Social Development Adjustment Budget 2024/25 VOTE 7

Honourable Speaker,

Honourable Premier and Cabinet colleagues, 

Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature, 

Members of the public and the media joining us here today, 

Citizens of the Western Cape, 

I rise to table the Adjustment Budget for Vote 7, in a time when the Department of Social Development and other service-driven departments are the hardest hit by the harsh reality of national budget pressures. 

The fiscal outlook has deteriorated over the last few years, driven largely by reduced revenue estimates, tightened monetary policy, higher borrowing costs, inflation, spending pressures, and the on-going impact of the 2023 wage agreement. 

Government departments across the board, along with the NGO sector, have faced various challenges, or “storms” as the Honourable Minister Baartman said last week. 

A decrease of R17,407 million, has amounted to the Department’s Adjustment Budget allocation dropping from R2,539 480 billion to R2,522 073 billion. 

There is some good news, with the Department receiving the following additional funds: 

1. R496 000 from the roll-over of the unspent Social Sector EPWP Incentive Grant for Provinces. The amount was to settle outstanding invoices for the contracted service that ended on 31 March 2024. 

I have conducted visits to various Older Persons community-based service care centres. These centres are an important space for the elderly as they are not only able to socialize with one another, but here they receive meals and learn skills which they can utilize to earn some extra money, or simply for the joy of it. At one such centre in Strand, I met some wonderful ladies who were hard at work crocheting blankets, which they were going to sell. They were extremely proud of their skillfully crafted goods. The NGO running this centre told me about how difficult it has become to continue operating the facility, with the constrained resources, but they have found a way because they see the need for it in promoting the wellbeing and dignity of the Older Persons. These centres experienced severe budget cuts, as the Department had to make difficult decisions to allocate funding so it could meet its statutory obligations. 

Thus, the allocation of additional funding of R897 000 in Revenue Retention will go a long way towards alleviating service pressures in these centres. We hope it will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Older Persons who play such a valuable contribution to society. 

1. Disaster funding: Climate change is a stark reality we can no longer afford to hide from. Floodings, fires, and other weather-related disasters have been commonplace. Now, more than ever, we have to build a more resilient and ever-ready province, so we can address the great needs that arise when a disaster strikes, effectively. Our Department has been working hard on establishing clear roles and responsibilities between us, SASSA, and municipalities when it comes to the provision of humanitarian relief. NGOs in this space have played a hugely critical role in assisting us in reaching the most vulnerable residents who are hardest hit when disasters hit. The additional funding of R3 million is in line with the Western Cape Government’s priority of looking after our residents – especially the vulnerable. These funds are greatly welcomed in bolstering humanitarian relief efforts. The funds are intended to subsidise several humanitarian relief organisations to further their operational objectives and support existing post-disaster humanitarian responses.

• The Department also received an additional R3,2 million to sustain its nutritional support programmes. These funds will enable the Department to address service delivery gaps by establishing 5 Community Nutrition Development Centres in the following areas:
  -Touws River: 136 beneficiaries;
  -Laingsburg: 204 beneficiaries
  -Cape Winelands: Langeberg: 136 beneficiaries, Theewaterskloof: 136 beneficiaries
  -Atlantis (Protea 136 beneficiaries) 

Honourable Speaker,
Unplanned exits, early retirements and promotions within the Department resulted in underspending of R8,845 million in Compensation of Employees (CoE).
These funds were reprioritized to augment budget shortfalls as follows:

• R6 million was shifted to Households to cover the settlement of legal matters.
• R2,845 million was shifted to Households to cover leave and pension gratuity payments due to staff exits.
• There were shifts of Compensation of Employees between programmes and sub-programmes where priority posts were filled. 

Underspent funds of R1,979 million within Goods and Services, due to various factors, including Decreased travel and subsistence in the line function, and savings realised by the settling of March 2024 invoices before the end of the prior financial year.

This underspending was reprioritized to augment budget shortfalls as follows:

• Increased marketing, software licenses and fleet services.
• The increase of cleaning services, annual increase in security services, and above inflationary increase for electricity at facilities.
• The shortfall in the e-mobility contract.
• Waste removal services due to the disposal of nappies at Sivuyile, DSD’s facility for accommodating children and adults with severe to profound disabilities.
• Emergency day-to-day maintenance costs at facilities. 

