Western Cape Minister of Social Development, Jaco Londt, has reprioritised spending for the elderly and youth. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach) 
Western Cape Minister of Social Development Jaco Londt tabled the department’s 2025/26 adjustment budget in the provincial parliament on 11 December, offering a mid-year snapshot of where spending priorities have changed.
The adjustment adds R34.2-million to the department’s budget, increasing its adjusted allocation to just shy of R2.8-billion. The bulk of the new money is for strengthening programmes already under strain, particularly services for older people, frontline social workers and mental health interventions for youth.
This comes after the National Treasury’s R26.6-billion increase to the national Department of Social Development (DSD) budget in November’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement.
The adjustment budget was tabled as provinces face mounting pressure from national transfers that are not keeping pace with demand. In her March budget speech, the provincial finance minister, Deidré Baartman, told the legislature that the funding framework was falling behind service needs in a turbulent global and domestic environment, calling on the province to “step up in this defining moment and deliver for all our residents”.
Londt echoed that tone in his own adjustment budget address. “This year’s budget looks significantly different from last year’s. It reflects a department that continues to demonstrate resilience and innovation despite years of navigating a constrained fiscal environment,” he said.
Elderly care takes priority
One of the largest changes in the adjustment budget goes towards services for older people. R15-million was added to the programme, supplemented by a R6-million internal reprioritisation. This brings the total allocation for older persons to almost R276-million, up from R254-million at the start of the year.
Of this increase, R5-million is earmarked to create additional bed spaces in residential facilities for Level 1 older people, those who are healthy but indigent. Londt told the legislature this category had previously been underfunded. The Western Cape DSD funds 118 residential facilities catering to older persons throughout the province.
The remaining R10-million is aimed at improving day-to-day care in existing facilities. Londt said funds could be used for “essential needs such as additional carers and nurses, incontinence products, medication, nursing call systems and other operational supports”.
Read more: Caring for an older person: how can we strengthen support for care?
The focus on ageing services mirrors broader demographic pressures in the province, which has seen sustained population growth and in-migration over the past decade.
Research by Naomi Hlongwane of the Setshaba Research Centre warns that the national Older Persons programme is in financial crisis following a R16-billion budget cut in 2023, contributing to the closure of service centres as grants and long-term care subsidies fall behind rising costs.
The study also points to structural imbalances, with about 75% of older people supported through the Older Persons Grant, while only about 2% of funding goes to community-based and residential care.
Digital tools to ease frontline strain
A smaller but important allocation is the additional R2-million for the Social Worker Integrated Management System, known as Swims. This brings total funding for the digital platform to R6-million.
Swims is designed to digitise client records and standardise case management, reducing paperwork for social workers. Londt said the system “frees social workers to spend more time in direct service to clients” and improves compliance with professional norms.
Read more: 'Hugely traumatised' social workers in Cape Town targeted in protection racket
The Swims system, launched in the Western Cape in July 2024, saw R6-million being invested in its development. “To improve the work our government does for our residents, especially the most vulnerable in society, we must embrace and utilise innovation and technology. If we are to pull more people out of poverty, help residents in need and get them back on their feet, we must keep innovating,” Premier Alan Winde said at the launch of the system in Langa.
According to the department, 1,163 social work professionals within the department are already using the system, alongside 73 social workers in the Western Cape Education Department. It has also been rolled out to several designated child protection organisations.
Mental health and rural support
The adjustment budget also directs R2-million to the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (Ease) programme, a joint initiative involving the departments of Social Development, Education, Health and Cultural Affairs and Sport.
The World Health Organization describes Ease as an evidence-based psychological intervention supporting 10- to 15-year-olds dealing with stress, anxiety and depression in high-adversity communities.
Read more: Cost of not treating mental health is much more than a human rights issue
Another R2-million goes to the Time programme, which focuses on strengthening coping skills and emotional regulation in rural communities, particularly among people affected by substance use disorders.
In the national DSD’s annual performance plan for 2024/2025, the acting director-general, Linton Mchunu, points to the cumulative impact of economic stress, extreme weather and rising food and fuel prices on family wellbeing, which adds pressure to social service delivery.
Supporting youth
A further R1-million has been set aside for a pilot programme supporting young people exiting alternative residential care.
The funding will support three independent living organisations working with 40 care leavers. The department noted that many young people leave care and find themselves vulnerable due to limited support, and that research into best-practice interventions had been conducted.
If successful, Londt said, the programme could be expanded to protect “the multimillion-rand investment made in vulnerable children” and help them transition into independent adulthood.
In South Africa, children must leave alternative care at the end of their 18th year. Without structured support, they face high risk of homelessness and unemployment.
Partnerships and what comes next
Beyond direct spending, Londt highlighted the role of partnerships such as the Cape Care Fund, which mobilises off-budget funding through the Social Development and Health Foundation.
“This is a government that leverages, not merely spends,” he said. “We do not leave organisations in the cold. We support them.”
The minister also confirmed that the department is awaiting national clarity on whether gender-based violence and femicide will be declared a national disaster. Should additional funds flow from such a decision, he said the department stands ready to manage them, provided the province receives its share. DM