Gauteng withholds R14m in AIDS Grants from Municipalities - DA. 21/10/10
R14 million AIDS grants withheld from Gauteng local authorities
Jack Bloom
21 October 2010
Jack Bloom says provincial health dept cutbacks have hurt prevention efforts
HIV/Aids education and assistance to AIDS affected households has been cut drastically because the Gauteng Health Department has withheld R14 million in Municipal AIDS grants to Gauteng local authorities.
This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to Mahlangu, this is because "allocations from the Provincial AIDS grant were made to the discretionary budgets of Departments and were not ‘ring-fenced' (conditional)".
Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni have been worst affected as they both received R4 million last year. The West Rand District Council has not received the R2.5 million it got last year, and Sedibeng and Tshwane have lost out on R2 million and R1.5 million respectively.
Because the grant has been withheld this year, ward-based door to door education has stopped entirely in thee municipalities - Johannesburg Metro, the West Rand District Council and Sedibeng District Council.
Stopping these grants is a shattering blow to efforts to encourage testing, spread the safe sex message and assist AIDS-affected child-headed households.
They were withdrawn without notice, and mayors in Gauteng, acting through the SA Local Government Association (SALGA), have officially requested that they be reinstated.
These grants should be restored as soon as possible. Mahlangu has said that she is reviewing this matter so hopefully this will happen.