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The Eastern Cape Department of Social Development has forfeited over R67 million in Social Relief of Distress Grant money for food parcels for poor communities.
The Democratic Alliance in the province said this was because the Department was unable to spend the money after appointing service providers that reportedly did not have the capacity to deliver.
Details emerged last week during a sitting of the Provincial Legislature to consider the Adjustments Budget.
DA MPL, Edmund van Vuuren, said this grant was provided for the temporary provision of assistance to those in such dire material need that they are unable to meet their families' basic needs and is unrelated to the R350 SRD grant administered by SASSA.
Van Vuuren said over 16 600 beneficiaries in Nelson Mandela Bay alone were thus denied access to the social relief of distress in the form of food parcels.
"I will be writing to the Department of Social Development Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Nomasikizi Konza, to request that the MEC and the Department be called to provide the committee with a full account of why the funds were not spent," he said.
Meanwhile, Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Nomasiki Konza, said the Committee will sit next week to consider the Budget Votes of the different Departments.
"The Committee will sit on 31 March in order to consider the reports tabled in the House. From the perspective of the Portfolio Committee on Social Development, which I chair, it is then that we will be looking at the report as tabled by the MEC in the House," she said.
The Department of Social Development was approached for comment.
