Cape Town - Operational costs at facilities partly funded by the Department of Social Development (DSD) have increased significantly following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to MEC Sharna Fernandez.
The Institute for Contemporary Research Africa (ICRA) with the DSD yesterday briefed the standing committee on social development on oldage homes in the province.
ICRA director Dr Louw Pieterse said the non-profit centre (NPC) had been involved with the DSD since 2015 out of a need for building capacity at care facilities.
Pieterse said there were differences between an NPO and an NPC, with the opportunity for corruption within an NPO structure more prevalent due to less stringent controls.
At one particular home, its monthly food bill would increase by an additional R8 000 to R28 000 as two staff members were found to be taking food home.
At an organisational level, funding remains a constraint. Pieterse said the water and electricity bills to the Beaufort West Municipality reached R1 million, with the department setting aside about R20 000 a month to be able to offer a lump settlement amount and to request that the rest be written off.
“But guess what, we’re going to build up areas again, it's not sustainable.”
The department monitors approximately 300 old-age homes in the province, with 117 supported financially by DSD, Fernandez said.
“One of the biggest fallouts post-Covid-19 we have seen many of these, and not only old-age homes here we could talk about all facilities, the operational costs have increased significantly and the funding that we receive, only a 4.05% increase in terms of budget. So it becomes increasingly difficult.”
Fernandez said the department could manage the norms and standards of a facility, but could not interfere in the day-to-day management and board management.
“This is often where we find problems arise.”
She said that they had seen a degradation generally of facilities, and that due to an inability to sometimes move facilities, the department was constantly looking to the national and provincial Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for suitable buildings.
DSD head Dr Robert Macdonald said the older persons programme managing old-age homes was in a financial crisis, with a R16m budget cut in the last financial year.
“We are seeing a situation now where some older persons service centres are closing down because of a lack of funding. There’s quite a few of them that are not compliant. I think there’s 16 this year - this financial year from April 1 - that won't be funded any more due to non-compliance, due to them not meeting operational requirements. This is quite a big concern for us as a department.”
When requested, the department said it was not yet in a position to divulge the names of the facilities.