Social Development
Given that the Department’s own data indicates that 18,1% of Western Cape households experience inadequate access to food:
(1)(a)(i) Why did his Department’s programmes only reach 22 128 individuals through its nutrition centres in the last financial year and (ii) what specific and measurable plan does his Department have to bridge this gap between need and reach, (b)(i) what are the reasons for the under expenditure in the Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Livelihoods Programme in the previous year and (ii) how will these reasons be addressed to ensure that the budget is directed to those in crisis and (c) with only 102 community nutrition and development centres (CNDCs) in the province, what are his Department’s (i) plans and (ii) time frames to expand this network to underserved areas, particularly in rural and farming communities;
(2)(a) what is the breakdown of CNDCs per municipality, (b) what is the number of persons who have access to these centres per municipality and (c) what is the number of people in need who are being left out?
(a)(i) The Western Cape Department of Social Development provides food support to communities alongside other Western Cape Government departments such as the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Wellness, agencies such as the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), and civil society organisations. The Department of Social Development (DSD) operates within its funding constraints.
When additional emergency funds were provided to the Department during the COVID 19 pandemic a total of 358 community kitchens were supported which were servicing approximately 200 000 beneficiaries across all six DSD regions. All funded food relief activities are implemented in an efficient and cost-effective manner, and beneficiaries are verified.
(ii) Where a need for additional food support is identified in a community the DSD requests increased funding from Provincial Treasury to enable support to community kitchens in the areas of highest need. While budget constraints remain a key challenge, the Department is implementing a multi-sectoral approach that integrates food provisioning with livelihood support and local partnerships to promote sustainability.
DSD is also expanding humanitarian relief food support for victims of disasters as part of its role in an integrated provincial approach to Disaster Management. DSD’s food relief work will continue to take shape in the context of the Western Cape Government’s transversal approach to food security, which includes expanded initiatives by other departments such as the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness’s Khulisa Care programme aimed at addressing stunting and malnutrition in children, and the Department of Agriculture’s community food garden support project.
(b)(i) No underspending occurred in Sustainable Livelihoods Programme.
No delays or operational inefficiencies occurred in the funded activities during this reporting period.
The reason for the under expenditure in the Poverty Alleviation Programme was the result of retaining rollover funds to honour the Service Level Agreement for the final payment to the service provider in the new financial year. Payment was executed in the following 2025/26 financial year as projects ended 31 March 2025, and the claiming process could only be finalised in April 2025.
(ii) Funding in the programme remain directed to those in crisis and has not been diverted.
(c)(i) In response to persistent household food insecurity and in alignment with the national Food and Nutrition Security Strategy, the Department through the Sustainable Livelihoods Programme continues to prioritise and explore expansion opportunities to expand coverage in areas found to have high levels of food insecurity and poverty.
Furthermore, expansion priorities are guided by the provincial hunger and food insecurity indicators through monitoring and assessment of the data collection instruments such as the general Household Survey (GHS), quarterly Non-Financial Data (NFD) from Funded NPOs-CNDCs on the number of beneficiaries accessing food relief services and regional referrals of persons experiencing undue hardship and in need of food relief services.
(ii) Expansion will be pursued subject to budget availability and resource mobilisation, including partnerships with municipalities, the private sector and NPOs to strengthen community -based food insecurity interventions.
(2)(a)(b)(c)
For the current financial year 2025-26, a total budget of R49 056 000.00 has been committed to sustain CNDC and community kitchen operations, inclusive of food procurement for cooked meals and food parcels, work opportunities (cooks and programme officers), Sustainable Livelihoods Skills and income generating projects, norms and standards and operational costs.
(The detailed grid attached outlines the following: Number of operational CNDCs, Service delivery areas and Number of beneficiaries supported to access daily nutritious meals: Annexure A- Sustainable Livelihoods Database of funded NPOs 2025/2026).
