62 337 Gauteng people with disabilities to suffer as DSD moves funds away from NPOs

20 April 2023

62 337 people with disabilities in Gauteng will now suffer without much-needed support and workshops because the Gauteng Department of Social Development (DSD) has moved R50 million from their programme to fund the drug and substance abuse programme.

The new funding model will negatively impact 62 337 people with disabilities who, according to the department’s 2021/2022 annual performance plan accessed the disability prevention programmes.

Over 4000 of these people benefited in protective workshops where their dignity and self-worth were constantly restored.

The DA commends Gauteng social workers who have in the past financial year provided up to 14 906 disabled people with coping skills.

The reprioritisation of funds meant for people with disabilities is an indication that the department has no compassion and care for the most vulnerable in our society.

Below is an indication of how funds have been reprioritised:

R 71.5 million taken from the NPOs that care for the elderly,

R 50 million taken from disabled persons NPOs budget,

R238.6 million taken from HIV / AIDS and children NPOs budget,

R 57 million taken from care and services to families NPOs budget,

R70 million taken from Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC),

R46.5 million was taken from community-based care for children NPOs budget.

Here are the programmes that have largely benefitted:

Poverty alleviation and skills development with an additional R338.7 million with a total budget of R894.6 million,

Substance abuse with an additional R188 million with a total budget of R615 million,

Youth development with an additional R18.1 million with a total budget of R 40. 7 million,

Women development with an additional R17 .3 million with a total budget of R24.9 million,

Crime prevention with an additional R6.8 million with a total budget of R158. 7 million,

Victim empowerment with an additional R5 million with a total budget of R184.5 million.

The reprioritising of NPOs funding will have a huge social impact on the most vulnerable citizens of Gauteng.

Currently, 4300 homeless children are cared for by NPOs and the DA fears financial cuts will force these children to go back to the streets or abusive backgrounds they come from. This might increase crime and lead to substance abuse.

The DA is liaising with their national counterparts in the National Assembly to seek the Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu’s urgent intervention on the issue. We will continue to support the pickets by the NPOs to force DSD to review the NPOs funding model.

In our continued fight against the new NPOs funding model, we call all Gauteng residents to sign the DA’s petition to Scrap the new NPOs funding model. See the petition here.

Issued by Bronwynn Engelbrecht, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Social Development, 20 April 2023