Social Development
With reference to reports of prolonged electricity outages in parts of Delft (including Voorbrug, Leiden and Eindhoven), where residents have allegedly been without electri-city for periods ranging from a week to more than a month, resulting in protests and severe hardship during the recent storms and cold weather:
- (a) What emergency social relief interventions were implemented by his Department to support the affected households, particularly vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and persons with disabilities, during the prolonged power outages, (b) what coordination took place between his Department, municipalities and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the affected residents received adequate support and assistance during the service delivery crisis and (c) what measures are in place to ensure that vulnerable communities affected by the prolonged electricity outages, infrastructure failures or disaster-related disruptions receive timeous social support and coordinated government assistance;
- whether his Department has developed any contingency plans or community support strategies to respond to similar service delivery crises during severe weather conditions in the future; if so, what are the relevant details?
- (a) The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) works in close coordination with the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre, SASSA, district and local municipalities, and humanitarian relief partners, including DSD-funded organisations such as the Mustadafin Foundation, Community Chest, ForAfrika South Africa, The Salvation Army, and the Al-Imdaad Foundation, to provide immediate humanitarian relief to affected communities.Key interventions include:
- During prolonged power outages, the Department of Social Development (DSD) and South African Agency for Social Security (SASSA) implement emergency social relief of distress (SRD) interventions for vulnerable groups. Interventions include:
- Food relief services: Supplying indigent households with cooked meals, emergency food parcels or food packs to replace spoiled perishable goods. For example, during extended regional blackouts, the DSD distributed thousands of food parcels directly to affected communities.
- Support for Fragile Facilities: Procuring and subsidizing diesel for generators at old-age homes, frail-care centers, and early childhood development facilities to ensure the elderly and children maintain access to heating and medical devices.
- Direct Financial Aid: Processing once-off cash assistance for vulnerable households who have lost necessities or their livelihoods due to prolonged outages or related infrastructure failure.
- Undue hardship: Indigent households can request the Local Offices of the Department to be provided with a food parcel, after a household assessment was conducted.
(b) Partnership activation: Collaboration with funded and non-funded humanitarian relief organisations to respond rapidly to disasters in order to provide humanitarian assistance within 24 to 72 hours.
- Immediate relief provision: Through funded humanitarian relief organisations, affected households may receive warm meals, hygiene packs, blankets, clothing, baby care packs, and food parcels, depending on the outcomes of needs assessments and requests received.
- Coordination of assessments and interventions: DSD officials and partner organisations conduct on-site assessments in affected areas without electricity to identify indigent households requiring support, including psychosocial services.
(c) Eskom is part of the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PMDC) and provide updates on infrastructure disruptions and in cases of prolonged electricity disruptions that impact on vulnerable populations. Requests for assistance will be made through the PMDC or relevant district or municipal disaster management centre/forum. The Department of Social Development is also working with a number of Humanitarian Relief Organisations to provide immediate post disaster humanitarian support.
(2) The Western Cape Department of Social Development implements a Social Relief Programme through its Disaster Management Protocol to support urban and rural communities affected by electricity outages and other disasters.
The Department has a winter readiness plan that indicated various interventions that will be undertaken in the event of an adverse weather event.
Relevant details include:
- programme approach: The programme operates through established disaster management protocols, annual budget allocations, and ongoing partnerships to ensure continued preparedness and rapid response in rural communities. The Department attends pre-briefing sessions as arranged by the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Center, activated Joint Operational Centre (JOC) meetings on all levels, as well as post-briefing sessions to prepare more effective and efficient responses to all types of disaster incidents (including power outages).
- Current resourcing: For the 2026/27 financial year, the Department has allocated R5.7 million to fund humanitarian relief organisations that provide disaster response services across the province, including rural areas. An additional R2 million has been allocated for undue hardship assistance to vulnerable beneficiaries identified through assessments.
- Rural reach and coordination: The Department works closely with district and local municipalities in local municipal areas, disaster management centres, and regional DSD officials to coordinate and deliver relief support in rural communities affected by power outages.
- Partnerships and support services: Funded humanitarian relief organisations, as well as unfunded organisations such as Gift of the Givers, Love George, OASIS Kannaland and Engedi Haven, assist with humanitarian relief efforts in rural communities. Support includes the provision of food relief, blankets, dignity packs, psychosocial support, assessments, referrals, and recovery assistance to affected households.
- Emergency food parcel distribution: The Department provides emergency food parcel assistance to address acute hunger in affected rural communities. This process includes conducting needs assessments, submitting requests to the Community Development Office, obtaining food parcels from warehouses, and distributing assistance directly to affected households.
- Long-term support: The Social Relief Programme works together with Sustainable Livelihood initiatives within the Community Development Directorate to support ongoing recovery and resilience in vulnerable rural communities following disasters.
