A recent policy shift by the Gauteng Department of Social Development has introduced new funding rules for non-profit organisations in the province. Under the updated clauses, provincial grants may no longer be used to pay non-South African staff unless they are classified as scarce skills, and
certain leadership roles in funded organisations are now required to be held by South African citizens.
The department says the changes are intended to prioritise employment for qualified South African social workers and align funding with national skills and labour considerations. It also points to a significant number of unemployed social work graduates in the province. However, the new rules have raised questions within the non-profit sector about how they will affect staffing, service delivery, and the continuity of care for vulnerable communities who rely on these organisations. At the centre of the discussion is a broader policy question: how should government balance employment priorities with
the operational realities of organisations delivering frontline social services? Tonight, we unpack the implications of Gauteng’s new NGO funding rules and what they could mean for the sector going
forward.