By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng Social Development has committed to strengthen the relationship with the Non-profit Organisations amid the ongoing non-payment affecting NGOs and other organisations.
Several NPOs in the province have been forced to close their doors, while others are on the brink of closure due to the provincial government’s non-payment of funds.
Gauteng Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebohang Maile and Social Development MEC Faith Mazibuko provided an update on the funding crisis.
“We are deeply committed to ensuring that NPOs operating within the province are paid timeously in order to ensure the continuation and seamless provision of services,” said Maile.
Maile said only a few NPOs have not been paid due to non-compliance.
Thirteen non-profit organisations are under investigation for many issues, including non-compliance.
“There are currently a few NPOs that have not been paid due to compliance issues,” said Maile.
A total of 13 NPOs are under investigation, while six have been deemed non-compliant.
The outcome of the investigation will guide the next steps, Maile said: “In addition to non-compliant NPOs, applications for 23 NPOs have not been found in the system; in two cases, duplicate payments were made, and treasury is facilitating the resolution of this duplication.”
At the same time, Mazibuko said the work of NPOs is central to the government’s efforts to bring social justice to vulnerable members of society.
“The work of NPOs is not only an extension of the work of Social Development, but also an enabler of the responsibilities the department has in delivering on its mandate. We are not ashamed to say on the whole, with few exceptions, that we are proud of the work that is being done by the NPOs. Like with any other relationships, things do fall apart.
“Differences emerge, misunderstandings happen, trust is lost, sometimes break-ups do happen. Despite all of this, we as a department and NPOs cannot allow such a state of affairs. The past few months, we have seen the relationship between the provincial government and the NPOs severely strained. We unreservedly apologise to those affected by this and we want to improve this,” she said.
Last week, the Democratic Alliance (DA) through its shadow MEC of social development, Refiloe Nt’sheke, slammed the provincial department for its failure to pay NPOs.
Nt’sheke said the department’s attempts to rectify the payment of NPOs was marred by glitches. “Regrettably, the department’s attempted rectification process is marred by unethical and irregular practices.This is highly irregular because, in an adjudication process, all NPOs that bid for funding are supposed to be considered and visited. Using the findings of this process, the adjudication panel then determines which NPOs qualify for funding.
“During the last administration, we had concerns about the adjudication process and the committee. Questions have been asked about these issues, but we never got answers from the former MEC.