Latest news with #Epworth
Otago Daily Times
23-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Former Christchurch surgeon accused of 'sexist' and 'unprofessional' behaviour
Greg Malham was a renowned neurosurgeon in Melbourne. Photo: ABC News Four Corners A high-profile surgeon who grew up in Christchurch has resigned from a private hospital in Australia after an ABC News investigation into his behaviour at work. Greg Malham was a renowned neurosurgeon at Melbourne's largest private hospital, Epworth. Malham's website states he began his training 'in his hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand in 1982' before graduating in 1989 from the University of Otago. The ABC News Four Corners investigation looked into his behaviour at work. In the ABC News report, multiple stories of alleged sexist and unprofessional behaviour by Malham were found. They included 'uncomfortable nurses, crying radiographers, patients who thought he was egotistical and lacked care and compassion, and a devastated, grieving family of a young nurse who left a suicide note blaming Malham for her decision to end her life'. He was also seen in a viral video tearing down Kooyong independent Monique Ryan's election sign and saying "always gotta bury the body". In Melbourne's The Age, Epworth chief executive Andrew Stripp said the hospital was "deeply concerned by the unacceptable behaviour displayed by the surgeon" and he personally found the content of the video "abhorrent". Within weeks, Malham resigned from the hospital. Malham did not respond to questions from the Four Corners investigation, but in a preliminary call he said the corflute video was intended as a joke among a small group of friends and that his fondness for mobster movies had been misinterpreted. Malham pointed to his long and successful career at Epworth. Despite the scandal following the corflute video and his departure from Epworth, Malham was operating at Melbourne's Warringal Private Hospital. ABC News reported Warringal's code of conduct says it has zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour. Warringal's owner, Ramsay Health Care, said in a statement to Four Corners that Malham has "temporary credentialling" and his application for full credentialling was "currently progressing". It said all practitioners seeking to work there must agree to uphold its code of conduct and values.
ABC News
20-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Neurosurgeon Greg Malham accused of 'sexist' and 'unprofessional' behaviour by colleagues and patients
It started out as one of those odd stories you sometimes see in the rough and tumble of a federal election campaign — a viral video of a man tearing down a female politician's campaign corflute, talking about burying the body under concrete. The vision of a surgeon smashing Kooyong independent Monique Ryan's election sign into a rubbish skip and saying "always gotta bury the body" went viral in a week when multiple women were allegedly murdered by men. But for many of the former colleagues and others who spoke to Four Corners for our investigation into this man, the video was telling — not just about his attitudes about women, but also the position he occupied as a surgeon at the apex of the private hospital world. A surgeon who left behind uncomfortable nurses, crying radiographers, patients who thought him like an egotistical character out of Mad Men, and a devastated, grieving family. Greg Malham was a renowned neurosurgeon at Epworth ― Melbourne's largest private hospital. When the corflute story broke in Melbourne's The Age newspaper, Epworth's CEO, Andrew Stripp, issued an unusually robust statement to staff, saying the hospital was "deeply concerned by the unacceptable behaviour displayed by the surgeon" and he personally found the content of the video "abhorrent". Within weeks, Greg Malham resigned from the hospital. Mr Malham was encouraged to report himself to the medical regulator, AHPRA, which commenced an investigation, but he is still operating. An investigation by Four Corners has discovered a string of people from Mr Malham's past who were not shocked by the video because they had seen what they described as sexist and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace by the neurosurgeon. "I wasn't surprised, because that's how exactly how he would carry on in theatre," said Katie, a former Epworth nurse who worked with Mr Malham in theatre and in the hospital's recovery rooms, who told Four Corners she found his behaviour with women "uncomfortable". Maddison, a former Epworth radiographer who also worked with Mr Malham, said he and other surgeons at the hospital had a "God complex". "They did see themselves as more important and better than anyone in the room," Maddison said. The phrase "God complex" was often volunteered to Four Corners about Mr Malham, whom many of his former colleagues thought was a prime example of the problem with some egotistical surgeons in the private hospital system. Former patient Annie Sargood and her husband Randall Cooke described Mr Malham as "probably the most egotistical person [they had] ever met". "[He was] absolutely, completely arrogant, like a character out of Mad Men," Ms Sargood, who had a spinal fusion operation with Mr Malham, told Four Corners. Mr Cooke said there were "flirtatious innuendos" in the way the surgeon behaved with his wife. "He was so