Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance has slammed the Gauteng Department of Social Development over its R50 million budget cut in funding drug and substance abuse and people with disabilities programmes in the province.
In a statement issued on Thursday, DA Gauteng spokesperson for social development Bronwynn Engelbrecht said more than 62 000 people living with disabilities will suffer as a result of the budget cuts.
‘’Over 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,’’ Engelbrecht said.
She said the new funding model would negatively impact 62 337 people with disabilities who, according to the department’s 2021/2022 annual performance plan, accessed the disability prevention programmes.
‘’Over 4 000 of these people benefited in protective workshops, where their dignity and self-worth were constantly restored. The DA commends Gauteng social workers who, 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,’’ she said.
However, in a statement this week, the Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Mbali Hlophe, assured Gauteng citizens of its commitment to the NGOs, saying there were no budget cuts implemented.
‘’The Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) has maintained its commitment to fund non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the province and reiterated that the budget of R2.3 billion allocated to NPOs remains, and there is no cut to the budget. This follows numerous concerns by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which the Department deemed unfortunate and trying to score political points after the party claimed there will be a mass shut down of NPOs,’’ the department said.
Hlophe added that residential care services for older persons, child and youth care centres, and shelters for women and those with disabilities would remain funded accordingly.
She added that this would be done as part of the legislative mandate, which accords service delivery to the most vulnerable and is carried out by both the department and through the work of NPOs.
‘’Our Premier has emphatically made the point that our liberation will be meaningless if the poor and vulnerable are not economically liberated. So, they, too, may have an independent existence, and their dignity is restored.
‘’Accordingly, the work our combined departments will be embarking on, taking food security as an example, will entail the provision of agriculture projects within our various homes, shelters, households, and community land parcels to ensure a move away from the over-reliance on food parcels but to enable individuals to produce their own food,’’ Hlophe added.
The Star