FOLLOW-UP: Benoni Child Welfare hopes to reopen soon
Management and staff are in the process of revising its operation strategies in alignment with proposed DSD funding cuts.
Benoni Child Welfare continues to stand in solidarity with NPOs severely affected by recent cuts in funding by the Gauteng Department of Social Development (DSD).
The organisation’s director, Vanessa Carelse, took the decision to temporarily close its doors on April 13, after its government budget allocations and that of other organisations were slashed by up to 50%.
During a meeting held from April 4 to 6, Gauteng MEC of Social Development Mbali Hlophe informed those in attendance that the new budget, based on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s inaugural State of the Province address, would see welfare organisations’ budgets being severely cut.
Before hosting information-sharing workshops, the DSD announced that as part of its institutional realignment project (IRP), funding to various organisations will be affected in order to be reallocated to other sectors such as homelessness and drug rehabilitation.
On April 20, social workers from across the province, including those from Benoni Child Welfare, marched to the office of the MEC to hand over a memorandum requesting an urgent meeting in order to have the IRP policy revised.
“Hlophe was not able to accept the documents as she was locked in an urgent meeting with members of the Gauteng Care Crisis Committee,” said Carelse.
“We have since been informed that the premier and MEC are currently in consultation regarding the matter and will again consult with NPOs on May 4.”
In a statement released by DA spokesperson for health and social services for Ekurhuleni, councillor Stefanie Ueckermann, the party is concerned about the impact that the new NPO and NGO funding model will have on the poor, elderly and disabled throughout the city.
“We believe that the premier and the MEC are making a big mistake with the proposed funding framework, which will have a devastating impact on organisations working with the most vulnerable members of our society,” said Ueckermann.
“The new funding model focuses on ‘building state capacity’ by reducing the department’s reliance on NPOs and accusations of organisations misusing allocated funds.”
She said that members of the CoE’s health and social development oversight committee cannot simply sit by while the lives of vulnerable children, disabled and elderly citizens are in danger.
Carelse said that although the welfare organisation’s doors have remained closed since the announcement of the budget cuts, management and staff are still reporting for duty daily.
“We are in the process of relooking at our current projects and programmes in attempts to realign our services in accordance to the funding that will be made available to us,” said Carelse.
“We hope that our voices will be heard and that the DSD will revise the IRP, thus making life-changing funds available to our causes.”
She confirmed that the society’s Colin House is continuing to function abated and that its charity shop remains open to the public.
“Depending on the outcome of the next DSD meeting and as we formalise our strategies, taking into consideration all eventualities, we hope to reopen by no later than the end of May,” she said.
“We remain committed to serving our community to the best of our ability.”
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