Gauteng NPOs flag payment issues as dept sets deadline for service-level agreement submissions

There seems to still be a long way to go before the funding crisis affecting Gauteng nonprofit organisations (NPOs) is resolved, as the department urges organisations to submit their documentation for funding before the end of the month while some NPOs flag continued issues with payment.

The Gauteng social development department on Thursday urged NPOs to submit their service-level agreements (SLA) for third and fourth quarter funding before October 31.

“Since the beginning of the month, the department has confirmed the existence [of] 1,774 business plans for funding across various programmes aligned with its mandate.

“Out of these business plans, 1,640 SLAs have been generated and distributed to NPOs for signing, and 1,526 signed SLAs have been received back from NPOs. Of these, 1,481 SLAs have been generated into contracts on the system for payment.”

The department said by Thursday all these SLAs had been paid. It warned NPOs that the failure to submit the necessary documentation “may result in delays or forfeiture of funding” for the two quarters.

“NPOs that have not yet submitted their SLAs are advised to do so as soon as possible to avoid last-minute submissions and ensure that all requirements are met. Should any organisation require assistance or clarity on the submission process, they are encouraged to contact their respective regional offices,” the department said.

The Gauteng Care Crisis Committee's Lisa Vetten said some of their member organisations were yet to be paid despite signing SLAs in April.

“From what we can see, those organisations signed contracts [and] the department raised expectations but has failed to pay those organisations.

“They sent a circular saying they would be paid by July but they didn't do that. We [then] started writing to the department in September to ask what was happening with these organisations and when they will be paid. They have still [not been paid] and now they [department] say they're only going to pay them by October 30. So those organisations have been badly treated.”

Some members were still waiting for decisions on funding while others were yet to receive funding for the first six months despite signing SLAs as far back as January.

Vetten said it appeared the adjudication panel appointed to facilitate the process “approved organisations that the department has no funding to pay for. So it's still not [all] in good order. There may have been improvements but it's not operating as it should.”

The DA in Gauteng indicated earlier this month it would put in a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application after the department failed to provide a report on the adjudication process undertaken by this panel.

This comes after “numerous unsuccessful attempts to elicit responses from former MEC Mbali Hlophe and current MEC Faith Mazibuko regarding the report on the NPO adjudication process”, the party's Refiloe Nt’sekhe said.

“Specifically, both MECs have not responded to written questions tabled in the Gauteng provincial legislature, leaving the DA with no alternative but to file a Paia request for the adjudication information. It is unacceptable that many NPOs have signed SLAs but have not yet received funding.

“Moreover, some NPOs without signed SLAs have allegedly received funding, while others report receiving more than they applied for. To make matters worse, some NPOs have not received any feedback from the department about their eligibility and funding status.”

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