EAST LONDON NEWS - For nearly two years, the Buffalo City Social Development District office and its six local service offices have faced abandonment by social work officials, leading to a severe disruption in essential services.
According to Kobus Botha (DA), Shadow Minister of Social Development in the Eastern Cape, who recently raised the alarm, staff members complained about mysterious airborne particles in their offices that cause body itches followed by severe headaches.
According to Botha, officials left their posts without public notice, leaving various Social Services departments such as Services to Older Persons, Social Relief Applications, Child and Family Services, Victim Support Empowerment, and Substance Abuse & Rehabilitation Services in disarray.
The government's failure to reopen the offices promptly has resulted in hardship for those in desperate need of assistance.
Botha conducted inspections to investigate the reports of skin irritations among staff before the office closure two years ago.
The results are still unknown to Botha, and the offices did not reopen after the Reconciliation Day long weekend in 2023 as expected.
After the Advertiser followed up with Botha on the progress on 12 January, he provided a comprehensive report on the current status, revealing that the services of the Department of Social Development's Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) District Office and the Local Service Office in East London have collapsed.
Botha has called for an investigation into the application of personnel and public administration practices concerning these offices under Section 196(4) of the Constitution, specifically subsection vi (a).
He emphasises the importance of accessible and available local and district offices for efficient social welfare services.
"The Department of Social Development (DSD) is tasked with providing developmental social welfare services, and district offices are crucial in supporting local service offices," he says.
Botha outlines the various services allocated per main programme with sub-programmes, emphasising the necessity of effective service delivery.
As a member of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature and the Eastern Cape Portfolio Committee on Social Development, Botha discovered that the BCMM District Office and the Local Service Office have been dysfunctional for at least a year because staff abanded the offices over health concerns.
Oversight visits conducted between October and November last year revealed vacant offices, lack of staff, and a decline in services to the community. The abandonment of the offices violates the Popi Act, which mandates safeguarding personal information.
"Despite claims of cleaning and file removal by the Department, staff has not returned, and the Department's purported contact numbers for services do not align with oversight experiences," says Botha.
He has sent a letter to the Public Service Commissioner requesting an investigation into the Department's compliance with health and safety norms, adherence to the Popi Act, staff attendance recording and monitoring, staff performance evaluation, and the effective service delivery of district and local service offices in BCMM.
"The unfolding crisis demands urgent attention and resolution to ensure the welfare of the affected community," Botha says.
"No tangible environmental hazardous report has been produced to substantiate the allegations of staff, and in the meanwhile, the poor, vulnerable, destitute and other service users do not have access to social services, Botha concluded.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
