Parliamentary committee lauds social cash transfer

Parliamentary Committee on Governance Assurance and Public Sector Reform chairperson Noel Lipipa has expressed satisfaction with how the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) has transformed people’s lives in Balaka District.

He said this on Wednesday at Mchenga Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Nsamala in the district where the committee visited selected SCTP beneficiaries to appreciate the programme’s impact.

Lipipa said it was encouraging to note that “from the little the beneficiaries receive monthly, some have managed to build decent houses while others have bought livestock such as goats”.

He said: “We wanted to gauge the programme’s impact. We cannot have a conclusive idea as this is just one region.

“The ministry is taking us to the Northern and Central regions in July to assess the same. So, we should have a conclusive report when Parliament meets again.”

However, Lipipa observed that delays in receiving stipend was one of the major setbacks in SCTP.

“Delay in receiving the money and devaluation of the kwacha are setbacks that the beneficiaries have mentioned. These have negatively affected the beneficiaries,” he said.

A beneficiary Robina Mdala, 65, commended government for the programme, saying she invested the money in small-scale businesses and was able to construct a decent house using the proceeds.

“I did not have a decent house and life was difficult, especially during the rainy season,” she said.

Mdala urged other beneficiaries to invest their money in businesses to graduate from poverty.

Balaka district social welfare officer responsible for SCTP Mphatso Chisepa said 10 070 people are currently benefitting from the programme with 68 percent of the beneficiaries from female-headed households.

Government introduced the SCTP in Balaka in 2013. The programme targets 10 percent of ultra-poor and labour-constrained households in the country.