Gauteng Department of Social Development underspends by R400.8 million while Gauteng residents starve
11 June 2020
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is deeply concerned that the Gauteng Department of Social Development’s (DSD) underspending has a negative impact on its obligation to provide social welfare services during this COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the department’s fourth quarter report for the 2019/20 financial year, the department has underspent by R400.8 million.
The department has underspent by R189 million in Programme Three: Children and Families and R143.3 million in Programme Five: Development and Research. They have also underspent by R30.7 million in Programme Four: Restorative Services.
It is worrying that the department also underspent by R552.8 million in the third quarter for the 2019/20 financial year.
For the past three financial years this department has underspent as follows:
2018/19: R419.1 million
2017/18: R104.4 million
2016/17: R19.7 million
During these time periods, the Department has been under the leadership of 3 different MECs and with each MEC this Department has continued to underspend.
This department which is supposed to be playing an integral role during this period of the Coronavirus pandemic is inefficient and constantly underspends on its budget.
The department also failed to provide reasons for its under expenditure which clearly indicates that this under expenditure is because of the department’s incompetency.
This consistent under expenditure by the department has had a huge impact on the department failing to meet its targets.
Some of the families across the province did not receive crisis intervention services, did not benefit from poverty reduction initiatives, and were not issued food relief through food banks.
This means that our people continue to live in poverty and suffer from starvation because the department is failing to spend on its allocated budget.
This department can no longer be trusted with a responsibility to provide social and welfare services to the vulnerable people of this province.
The DA will table questions to the Acting Gauteng Department of Social Development MEC, Panyaza Lesufi in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature ( GPL) to ascertain what measures the department is putting in place to ensure that it spends its allocated budget for the benefit of the vulnerable members of this province.
Premier Makhura should answer to the vulnerable people of Gauteng on how it is that under his watch, the Department of Social Development has for the past three financial years underspend its budgets.
There has no consequences for this failure to spend money or serve the vulnerable people of Gauteng.
To date, he has also failed appoint an MEC for this department. Currently the Department has an acting MEC who is serving two big departments: Education and Social Development. Social Development requirements undivided attention and cannot continue to be served by an acting MEC.
This department needs committed political leadership who will give and drive political leadership.
Covid-19 has shown further cracks that the people of Gauteng are served by an incapable state. Premier Makhura must now take responsibility for this department’s failures.
Issued by RefiloeNt’sekhe,DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Social Development, 11 June 2020
