Gauteng DSD: No jobs in HIV and AIDS programme will be lost despite R108m budget shortfall

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng’s Department of Social Development is facing a R108 million shortfall in its HIV and AIDS programme budget, but officials insist no jobs will be lost.

Treasury has slashed funding to R332 million in 2025, down from R440 million, forcing the department to restructure operations while trying to protect services for vulnerable groups.

The commitment? To keep social workers, community carers and child and youth care workers employed and to continue funding non-profits supporting those affected by HIV.

The department said all psycho-social services — including those offered to orphans, vulnerable children and HIV-positive households — will continue uninterrupted.

Those who deliver them — including auxiliary social workers and registered community carers — will remain on payroll.

Food relief, however, will now be handled centrally through distribution centres run by the sustainable livelihoods unit as part of a move to streamline resources.

The department argues this shift will still prioritise households with no income and is part of a longer-term strategy to capacitate communities instead of relying on ongoing aid.

And while incentive grant funding for work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has dropped dramatically since 2023, social development says job numbers have been maintained, thanks to reallocation from its main budget.