The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) is continuing to build capacity in NGOs, and to develop their ability to deliver quality services in the province. This financial year has seen our funding to NGOs reach a milestone of just over R1-billion.
This is significant in a time when many NGOs are experiencing a funding crisis due to poor global economic conditions, and other state institutions increasingly failing them by withdrawing funding.
DSD has increased our transfers to NGOs for the 2015/16 financial year to R1 059 406 000.
In addition, our introduction of a comprehensive NGO funding policy has enabled us to ensure that funding applications and allocations are managed through a consistent and transparent process. Alongside this we have introduced new departmental systems for monitoring the use of these funds by NGOs, ensuring that the vulnerable citizens of the Western Cape get maximum benefit.
Our efforts as a department has resulted in the finding by the Financial and Fiscal Commission in their submission for the division of revenue in 2014/2015 that the Western Cape Department of Social Development spends a bigger portion of its budget (68%) on transfer payments to NGOs, more than any other province in this country.
The funding increase is in addition to the work and resources the department’s programmes and regions, in their day-to-day operations, extend to NGOs whilst dispatching our duties.
NGOs play an important role in ensuring the department delivers on our new Provincial Strategic Goals, specifically; Strategic Goal 2 - which calls on us to improve education outcomes and opportunities for youth development, and Strategic Goal 3 – which calls on us to increase wellness, safety and tackle social ills, social workers will form the back-bone of our efforts.
I call on citizens to support registered NGOs working in their communities, and to donate not only money but also their time as volunteers. We can continue tackling poverty and social ills if we work ‘Better Together’.
Sihle Ngobese
Spokesperson for Albert Fritz, Minister of Social Development
Western Cape Government
7th floor, 14 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, 8000
Tel : (021) 483 9217
Cell : 083 280 9199
Email : Sihle.Ngobese@westerncape.gov.za