Social Development Appropriation Bill – Vote 7
Honorable Speaker,
Honorable Premier and Cabinet colleagues,
Honorable Members of the Provincial Legislature,
Members of the media and public,
Citizens of the Western Cape,
My honoured guests joining us in the gallery today,
Good afternoon, goeiemiddag, molweni nonke!
I rise to table the Appropriation Bill for the Department of Social Development.
During his State of the Province Address, Premier Alan Winde said we are a government that GETS IT DONE.
This is the embodiment of the Western Cape Department of Social Development. We get things done. And more importantly, we get it done with kindness and care, as Finance Minister Deidre Baartman said during her tabling of the budget: “We are delivering growth, with discipline and with care.”
Our Department has persevered through immense challenges, such as a grim global and national economic outlook, and increased demand in services that fail to match scarce resources.
But not only have we persevered, but I believe we are now at a stage where we are continuously able to expand services for vulnerable residents, thanks to the ingenuity and innovation of management and staff, effective utilization of available resources, and most crucial of all: partnerships.
But this does not mean we are complacent, in fact it means we are working harder than ever to ensure that the money we are entrusted with continues to stretch – for the benefit of the residents we serve, especially the most vulnerable.
The Department received a 4.98% increase in its budget allocation for the 2026/27 financial year, increasing from R2.760 billion in 2025/26 to R2.897 billion.
The budget is projected to increase further to R3.001 billion in 2027/28 and R3.068 billion in 2028/29, respectively.
NPOs
Speaker,
I remain committed to honouring the pledge I made upon taking office to enhance support for our valued partner Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organisations.
The Cape Care Fund was launched last June in partnership with the Health Foundation to mobilise off-budget funding for social service NPOs. The Fund has mobilized R400 000 in just six months for organisations that serve vulnerable women, children, and persons living with disabilities.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency has donated R220 000 for the building of an inclusive playground for children with disabilities, while the Cape Care Fund provided an additional R50 000 towards this project.
We will also be getting a substantial adult diaper donation for our old age homes through the Fund – thanks to Minister Simmers for facilitating this.
The Fund continues to work hard in building partnerships that can benefit more credible and registered organisations.
Thank you to my Cabinet colleagues for their continued support with the Cape Care Fund, especially Premier, Ministers Baartman and Simmers for assisting us in getting the word out to potential donors.
Furthermore, the department’s funding for transfers and subsidies to NPOs increased from R1.138 billion to R1.190 billion. And contrary to what some in the opposition believe, this money is not only for child protection, Gender-Based Violence prevention, and substance abuse support – this is for all 1072 organisations across various sectors in the province.
Thank you to the many incredible organisations who work with us, many of whom rely on volunteers for further support. This is why we always encourage residents – through the media and social media – to get involved. We especially need the youth to be front and centre in this. Thank you to my guests from the University of the Western Cape and University of Cape Town who are here today and have helped with this mission.
Last week we opened the Huis Spitskop Child and Youth Care Centre in Murraysburg. This NPO-run facility is a first for the Karoo, a place of safety for vulnerable children such as those who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected.
Our Department invested an initial R2 million into Huis Spitskop, with a further R1.9 million being allocated in the 2026/2027 period for the funding of 24 bedspaces and purchasing of a vehicle. This amazing project was spearheaded by Huis Andrew Murray – thank you to Karen Petersen and Jaco Holtzhausen who are here today.
Huis Spitskop is more than just accommodation, it is a place of hope, of healing, and of care. Here, we envision children being transformed into powerful change agents that will go on to do amazing things in their families and communities.
I have heard incredible stories of children who have entered the care system broken, and who have left stronger, more resilient, and more hopeful.
The opposition also claimed we are failing to see measurable improvements in the lives of children.
I encourage them to speak to young people like Luphumlo Mahlubi, who was my guest at last year’s budget. He even helped me with my speech! Luphumlo was in foster care and he matriculated last year. Thanks to guidance from our department, Luphumlo is now in Johannesburg, studying Public Management and Governance.
You can also speak to Odwa Ngwanga, who grew up in the Baphumelele CYCC. He also recently matriculated and is currently studying engineering. Odwa hopes to one day have a career in the STEM field.
These are just a few stories that inspire us. The powerful impact of the care system. This is what Spitskop CYCC will mean to so many children in the Karoo.
I must commend Minister Maynier and his department that do great work under incredible pressure to provide quality education for vulnerable children, along with Minister Mackenzie for continuously advocating for overall wellbeing of children through art, sports, and reading for fun.