R25 million was shifted from DSD’s budget to the Infrastructure Department to fund the maintenance of Child and Youth Care Centres. This is vital, as we have seen an increase in the number of neglected children in need of places of safety, as well as those in conflict with the law, for whom these facilities offer hope and a chance at a new life. 

Honourable Speaker,
We may continue to grapple with the lingering impacts of the economic “storms” I mentioned at the start, but as a Department, we are not resting on our laurels.
In the spirit of ingenuity, resilience, and innovation that is ingrained in this province, the Western Cape Department of Social Development has continuously tried to find ways to make the rand stretch just a little bit farther.
I’ve made it my mission since stepping into this office to turn this Department into a formidable government institution that is solutions-driven and presents sustainable models for other sectors to follow.

Some of the ways DSD has done this:

• The Social Work Integrated Management System Application (or SWIMS App) – which was launched in April this year – has already streamlined the way social workers tackle case management. This app addresses the immense administrative burden on social workers who daily have to fill in forms for case management. On the app, they can securely capture forms – virtually anywhere and anytime – and complete the necessary “paperwork” for the tracking of interventions to clients. This saves them time and unnecessary labour, allowing for more time to spend on therapeutic interventions, which benefits the clients greatly. Over 21 000 cases have been loaded onto the app by DSD social workers in the Western Cape since it went live in April. These numbers are constantly climbing, showing just how many social workers are going the paperless route to do case management and deliver better services for clients.
• The DSD Mobile Offices are meeting the service needs of rural communities. We launched one in the Central Karoo in October, and two more in the West Coast and the Witzenberg/Cape Winelands area this past week. This fully-functioning Social Development office on wheels – which is the first of its kind in the country – allows social workers in these regions to reach the most rural parts of the province, rendering crucial social services to residents living in these areas. The office spreads the Department’s service footprint, and alleviates the burden on NGOs in these regions.
• NGO support: We are also working on an exciting initiative that could provide a double safety net for NGOs, lessening the burden on government and opening more avenues for us to use resources where they are most needed. This initiative is geared towards making organisations that the Department supports, more resilient and sustainable. I will communicate more on this next year.
• Since we are in the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, I must mention our incredible Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Ambassadors.
  DSD has six GBV Ambassador programmes, in Swartland, Delft, Grabouw, Heinz Park, Philippi, and most recently, we launched one in Ceres this week. These are volunteers that have been trained by DSD and its partner NGOs, raising their hands to help the Department raise awareness about GBV support services. They are often the first responders to incidents of domestic violence or abuse, like the Delft ambassadors who render support to traumatized individuals at the Victim Friendly Room at the Delft police station. This programme is a perfect example of how we can use limited resources, by tapping into communities, to address social issues like GBV and spread our service footprint.

Honourable Speaker,
Now more than ever, with service pressures increasing and resources battling to meet this demand, we require the private sector to join hands with NGOs and NPOs that provide crucial services in the social service sphere, whether it be GBV survivor support, child protection, elderly person care, substance use support services. We also need citizens who are able to, to volunteer their time and any other resources they can to support registered organisations, even something as simple as spending time with older persons at an Old Age Home can bring so much joy to those individuals – especially now over the festive period. 

It is only with a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach that we can effectively address social ills, and better support vulnerable citizens.

Finally,
I wish to thank my cabinet colleagues at the Executive Council led by Premier Winde for their continuous support and motivation.

Thank you also to the standing committee for the robust and transparent engagement, and for holding us as the Department accountable to the people of this province.

I am also grateful to the Department of Social Development team, led by Dr Robert Macdonald. Their tireless efforts and leadership in making difficult decisions with the reprioritization of a budget under serious fiscal constraints are appreciated. I commend all the DSD staff who remain committed to serving the most vulnerable citizens of this province. Thank you TEAM DSD for going the extra mile.

Lastly, thank you to the Ministry staff, led by our Head of Ministry, Bernhard Lotriet, for your continued support.

I thank you.