up himself, he was so full of himself," Mr Cooke said. Four Corners has spoken to many staff who worked with him at Epworth and before that, at The Alfred public hospital, who felt uncomfortable about his behaviour. Recovery and theatre nurse Katie, who left Epworth in 2021, remembered often feeling uneasy around him because of the "inappropriate" way he would speak — this was something volunteered by many other nurses Four Corners spoke to. "He'd come into recovery and say, 'hey spunky'," Katie recalled. "[He] could be quite crass with some of the remarks he made, particularly around women. "He would make a lot of the nurses in recovery quite uncomfortable when he came in to hand over his patient." One memory that stood out for her was how, she said, he would "sometimes put his hand on your back and just leave it there that little bit too long". "There was sort of a vibe in the recovery room … 'Oh, here comes Greg. Let's get ready to feel awkward'," Katie said. She said that when she worked in Mr Malham's theatre, he would "really let loose in terms of his inappropriate behaviour". "Comments about women, about their tits ― just really crass, vulgar comments," she said. Maddison is a former Epworth radiographer who left the hospital largely because she could no longer bear working with surgeons in theatre. She said the neurosurgery department where Mr Malham worked was particularly toxic. "Radiographers would be crying because of the way that they'd been spoken to by the [neurosurgeons]," Maddison said. "A big reason for that stress was the stress that was put on us in theatre and just being scared every day." Two weeks before she left Epworth in January 2021, Maddison made a written complaint to human resources at the hospital about Greg Malham's behaviour in theatre. She said the radiography department was understaffed, and radiographers were often stretched so thin they would be late to theatre. On one of the occasions she was sent to Greg Malham's theatre, she said her heart sank because she assumed from previous experience he would get angry. She said he was "standing at the end of the corridor just glaring at me the whole journey up to the theatre". She wrote to HR that when she walked in, "Mr Malham … was yelling 'f***, f***, f***! This is f***ing ridiculous, having 12 people standing around doing nothing while we wait for an X-ray'." She wrote that Mr Malham then "aggressively un-scrubbed and stormed past me". "I felt uncomfortable, intimidated, scared, stressed and embarrassed," Maddison, who was worried she would make a mistake in the theatre, wrote. "I completed the imaging and left the theatre and burst into tears." Epworth's chief executive, Professor Andrew Stripp, who was not at the hospital at the time of these allegations, cannot speak about Greg Malham for legal reasons. But he does have a message for surgeons in his hospital more generally, saying they should be "mindful of the environment you are working in, be mindful of your team". "If people have felt uncomfortable about raising concerns or addressing issues, I'm very sorry to hear that," Professor Stripp told Four Corners. "It's essential that we create an environment at Epworth HealthCare where people can come to work, feel confident that they can deliver the care that they trained [for], that they aspired to do, and feel safe in doing so. "And when that's not living up to expectations, that they can take action, that they can be heard, and that those issues that are raised will be taken seriously, the concerns will be respected, and they will feel safe in doing so." The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) has strict guidelines for its fellows that go beyond their technical skills in the operating theatre. The College's Surgical Competence and Performance Framework says it is "poor behaviour" for surgeons to "repeatedly display a negative attitude towards junior medical staff, nurses and other health care professionals". It also says it is poor behaviour if a surgeon "berates and humiliates others" or "makes unwelcome comments on the appearance on the appearance of others". The College put out a statement condemning Mr Malham's behaviour in the corflute video after it received multiple complaints. RACS president, Professor Owen Ung, agreed with Four Corners that his behaviour in the video may also breach other competency guidelines, including those that said it was poor behaviour if a surgeon "lacks awareness that certain behaviours are disrespectful towards others" and "participates in or makes derogatory jokes." "We made it clear that we denounce any of that sort of behaviour," Professor Ung said. "Surgeons are held to high standards, as they should do in the community, and we take it very, very seriously. Neurosurgeon Ruth Mitchell, who worked at The Alfred with Greg Malham, preferred not to say what her thoughts were about him, but she did comment more generally about what she saw as a very sexist surgical culture in the field of neurosurgery. Of the roughly 300 neurosurgeons in Australia, only 16 per cent are women. "What I worry about is like a generation of female surgical trainees … who've had to do the emotional labour of tone policing or, you know, behaviour managing, managing up their seniors who really aren't behaving professionally," Dr Mitchell said. "The impact that has on the rest of your learning. You're meant to be