The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng has filed the Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) application demanding that the Gauteng Department of Social Development MEC, Faith Mazibuko, and Premier Panyaza Lesufi release the adjudication report for the NPO funding. Gauteng’s vulnerable residents continue to be denied essential services due to a lack of funding for Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs). This troubling situation stems from the Gauteng government’s decision to squander taxpayers’ money on legal fees, fighting to defend its failure to adhere to three court orders obtained by the Gauteng Care Crisis Committee (GCCC) on behalf of these NPOs, many of which are still without funding.
The court orders directed the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) to address funding issues for the 2024/2025 financial year and disclose the results of the NPO adjudication process. Unfortunately, the department has not fulfilled these obligations. This was acknowledged in court by Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC Faith Mazibuko, who apologised and stated that they would request regular updates from the department.
Many NPOs have received payments without signing Service Level Agreements (SLAs), while some have signed SLAs but have not received any payments. This was revealed in court and confirmed by MEC Mazibuko’s response to questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
It is unacceptable that instead of addressing the problem, they have spent almost a year wasting taxpayer’s money on legal fees to defend the indefensible and abhorrent action against the poor in our province.
The DA has tabled questions to ascertain how much money has been wasted on these legal fees, and to date, the MEC has refused to respond. When faced with sensitive questions, the MEC takes a vow of silence.
The DA has fought for the release of the NPO adjudication process report, but this disclosure has also not occurred. This has left the DA with no choice but to file a PAIA application to force the department to release this report.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would build a relationship with the welfare sector by ensuring that the outcomes of an NPO adjudication process are disclosed without needing the court’s intervention. NPOs will be informed whether they qualify for funding, and those who do not can request feedback. This feedback will help them understand what steps they need to take to improve their compliance and enhance their chances of securing funding in the next adjudication cycle.
The DA will continue to fight for transparency and accountability, ensuring that public funds are not used to undermine these principles.