Social Development
Question by:
Hon Brett Herron
Answered by:
Hon Jaco Londt
Question Number:
3
Question Body:
With reference to his reply to question 10 (subsection 4) of 31 October 2025:
- (a) What difference is there between the City’s Safe Spaces and shelters funded by his Department, (b) what criteria are used to decide which shelters are subject to the provincial norms and standards and (c) what mechanisms, if any, does his Depart-ment employ to ensure that the minimum standards are met in these Safe Spaces;
- whether his Department engages in any form of (a) oversight, (b) monitoring, (c) col-laboration or (d) data-sharing with the City of Cape Town regarding the operation and outcomes of Safe Spaces; if not, why not; if so, what does this consist of;
- whether his Department has received any complaints regarding the conditions or functioning of Safe Spaces; if so, (a) how many complaints have been received and (b) what actions have been taken in response;
- whether his Department has any plans to develop (a) legislation or (b) intergovern-mental frameworks to clarify provincial oversight responsibilities and to ensure service consistency across both DSD-funded shelters and muas per the NPOnicipal Safe Spaces; if not, why not; if so, what progress has been made?
Answer Body:
- (a) Shelters funded by the Western Cape Department of Social Development are that of independent NPOs registered as per the NPO Act 17 of 1997 and NPOs who own their own shelters. As per the Department’s funding policy, only the operations of NPOs, NPCs, and Trusts are funded and no other spheres of government.
(b) NGO shelters funded by the Department and who have applied for funding via the call for proposal process are subject to the norms and standards as developed by the province.
(c) None, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) has its own framework of norms and standards for its own Safe Spaces.
- (a) & (b) The Department has no role or mandate with regards to oversight or monitoring of the CoCT Safe Spaces in the absence of a legislative framework for homeless shelters in South Africa. There is no basis in law for a Provincial Administration to assume regulatory authority over shelters operated by another sphere of government. The only legislative authority relates to health, safety and fire considerations of a public facility accommodating people, which remains a municipal mandate.
(c) There is collaboration where the Department refers clients to the Safe Spaces or the CoCT refer clients to the NGO Homeless Shelters.
- (a) One complaint was received in the 2024 financial year with regards to the ventilation in the male dorm at the Greenpoint Safe Space as well as the quality of meals.
(b) This matter was referred to the CoCT to investigate and respond to.
- The Department has no plans to develop legislation or a framework, since this process was already started by National Social Development. An inception report on homelessness in South Africa was developed by the Human Science Research Council and accepted by National DSD. This will lead to the development of a Green Paper on Homelessness in South Africa that will indicate role clarification and mandates on Homelessness.
Date:
Friday, November 28, 2025