learning how to operate. You're meant to be learning how to manage complex conditions." All of the 25 neurosurgeons at Epworth are men. When Andrew Stripp was asked if this was acceptable in 2025, his response was a very curt "No". "We'd like to see that improved," Professor Stripp said. "It is not OK," said Dr Mitchell. Yumiko Kadota is now a cosmetic physician, but she did several rounds of training in neurosurgery and left surgical training because of the toxic, male-dominated culture. She posted on Instagram about the corflute video being reminiscent of the "toxic dude-bro culture" she had witnessed in her training and was flooded with responses from "disgusted" women, including some who had worked with Greg Malham. "And the stories are sad, but not at all surprising to me just because I have seen similar behaviours in the past," Dr Kadota said. "It's a typical locker room chat where you can get away with saying misogynistic things to the other lads in the locker room and get away with it because there's no one holding you accountable. "And when you work in a male-dominated speciality like neurosurgery, there aren't that many people around who put you in your place." Warning: The following sections contain references to suicide. There was an incident that current and former Epworth staff repeatedly raised in relation to Dr Malham: his relationship with a 34-year-old nurse at the hospital who suicided in September 2014. The nurse's name was Laura Heffernan, and in her suicide note, she blamed Mr Malham for her decision to take her life. The note formed part of a coronial brief that has not been made public until now — the entire brief was released to Four Corners because the Victorian State Coroner accepted it was in the public interest. Apologising to her parents, Laura wrote in the note that she loved Greg with all her heart and could not "believe it was all lies and fake". Laura had been contacted by Mr Malham's ex-wife to say that he had been sleeping with both of them and lying to them. "I feel disgusting & used & humiliated & ashamed," Laura wrote. "I don't think the pain of how someone could be so hurtful & f***ed up & totally made me think they loved me & wanted a life with me will ever go away. It just hurts so much." Laura was very popular at the hospital, and Epworth nurses who worked with her felt uncomfortable about the power dynamic between the star neurosurgeon and the much younger nurse. Some told Four Corners that Mr Malham was inappropriately persistent in his attentions. "We found out that Laura was with Greg, and honestly, it was a little bit of a shock given his reputation," Katie said. "She was quiet, you know, quite dainty and just a nice sort of girl. And he was this outspoken, powerful, sort of obnoxious man." Katie remembered how, before they started dating, he would check the roster to see what time Laura was starting and finishing and leave chocolates for her, which none of the other surgeons would do. Another former Epworth nurse, Ruth, who was close friends with Laura and was a key coronial witness because she was one of the last people at the hospital to speak to her alive, said that in the early stages, Laura found Mr Malham's attentions "quite claustrophobic". "She was really professional and really good at what she did, and I think she probably felt that that, at times, was a bit intense," said Ruth, who left the hospital in 2015. "I think a lot of us were thinking, 'why is she with him?'" Katie remembered. Ruth, Katie and the other nurses noticed a sudden change in Laura after the relationship with the powerful neurosurgeon abruptly ended — Ruth remembers hugging her and recoiling because she was so thin. "And following that time, she just became really depressed," Katie said. "She'd lost a lot of weight. She pretty much looked as if she'd lost the will to live." The coronial brief shows Laura discovered Greg Malham cheated on her with the second of his now four wives and lied to both of them for months. She sent her girlfriends a distressed email: "I wanted you girls to know how f***ed up Greg is … I spoke to his ex-wife today … She knew that we were both being totally duped. Greg's told me lie after lie and is unable to give the truth when face to face … She thinks he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder … I'm so ashamed, embarrassed and humiliated … He is such a bad person. How can you think you can know someone when they can be that evil?" A supportive doctor offered to accompany Laura to complain to Epworth management about Greg Malham, but Laura told the doctor words to the effect of "no, he's too powerful". In September 2014, eight months after she started dating Greg Malham, Laura pulled up next to a park near her home in Thornbury in Melbourne's inner north and killed herself. "The last text she sent to me was just hugs and kisses," a tearful Ruth said. "As time went on, I was just angry, I suppose, that he could treat someone as lovely as Laura the way he treated her." Laura's mother, Christine Heffernan, said she did not understand why her daughter loved Greg Malham so much, but that Laura had blamed her decision to kill herself on him. "So, to me, to this day, it's just a waste of a beautiful life," Ms Heffernan said. Greg Malham never contacted the Heffernan family after Laura's death. He never responded to investigating police, despite repeated requests and