Budget cuts will worsen societal challenges

THE FUTURE of many non-profit and non-government organisations that help with many societal issues hangs in the balance due to budget cuts in the Department of Social Development.

One of these organisations is People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa) which has been a formidable force in the fight against violence against women and children for more than 40 years.

Powa might be forced to close its doors, placing the lives of women and children that have been helped in peril. The budget cuts have affected almost 13 000 beneficiaries. This is a worrying trend as the budget cuts have impacted many organisations with soup kitchens, community upliftment programmes and many that provide shelter for the homeless.

Many questions have been raised about some non-governmental organisations (NGOS) that source funding in the public and private sectors, yet fail to provide any proof of expenditure. Many NGOS have been accused of being personal piggy banks for executives who run them.

However, this shouldn’t result in a wholesale rejection of what NGOS provide for the vulnerable sectors of the community that can’t survive without their help. The government is within its right to cut funding for organisations that fail to produce annual financial statements and who deviate from their core mandate.

It seems like Parliament is okay with budget cuts that will have a negative impact on many societal issues but where they draw the line is the budget for the VIP protection for members of the National Assembly and the Cabinet.

In a few years, South Africa will be dealing with many adverse societal issues that were caused by the closure of many organisations.

The budget cuts will result in the retrenchment of staff that keep these organisations running. Without any funding many people who benefit from these organisations have nowhere to go.

The inevitable closure of some of these organisations is a result of mismanagement and corruption in government that has resulted in budget cuts.