Despite the government’s recognition of substance abuse as one of the priority issues, some Gauteng SANCA treatment centres are facing imminent closure due to delays in the funding process and lack of communication from the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) for the new financial year.

On Friday, April 26, SANCA Horizon in Boksburg, one of the bigger and oldest SANCA centres, was forced to temporarily close due to a lack of funding. According to Adrie Vermeulen, national co-ordinator for SANCA, “This is just one illustration of the impact the delay of subsidies by the GDSD has on services to people with substance use disorders.”

SANCA Wedge Gardens, based in Whitney Gardens just outside of Johannesburg, is one of the treatment centres affected by the non-payment of subsidies.

Twelve SANCA centres that provide a range of awareness, preventive, and treatment services have been negatively impacted by the GDSD’s budgetary constraints and the service-level agreements (SLA) signing transition phase. Vermeulen says the inability of GDSD to communicate makes it challenging to plan and get ready for the future.

SANCA says that on April 12, a letter was written to the GDSD’s Matilda Gasela. “However, her office never responded regarding the raised concerns.”

The 20 outpatient/community-based treatment service locations, three in-patient treatment centres for adolescents, five adult treatment centres, three daycare centres, two halfway houses, and one mobile clinic comprise the total number of SANCA Gauteng centres. To reach the most vulnerable target groups in communities, the centres are located in high-risk areas.

SANCA says that in Gauteng, a lack of funding would impact approximately 8 075 beneficiaries/service users for treatment and over 456 000 beneficiaries of awareness and preventative interventions.

“Most SANCA centres decided not to renew the contracts of their volunteers for the prevention programmes at the end of March 2024 due to the impact of the delayed signing of the SLAs and the threat of a cut in subsidies. These decisions were made because it is uncertain if these services will be funded and, if so, what the cuts in subsidies would be,” says SANCA. “This had an impact on 202 young people without jobs who were given stipends to carry out awareness and prevention campaigns in local communities and schools. At one of the SANCA centres, personnel layoffs are already imminent.”

Over the past seven years, SANCA has treated over 80 000 beneficiaries and has been at the forefront of the fight against substance use disorders. This does not include the provided preventative services.

“To guarantee compliance and high-quality services in all nine provinces, the DSD and SANCA national offices both monitor and assess the centres. Over the years, SANCA centres have demonstrated their compliance with all laws and requirements. They also maintain an essential relationship with DSD to guarantee that treatments are provided to individuals with substance use disorders, a marginalised group.”

SANCA is urging MEC Mbali Hlophe to step in and address their concerns as soon as possible so that the SANCA centres can plan and prepare for the future.