the fact that he was not under suspicion. "People were angry, really angry at him," Ruth said. Katie was one of the nurses who refused to work with Greg Malham after Laura's death, and she remembered how one nurse left Epworth because of it. "One of the nurses sort of spoke up for Laura, and there were some interviews with her, with management, and soon after, she had left," Katie said. "Her concerns were Laura's mental health was deteriorating as a result of being with Greg, and she felt like there were some people that needed to be more accountable for that. There should have been a bit more of an intervention before she died. Many people told Four Corners that these types of surgeons brought in so much money for hospitals that management was loath to intervene when there were red flags about their behaviour. "They're the top of the food chain," said Ruth. "They are seen as almost untouchable. "I think in that culture, it's expected that you are going to get treated not well at times — you know, yelled at, you know, spoken down to." Professor Stripp can't address Greg Malham's treatment of Laura for legal reasons, but he had a personal message to any man in a position of power at the hospital who behaves inappropriately. "I think it important to understand such behaviour is unacceptable at Epworth Healthcare and will become known and we will address it," Professor Stripp said, agreeing that this meant "zero tolerance". The staff who worked with Greg Malham over many years are speaking out because they say change is desperately needed. "The system's so broken," Maddison said. Greg Malham did not respond to any of Four Corners' detailed questions, but in a preliminary call, he said the corflute video was intended as a joke amongst a small group of friends and that his fondness for mobster movies had been misinterpreted. Mr Malham pointed to his long and successful career at Epworth. Despite the scandal following the corflute video and his departure from Epworth, Mr Malham is now operating at Melbourne's Warringal Private Hospital, whose code of conduct says it has zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour. Warringal's owner, Ramsay Health Care, said in a statement to Four Corners that Greg Malham has "temporary credentialling" and his application for full credentialling was "currently progressing". It said all practitioners seeking to work there must agree to uphold its code of conduct and values. Watch Four Corners' full investigation, God Complex, tonight from 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
BBC News
06-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Epworth development plan for 120 homes on farmland
A housing development with 120 homes has been proposed for the Epworth area in North development would transform more than six hectares of arable land north of Newland Lane, on the town's eastern provided by the applicant S&M Hewson indicate the housing would be a mixture of two to four-bedroom homes. More than half would be built for older people, and 24 would be for social, affordable or intermediate proposals submitted to North Lincolnshire Council have already received objections from local residents, who have until July 31 to comment on the application. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, outline permission has been sought by S&M Hewson, so the precise makeup of the homes does not yet have to be access, a new roundabout junction is proposed at Rectory Street and Newland Lane, along with two footpaths and cycle scheme has public open space and a 32-49ft (10-15m) "landscape buffer" on its eastern side, where it would border a comment on the proposal from a resident said: "The road between Epworth and Beltoft is little more than a lane." A transport assessment estimates there would be 60 vehicle journeys generated from the site on an average weekday during peak morning and late afternoon residents were similarly concerned about traffic congestion and the impact the development would have on other infrastructure. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Zawya
03-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
Women and Law in Southern Africa and Equality Now Call for Urgent Legal Reform to Support Child Marriage Survivors in Zimbabwe
A new study commissioned by Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) ( with support from Equality Now ( has found that although Zimbabwe has introduced commendable legislative and policy measures to prevent child marriage, survivors still face significant challenges. WLSA and Equality Now ( are calling upon the Government of Zimbabwe and relevant stakeholders to provide enhanced protection and support by strengthening legal, institutional, and policy frameworks, particularly for those already affected by child marriage. An Analysis of the Laws and Policies in Place for the Protection and Support of Victims/Survivors of Child Marriages in Zimbabwe: A case Study for Epworth' ( features valuable insights from child marriage survivors and civil society organisations interviewed in Epworth, a densely populated settlement in Harare with over 200,000 residents. Widespread poverty, limited access to public services, and lack of access to information, legal support, and protection accountability contribute to persistently high rates of child marriage in the community. The accompanying policy brief, 'Imperative Legal, Policy