DA welcomes High Court deadline for Gauteng NPO funding crisis

Note to Editors: Please see attached soundbite by Bridget Masango MP

The DA welcomes the 3 weeks-deadline imposed by the Gauteng High Court on the Gauteng Department of Social Development to ensure payment to all non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Since November last year, the DA in Gauteng has been exposing the Gauteng Department of Social Development's bungled adjudication process, including confusing communications from the Department, signed service level agreements that were later withdrawn, and misaligned funding.

The presentations to Parliament of the Gauteng MEC of Social Development, Faith Mazibuko, and the NGOs in the midst of the funding crisis brought home the turmoil that the payment failures have brought for poor and vulnerable South Africans who depend on the NGOs for support.

Because of this funding bungle some NGOs have been forced to close their doors.

The Gauteng Provincial Government is now forced to meet a court-imposed deadline; and going forward, it must also prevent future crises of this nature.

NGOs are vital to social support and service delivery and should be treated as valued partners of government. Without NGOs our poor and vulnerable citizens will be left without a safety net and face dire circumstances alone.