade unions which represent employees engaged

^{in developmental social welfare services, appointed at a meeting}

convened for this purpose by the registrar.";

(d) by the substitution for subsection (3) of the following subsection:

"(3) The names of the members and alternate members of the council and the date of commencement of their period of office shall be published

by

^{the registrar in the Gazette as soon as possible after the}

constitution of the council election of all the members required to constitute the council."; and

(e) by the substitution for the proviso to subsection (4) of the following proviso:

"Provided that-

(a) they the members referred to in subsection (1)(a), (b),

^{(c) and (d) shall not hold office for a period exceeding three}

years;

(b) the members referred to in subsection (1)(e) shall not hold office for a period exceeding the period for which the members referred to in subsection (1)(a), (b), (c) and (d) hold office.".

(2) Subsection (1)(b) shall not be construed as constituting a new council terminating the period of office of members as contemplated in section 5(4) of the Social Work Act, 1978.

Substitution of section 18 of Act 116 of 1991

2. The following section is hereby substituted for section 18 of the

^{Probation Services Act, 1991:}

"Delegation

18. (1) The Minister may-

(a) delegate to any officer of the department any power conferred upon the Minister by this Act, except the power under section 16 to make regulations;

(b) authorize any such officer to perform any duty imposed upon the

Minister by this Act.

^{(2) The Minister may, with the concurrence of the Premier of a province-}

upon the Director-General by this Act;

(b) authorize any such officer to perform any duty imposed upon the

^{Director-General by this Act.}

(5) The Director-General may, with the concurrence of the Director- General of a provincial administration (in this section referred to as the "provincial Director-General")-

(a) delegate to that provincial Director-General any power conferred upon the Director-General by this Act;

(b) authorize that provincial Director-General to perform any duty imposed upon the Director-General by this Act.

(6) A provincial Director-General may-

(a) delegate to any other officer of the provincial administration concerned any power delegated to him or her under subsection (5);

(b) authorize any such officer to perform any duty which he or she is authorized to perform under subsection (5).

(7) Any person to whom any power has been delegated or who has been authorized to perform a duty under this section, shall exercise that power or perform that duty subject to such conditions as the person who effected the delegation or granted the authorization considers necessary.

(8) Any delegation of a power or authorization to perform a duty under this section-

(a) shall be done in writing;

(b) shall not prevent the person who effected the delegation or granted the authorization from exercising that power or performing that duty himself or herself;

(c) may at any time be withdrawn in writing by that person.". Amendment of section 1 of Act 20 of 1992

3. Section 1 of the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992, is hereby amended-

(a) by the deletion of the words "or 'other senior officer' " which form part of the defined expression of " 'Director-General' or 'other senior officer' "; and

(b) by the deletion of the words "or any other senior officer", where they occur, in the definition of "Director-General".

Amendment of section 6 of Act 20 of 1992

4. Section 6 of the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992, is hereby amended by the substitution for paragraph (d) of the following paragraph:

"(d) the observation, treatment and supervision of persons who-

(i) are in a treatment centre or a registered treatment centre; (ii) have been released from a treatment centre or registered

^{treatment centre or who have been placed under supervision by a}

court;".

Substitution of section 47 of Act 20 of 1992

5. The following section is hereby substituted for section 47 of the

Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act, 1992: "Delegation

^{47. (1) The Minister may-}

(7) Any person to whom any power has been delegated or who has been authorized to perform a duty under this section shall exercise that power or perform that duty subject to such conditions as the person who effected the delegation or granted the authorization considers necessary.

(8) Any delegation of a power or authorization to perform a duty under this section-

(a) shall be done in writing;

(b) shall not prevent the person who effected the delegation or granted the authorization from exercising that power or performing that duty

inconsistent with, or deals with any matter dealt with by, any law referred to in Schedule 1.

(2) Any fund, board, council, commission, committee or other body established by or in terms of a law repealed by subsection (1), is hereby abolished.

^{(3) All moneys which-}

(a) immediately before the commencement of this Act stood to the credit of a fund abolished by subsection (2) (in this section referred to as a "former fund") shall devolve upon such fund established by section 16

of

^{the Fund-raising Act, 1978 (Act No. 107 of 1978), as the Minister for}

^{Welfare and Population Development, with the concurrence of the}

4. Any provision of-

(a) any Act of Parliament which amends any law referred to in this

^{Schedule; and}

(b) any regulation, notice or similar subordinate legislative or administrative measure made, issued or taken in terms of any law referred to in this Schedule, and which has at the commencement of this Act not yet come into operation.

SCHEDULE 2

LAWS REPEALED (Section 9(1))

Number and year of |Short title |Part in which |Extent of repeal law applicable | | |

| | | Act No. 6 of 1986 |KwaZulu Social and |KwaZulu |The whole

|Associated Workers Act,| |

^{|1986 | |}

^{| | |}

| | |