and Institutional Reforms for Enhanced Support and Protection of Child Marriage Victims and Survivors' ( summarises gaps in laws and other measures identified in the study, and puts forward key recommendations for legal reforms. Survivors of child marriage experience numerous difficulties, including susceptibility to gender-based violence (GBV), extreme poverty, and a lack of access to education, employment, and income. Stigma, low acceptance from their own families, obstacles in obtaining birth registration certificates for their children, and inaccessible and unaffordable maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and psychosocial support services are also critical challenges they experience. Without comprehensive and adequately resourced support mechanisms, along with awareness raising about legal protections and available services, child marriage will continue to have life-long lasting and irreversible effects on survivors, their families, and the wider society. Zimbabwe's legal commitments on child marriage With an estimated 34% of girls married ( before age 18, Zimbabwe ranks among the top 20 countries in Africa with the highest prevalence of child marriage. To address this, Zimbabwe has made significant commitments through national legislation, regional instruments, and international treaties. The Marriages Act (Chapter 5:17), enacted in 2022, sets 18 as the minimum legal age of marriage without exceptions and prohibits child marriage. Additionally, Zimbabwe's Constitution (Amendment No. 20, 2013) protects against forced marriage by mandating that 'no marriage is entered into without the free and full consent of the intending spouses.' The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and the Children's Act impose penalties for child exploitation and abuse. The National Gender Policy (2017) and the National Development Strategy (2021–2025) reflect a rights-based approach to gender equality and child protection. Regionally and internationally, Zimbabwe has ratified key instruments, including the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Maputo Protocol, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Zimbabwe has also domesticated the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Child Marriage. These instruments underscore the country's legal commitment and moral obligation to uphold children's rights and ensure free and informed consent in marriage. Highlighting the urgency of the issue, Isheanesu Chirisa, WLSA National Director, stated: 'Child marriage is a gross human rights violation that does not get nearly enough attention in Zimbabwe. It robs girls of their lives and futures.' Zimbabwe must update its legal frameworks on child marriage While these positive legal and policy commitments are commendable, WLSA and Equality Now are concerned that such efforts have not been matched by adequate support systems addressing the trauma and systemic disadvantages that survivors of child marriage face. The study highlights how some policy and legal frameworks are outdated, and there is an absence of a comprehensive support framework, inconsistent sentencing for perpetrators, and a lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services. Delayed policy updates and education reforms further disadvantage survivors, making it difficult for affected girls to return to school. For example, the Marriages Act, the Children's Act, and the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act contain provisions that criminalise child exploitation and abuse. However, Zimbabwe's legal and policy framework fails to provide meaningful protection, legal remedies, or access to essential services for survivors of child marriage. In addition, while the National Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Coordination Forum applies a multi-stakeholder approach to combat GBV, including providing support to child marriage survivors, its effectiveness is hampered by underfunding, inadequate resources to coordinate meetings with forum members, and duplication of work alongside overlapping and unclear mandates between government ministries and other organisations. Since the lapsing of the National Action Plan on Ending Child Marriage in 2021, a new national action plan has yet to be adopted, affecting the implementation of laws and policies on child marriage. As highlighted by Dr Mavis Sibanda, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development; speaking at a launch event for the study on May 27, 2025, in Harare: "Child marriage explicitly indicates unequal power dynamics in Zimbabwe. This perpetuates an inter-generational cycle of poverty, limiting women's and girls' access to education and leadership. Unfortunately, few manage to come out of these marriages.' Recommendations for legal and policy reform In light of the study's findings, WLSA and Equality Now urge the Government of Zimbabwe to take urgent and coordinated action to eliminate child marriage and better support survivors as follows: Reform laws on child marriage to fully align Zimbabwe's national law with the SADC Model Law on Child Marriage ( Introduce a dedicated child marriage law, incorporating provisions for healthcare, legal assistance, and survivor support. Strengthen property and inheritance rights for child marriage survivors. Amend the Births and Deaths Registration Act to require fathers to be registered on