Social Development

(a)   What prevents his Department from using administrative sources (such as schools, clinics, shelters, the SAPS and NGOs) to produce indicative numbers of homeless children, (b) how does his Department monitor risk hotspots for homeless children in the absence of municipality-level data and (c)(i) which municipalities have formally reported concerns or trends relating to homeless children since 2019 and (ii) can copies of these reports be made available?

(a) Various administrative sources are utilised to identify homeless children. These include community members, SAPS, Community Police Forums (CPFs), shelters, drop-in centres, and municipal law enforcement officials.

(b) Risk hotspot areas are monitored by Social Workers deployed to these locations, where they build profiles of each child encountered. Based on these assessments, the Social Worker determines the most appropriate intervention. It is important to note that interventions are not uniform and must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each child. Many of these children do not reside permanently on the streets, but return home after spending the day begging.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) also has task teams operating in hotspot areas. These teams consist of Social Workers, Designated Child Protection Organisations (DCPOs), law enforcement officers, municipal officials (where necessary), and local CPF members.

(c)(i) Through municipal reporting, reports received from the SAPS, NPOs, members of the public and the Department’s own outreaches, DSD has provided assistance to a total of 208 children living, working, or begging on the streets from 1 April 2024 to 28 February 2026. The breakdown across the six regions is as follows:

Eden Karoo: 9

(Beaufort West – 1, Laingsburg – 1, Oudtshoorn – 4, George – 2, Bitou – 1)

Cape Winelands/Overberg: 10

(Breede Valley – 2, Breede River – 1, Drakenstein – 2, Stellenbosch – 1, Swellendam – 1, Theewaterskloof – 2, Cape Agulhas – 1)

West Coast: 32

(Atlantis – 2, Matzikama – 25, Saldanha – 4, Swartland – 1)

Metro North: 110

(Elsies River – 13, Delft – 4, Bellville – 6, Langa – 7, Cape Town – 36, Milnerton – 44)

Metro East: 30

(Eerste River – 6, Somerset West – 2, Kraaifontein – 15, Khayelitsha – 7)

Metro South: 17

(Athlone – 4, Gugulethu – 1, Mitchells Plain – 4, Retreat – 3, Wynberg – 5)

(ii) Reports are treated as confidential in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Social Workers and in compliance with the Children’s Act, in order to protect the identity of children in alternative care. However, concerns or complaints regarding children on the streets may be reported through the appropriate channels.