Furthermore, we recently launched our Independent Living programme pilot – designed for young people turning 18 who are exiting child and youth care centres and the foster care system.
For this financial year, we are allocating R3 million in additional funding towards this visionary programme. The Independent Living model, spearheaded by several NPOs – some of whom are here today, Isibindi Initiatives, Mamelani Projects, and Baphumelele Fountain of Hope– fills a critical gap in the social services net by providing a safe space, structured support, mentoring, life skills development, and psychosocial care so that these young adults do not simply turn 18 and fall through the cracks.
CHILD PROTECTION
Speaker,
An investment in our children is an investment in the future of this province and the country.
We are providing additional funding of R10 million in inflationary adjustments for Designated Child Protection Organisations. These are organisations that support the department in rendering crucial and sometimes life-saving services for vulnerable children such as those who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned.
Funding for our Child and Youth Care Programme has increased by over R11 million, from R134 million in 2025/26 to R145 million in 2026/27.
Our Child Care and Protection Programme funding also increased from R277 million to R292 million over the same periods.
For children and youth at risk, we are increasing funding for Crime Prevention and Support from R377 million in 2025/26 to R388 million.
R5 million is going towards the opening of a CYCC for children at risk who are differently abled.
This facility will be opened in Grabouw in April. The additional funding will also enable us to increase bedspaces at centres that are already accommodating children with disabilities, while also increasing the per capita fee for children in these facilities.
We are also in conversation with international organisations like Global Camps Africa and Camp Sizanani, to have vulnerable children go on retreats that provide holistic developmental skills and learning opportunities. We have already been able to get a group of foster children to join Camp Sizanani in Johannesburg last year, and we’re looking forward to more of these. Thank you to Emily, Phil, and Neo for being here today and for the continued partnership.
OLDER PERSONS
Speaker,
While children are our future, where would we be without our older persons, the custodians of knowledge and history?
We are increasing funding for our Older Persons Programme by from R276 million in 2025/26 to R286 million in 2026/27.
R12 million in additional funding will go towards subsidising bedspaces for non-frail destitute older persons.
Thank you to Minister Wenger and the Health and Wellness department that also work in this space to further enhance services to the elderly.
DISABILITIES PROGRAMME
Speaker,
Next month we observe Autism Awareness Month. As a Department we support various organisations that provide support services to persons with disabilities, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
For this financial year we will increase funding for the Services for Persons with Disabilities programme from R233 million to R235 million. Although a slight increase, we are hopeful that through innovation and continued partnerships with government departments, municipalities, and organisations, we can continue to advocate for and improve accessibility and support for persons with disabilities.
During the 2026/2027 financial period we are handing over four specially adapted vehicles to NGOs serving children with profound intellectual disabilities and their families. These vehicles ensure safe, affordable, and dignified access to quality basic education.
This will bring the total number of adapted vehicles delivered to 25, thanks to collaboration with Minister Sileku and his Department and the Department of Education.
We continue to be partners with Mossel Bay Municipality and its Disability Accessibility Movement. This initiative aims to make Mossel Bay the first disability-friendly town.
I am excited to announce that we are allocating R1.5 million towards an Adopt-a-Dorpie flagship programme. Through this flagship programme, we are aiming to enhance support for persons with disabilities, increase accessibility and promote inclusivity.
We have already made in-roads on this front in rural areas through the allocation of R5.7 million for the refurbishment of 22 Gender-Based Violence shelters across the province. Through this project we have ensured that GBV survivors who are differently abled are able to adequately access services at these facilities.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Speaker,
Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa classified Gender-Based Violence as a national disaster, yet we are still waiting for the practical implementation of this classification. In the meantime, here in the Western Cape, we are getting things done.
We have increased funding for the department’s Victim Empowerment Programme from R80 million in 2025/26 to R83 million.
GBV remains a scourge that plagues far too many people. And while we will welcome any funding that may emanate from the disaster classification – so that we may do more – we will not wait to spring into action.
We are allocating R1.5 million in additional funding to the House of Hope shelter in Caledon, which we launched last year in partnership with the Theewaterskloof Municipality and NGO, Reconnect Youth Development.
R1.5 million in additional funding will also be allocated to the Thuthuzela Care Centre in Mitchells Plain, which provides holistic therapeutic, medical, and legal support to survivors of abuse.
R1 million additional funding will go towards the GBV Ambassador programme. The GBV Ambassadors play an important role in helping us to “get things done”. They work with our department to raise awareness about support services, and they offer comfort to survivors, sometimes in the aftermath of abuse or violence. Thank you to Minister Marais and her department for supporting this programme, and for continuously holding the police accountable so that they treat victims who come to the stations with dignity, respect, and sensitivity.
