Social Development
In the light of the rising incidence of substance abuse, particularly among the youth in vulnerable communities:
What (a) additional resources and (b) strategies has his Department allocated in the (i) 2024/25 and (ii) 2025/26 financial years to expand access to prevention, early intervention and treatment services across the province?
(a) The WC DSD funds 15 organizations to deliver a comprehensive community-based treatment service across 25 service sites in the province; The WC DSD subsidize five (5) private inpatient centres for a total of 668 bedspaces per annum. The Department also funds specialist organizations to implement preventative and early intervention services within schools to increase the awareness of risks involved in substance use. The total budget to ensure service availability in the province for the abovementioned is R48 030 000.
The WC DSD manages Kensington centre that is a registered child and youth care centre in terms of Sec 191(3)(c) of the Children’s Act for the treatment of children with substance use disorders, a budget of R15,076,500.00 for 25/26 financial year is allocated.
Furthermore, youth are provided with substance abuse programs and services within all Child and Youth care facilities in the WC province.
(b) (i) Expansion of services to areas of high prevalence in areas such as Mossel Bay, Vredendal, Villiersdorp through funding contracts with specialist service providers.
The WC Department of Social Development also holds the APP responsibility of Early Intervention and Aftercare services through their local offices. Due to modernization processes, departmental reach increased significantly in the rural areas with the establishment of local offices in all densely populated rural towns.
The Department also procured 2 mobile service points (trucks) which are equipped with all the necessary resources to provide social work services, inclusive of services to those with substance use disorders in the outer laying rural areas.
Various outreaches also take place specifically targeted the rural areas, such as the National DSD Siyalulama project which targeted specific areas to identify treatment needs.
During the 2024/25 financial year the Ke-Moja prevention program was implemented by the funded organizations. A total of 2 247 learners have been reached Elsies River, Delft, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Gaansbaai, Lambertsbay, Stellenbosch, Vredendal, Lutzville and Hangberg and Kuilsriver.
The Department also funds an opiate substitution therapy program in Mitchell’s Plain and Hanover Park; the Opioid Substitution Treatment program is a 3-month long intervention made up of psycho-therapeutic intervention managed by a multidisciplinary team.
Saartjie Baartman Woman Centre is funded for a 12-week program to admit female service users who do experience problems with SUD’s as well as gender-based violence. These female service users can also be admitted with their minor children for the duration of their treatment to ensure greater access for women.
Social crime prevention units have substance abuse related diversion programmes that are aimed at addressing the substance abuse of young people in the ambit of social crime.
(b)(ii) All the above-mentioned services and resources continue in the current financial year of 2025/26 with further expansions of substance use disorder services to areas such as Oudtshoorn and Robertson, which also show high prevalence of treatment access in the province is in process.
