DSD REPORTS ON Q2 PERFORMANCE, FINANCIALS, AND PROGRESS

By Cuma Pantshwa

• Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe reaffirmed the department’s commitment to responsible spending and ensuring resources are used effectively to improve service delivery to the parliamentary portfolio committee.
• The Department of Social Development presented its Second Quarter Performance Report for the 2024/25 financial year on 19 February 2025, outlining both achievements and challenges.
• A key priority for Minister Tolashe since assuming office has been to stabilise the department: the positions of Deputy Director General for Social Welfare and Chief Financial Officer are set to be tabled in Cabinet soon, while the recruitment process for a Director General is underway.

The Department of Social Development today, 19 February 2025, presented its Second Quarter Performance Report for the 2024/25 financial year to the portfolio committee, outlining both achievements and challenges from 1 July to 30 September 2024.

In her opening remarks, Minister Sisisi Tolashe stressed the importance of inter-departmental collaboration, noting that many of the department’s targets are linked to commitments from other government entities.

She reaffirmed the department’s commitment to responsible spending and ensuring that resources are used effectively to improve service delivery.

“In ensuring that we spend the resources of the state responsibly, we also ensure that we don’t just dump the spending so that we can tick the boxes of achieving our targets without following due processes,” said Minister Tolashe.

She also provided an update on efforts to stabilise the department, a key priority since assuming office.

The minister announced that two critical positions – Deputy Director General for Social Welfare and Chief Financial Officer – are set to be tabled in Cabinet soon, and the recruitment process for a Director General is underway.

“I am confident that by the time we present the Third Quarter report, we will have everything in place,” she added.

Following the minister’s remarks, Deputy Director General Jacques van Zuydam presented the department’s detailed Q2 performance report, revealing that 71% of planned targets were achieved, while 29% were not met, marking a 10% decline from 81% in Quarter 1.

The decline was attributed to:

• Delays in processing bills, particularly those requiring stakeholder consultations.
• Dependencies on other departments and the transition to the seventh administration.
• Delays in supply chain and legal services processes, affecting procurement and implementation timelines.

Acting CFO Thandeka Ngcobo presented the financial outcomes and expenditure analysis for Q2. She highlighted the department’s efforts to enhance financial accountability, reduce irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure, and ensure compliance with financial regulations.

A key achievement for the department was obtaining an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General of South Africa for the 2023/24 financial year. This signifies that the department’s financial statements were fairly and accurately presented, with no material misstatements.

Ngcobo also detailed budget expenditure, providing insights into how resources were allocated across various programmes. The report emphasised the need for continued financial discipline to further reduce wasteful spending and improve efficiency.

The department’s progress was outlined across the department’s five key service areas, reflecting its commitment to social welfare and community development:

• Programme 1. Administration – Governance, financial management, and human resource processes.
• Programme 2. Social welfare services – Support for older persons, persons with disabilities, HIV and AIDS programmes, and social relief interventions.
• Programme 3. Children and families – Including care and support services for families, child and youth care centres, and community-based care for vulnerable children.
• Programme 4. Restorative services – Addressing crime prevention, victim empowerment, and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services.
• Programme 5. Development and research – Covering community mobilisation, building capacity for non-profit organisations, poverty alleviation, research, youth and women’s development.

Despite Q2 challenges, the department remains committed to addressing operational inefficiencies, improving financial management, and filling key leadership positions. Further updates on staffing, policy implementation, and performance improvements are expected in the Third Quarter report.

The department reaffirmed its commitment to ethical, efficient service delivery, ensuring that vulnerable communities continue to receive much-needed support.