A major contributing factor to GBV incidents is Substance Use Disorders, a challenge the department – along with its partners – are committed to addressing.
Funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Rehabilitation programme will increase by R6 million, from R122 million in 2025/26 to R128 million.
SOCIAL & HUMANITARIAN RELIEF
Speaker,
Hunger, poverty, and homelessness are issues we cannot ignore. As with many socioeconomic ills, it requires a holistic approach, one that requires us all to work together.
We have increased funding for the Social Relief Programme from R23.5 to R24.6 million.
When a disaster strikes, there is no province better prepared than ours. And that is largely thanks to Minister Bredell, his department, and the provincial disaster management centre always at the forefront of disaster risk management efforts.
But it is always indigent households most adversely affected when a disaster strikes. We are allocating R2 million towards nutritional support for indigent households, as part of our disaster relief.
When it comes to homelessness, we know the situation is dire. And while we cannot force adults to enter shelters or accept help, we can do our part in strengthening the support that is available. R1.3 million in additional funding will go towards bedspace expansion at homeless shelters in the Cape Metro.
R2 million has been allocated to bedspace expansion at the family shelter in Somerset West. This is a space where parents can stay with their children, while trying to rebuild their lives after becoming destitute. Just speak to the Ryklief family. After father, Kyle, was retrenched, he needed reliable housing for him, his wife, and their children. This is where the family shelter came in, providing them not only with temporary accommodation, but with skills development programmes to get back into the job market.
SWIMS
Speaker,
As we are in Social Work Month, I want to bring my message to a close by thanking the incredible social work professionals in our department, in the sister departments, and our partner NPOs.
There are those who go above and beyond. Like DSD social worker Chandré Smith-Juries from the Witzenberg office who is here today. We received a glowing email in December from a Lieutenant-Colonel from Robertson who thanked Ms Smith-Juries for responding to a sexual assault case.
Not only did Ms Smith-Juries respond quickly to provide trauma counseling, but she delivered a comprehensive and – in the words of the Colonel – “excellent” report in a short period. It is rare to have our social workers be thanked for the work they do everyday. Theirs is a thankless task, so it is always wonderful to receive feedback like this so we may shine a spotlight on excellence.
We also have Michael Swarts joining Chandré. He was instrumental in planning the Tankwa Family Day last year, which brought government services and businesses closer to the people of the most rural parts of the province.
Thank you Chandré and Michael for going the extra mile. And thank you to the DSD social workers who are here today: Zodwa, Vuyani, Anelisa, and Thandaza.
It is staff like you that inspire me to continue fighting for our fair share of the pie, so that we may invest in you. Thanks to you, we GET IT DONE.
I’m pleased that we have been able to allocate an additional R2 million in the Social Work Integrated Management System application (or SWIMS app). This is to roll out the system to more Designated Child Protection Organisations.
This groundbreaking system that has already changed the way over 1000 social work professionals within the Department – and other departments and organisations – are doing their work.
We currently have 1217 active DSD users on the system, 75 social workers from the Western Cape Education Department, as well as 49 social workers from NGO StellCare and 17 from Valley Development Projects.
200 ACVV social workers – like Stacey Dippenaar who is here today – will go live on the system from the 1st of April, along with 37 social workers from the Department of Health and Wellness.
Together, we are revolutionising the social work profession, by cutting on administrative time to allow staff more time for therapeutic interventions and face to face client time.
Honourable Speaker,
The common thread in the Department being able to GET THINGS DONE is the partnerships that we have with other departments, organisations, and the private sector.
We can only effectively address social ills such as GBV, crime, high unemployment rates through collaborations. And these must be collaborations aimed at making a difference, at getting it done. But getting it done with care and kindness.
Thank you to the NGOs and NPOs that strengthen this Department’s hand to support as many vulnerable people as possible. Those who are here today, Project Playground, Khaltsha Cycle Academy, and Brightpath.
Thank you to our sister departments and to municipalities who work with us side by side on many of these successful projects, such as the City of Cape Town and Drakenstein, special greetings to Councillor Higham and Councillor Appollis.
To the DSD staff, management, and the HOD Dr Robert Macdonald: thank you for your tireless commitment and dedication to serving the residents of the Western Cape.
To my Ministry staff, led by Bernhard Lotriet: Thank you for your unwavering support and for walking this journey with me to serve the province to the best of our ability.