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The Gauteng department of social development is under fire for failing to spend more than R100 million in the 2024-25 financial year.
This has been revealed in the department’s annual report, that showed it failed to spend R102.9 million.
It is not clear why the department has failed to spend the money.
Stats SA data and the General Household Survey of 2020-2021 showed Gauteng had 154 000 orphans aged 0 to 17 years – a 1.7% increase from 78 000 that was recorded in the previous financial year.
Leadership and planning failures blamed
Wayne Duvenage, CEO for Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, said any department that fails to spend its allocated budget is either not planning properly, or is dysfunctional and not doing its work.
“This is generally as a result of poor leadership, giving rise to a lack of oversight and performance monitoring.
“That sad outcome is that many social development non-profit organisations and agencies are left underfunded and the people who rely on these services suffer the most,” Duvenage said.
“It is a political leadership issue which needs an intervention. If the premier is not going to take action and fire or hold his leadership to account, then the president/Cabinet and/or parliament should start holding Panyaza Lesufi and his MECs to account.
“Quite frankly, when it comes to the next elections, it is up to the electorate to hold the Gauteng political leadership to account – by voting them out of office.”
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Political change was necessary in municipalities and provinces that fall short of executing their mandate to the people, Duvenage said.
It was necessary for the department to be organised because the province has a growing number of orphans, he said.
Opposition highlights repeat failures
A DA member in the provincial legislature, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, said the underspending was not isolated as it was not the first time the department found itself in that position.
“Yet again, the department has failed its constitutional mandate, continues to miss targets and again leaves millions unspent while the most vulnerable suffer.
“This is more than financial failure. It is an ethical failure. A failure of leadership. Despite commitments to expand disability services, the department once again failed to meet targets for residential and community-based support. Underspending and administrative weaknesses continue to undermine the rights of persons with disabilities,” Nt’sekhe said.
The department also failed to meet its commitment to employing 2% persons with disabilities and also failed to reach its target for empowering companies owned by persons with disabilities.
“This illustrates how persons with disabilities continue to be excluded from the economy. This is a disgrace.”
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