Epilepsy SA is one local organisation that has yet to sign its Service Level Agreements (SLA). In a frustrating struggle that seems to happen annually, the organisation, among many, is crossing its fingers, hoping to receive the rest of its much-needed funds for the financial year.Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Aileen Langley, the director of the Gauteng branch, shares their frustrations.
“We render professional holistic residential care to 170 permanent residents with disabilities at our two centres, Geduld and Daggafontein, and offer protective work to a further 112 beneficiaries in our protective workshop from communities around
“Springs whose disability prevents them from finding employment in the open labour market. We have rendered these services for 58 years.
“Without our organisation, our residents will not survive because they are unequipped to live independently.”
She talks about their relationship with the Department of Social Development (DSD) and how it affects the organisation’s running.
“The DSD is our primary funder and covers about 65% of our costs. The balance comprises disability grants and donations from the community. Without government funding, the organisation will have to close its doors.
“Operating a residential facility is very costly, and we don’t get municipal services for free. We have a few regular donors paying for the water at the Geduld Centre and providing food donations, but overall, the Springs community assists us.”
The problem lies now in the delayed DSD payments that affect the running of the institution and the livelihoods of those who help run it.
“The DSD has not paid our first quarter subsidies on time for the third consecutive year. On March 31, NPOs were called to a meeting by the MEC (Faith Mazibuko) and received letters that our annual business plans were approved.
“She promised at that meeting and in the media that SLAs would be signed by April 12 and subsidies paid from April 14. She specifically said residential facilities would be paid first. We have signed three SLAs but, to date, have not received the SLA for residential care.”
Langley said no NPOs in Springs had received their subsidies as far as she knew.
“Last year, this caused some organisations to close their offices temporarily because they could not pay rent.”
She also dispelled some assumptions the public has about Epilepsy SA.
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“The public perception is that the government funds us fully or that we are a charitable organisation. We are not a charity. We offer essential professional services to the most vulnerable people in our society.
“These services are the government’s responsibility, and registered NPOs assist the government to fulfil its mandate.
“We should be partners, but in reality, we are treated as if the government is doing us a favour by funding us and that we should be grateful for the subsidies they pay NPOs.”
Langley argued that the delays in releasing these funds have far-reaching consequences.
“Staff are not volunteers. They are professionals with an employee contract who earn a living like everyone else and have children to feed and rent to pay.
“They are already earning a lot less than their peers in the private and government sectors. To tell them they will receive April salaries in May or June is unacceptable.”
She added that it was demoralising and they were breaching the contracts in place with them.
“In the past, staff have been locked out of their rentals due to a lack of payment. Some of their children could not attend school because they had no money for transport. I am surprised they have not gone to the CCMA.”
She said staff came to work for six weeks last year with no salaries.
“They borrowed transport money from the organisation, which they had to pay back once they had received their salaries. Some accumulated debt.
“Yet they came to work to render services to our beneficiaries because they are dedicated to those in their care and passionate about their work. I will never be able to thank them enough.”
Langley said, despite these days, their residents are not yet affected.
“If we don’t get our subsidies paid within the next two weeks, we will be unable to pay our creditors, which means we won’t be able to buy food or pay for petrol to take them to doctors’ appointments or hospitals. Our electricity will be cut off.
“We are not the only NPO affected by this in Springs and its surrounding areas. Our community can assist with donations to causes they support, but also by changing their perceptions about NPOs and calling the government to account for their empty promises.”
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