birth certificates of children born outside of wedlock or in unregistered customary unions. Update the Termination of Pregnancy Act (15.10) to allow the termination of a pregnancy in any case involving the sexual exploitation of a minor. Increase public awareness about the law on child marriage, and educate demographics at risk about their rights, how to report violations, and available support services. Implement sentencing guidelines to ensure consistent and appropriate penalties for child marriage and GBV. Reinstate and fund a comprehensive National Action Plan on Ending Child Marriages, drawing lessons from Malawi and Uganda. Adopt a National Gender Policy that recognises child marriage as a development issue within the upcoming National Development Strategy (NDS-2). Provide community actors with the resources and training needed to deliver localised support. Strengthen access to legal aid and ensure education policies allow and support girls to return to school after pregnancy. WLSA and Equality Now are committed to supporting legal reforms and multi-stakeholder interventions towards a world free from child marriage, with comprehensive support mechanisms at all levels to support survivors of child marriage. Sally Ncube, Equality Now's Regional Representative for Southern Africa, concludes: "Zimbabwe has made great strides in recent years to domesticate and implement the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children already in Marriage. There is a need to do more to ensure comprehensive legal protection and support measures for survivors of child marriage, to empower and support already married girls as they continue to be exposed to gender-based violence, poverty, trauma, and exclusion. 'Strengthening implementation, enforcement, and oversight mechanisms will ensure laws and policies provide child marriage survivors with access to justice, healthcare, education, safeguarding, and livelihood support." Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Equality Now. For media enquiries, contact: Sphiwe Dlamini Regional Communications Officer Equality Now sdlamini@ T. +27 (0)711429179 (available on WhatsApp) Find us on: Bluesky: @ ( Instagram: @ equalitynoworg ( LinkedIn: Equality Now ( About Equality Now: Equality Now ( is an international human rights organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of all women and girls worldwide. Its work is organised around four main program areas: Achieving Legal Equality, Ending Sexual Violence, Ending Harmful Practices, and Ending Sexual Exploitation, with a cross-cutting focus on the unique challenges facing adolescent girls. Equality Now combines grassroots activism with legal advocacy at the international, regional, and national levels to achieve systemic change, and collaborates with local partners to ensure governments enact and enforce laws and policies that uphold women's and girls' rights. For more information about Equality Now, visit About Women and Law in Southern African Research and Education Trust (WLSA): Women and Law in Southern African Research and Education Trust (WLSA) ( Zimbabwe started as a local Chapter of a sub-regional network in 1989. WLSA is now registered and operates as a Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) in Zimbabwe. The network member countries include Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia. The purpose of the network is to contribute to the sustained well-being of women and girl children through action-oriented research in the socio-legal field and advocating for women's rights. WLSA work incorporates action into research by questioning and challenging the law, instigating campaigns for changes in laws, policies and plans of action, educating women and girls about their rights, providing legal advice and gender sensitising communities and leadership.
eNCA
15-05-2025
- General
- eNCA
Gauteng NPOs in ‘crisis' as govt delays funding
JOHANNESBURG - Access to basic nutrition, shelter, healthcare and social services is a fundamental human right enshrined in South Africa's Constitution. But what happens when rights are stripped away? The non-payment of subsidies to Gauteng non-profit organisations is a disaster in the making. Many of these organisations are still recovering from last year's prolonged battle with the provincial Department of Social Development over delayed payments. Their role in keeping the province's most vulnerable safe cannot be understated. Many of them serve as homes and safe havens for women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. And without money from the government, these organsations will be forced to scale back on the services they provide, retrench staff, or even shut their doors. Doing so would push many deeper into poverty, homelessness, and even abuse. Epworth Child and Youth Care Centre in Germiston accommodates 84 children. It has provided services to children at risk since 1918, but now finds itself on the verge of closure. The organisation has been relying on donations to keep its doors open. It faced the same threat last May, when the department failed to pay many NPOs on time. In November 2023, the department withheld R380,000 pending the signing of a service-level agreement (SLA). The organisation had been deprived of R1.5 million the previous year – again due to contractual issues that required legal intervention. Epworth director Penny-Ann Lundie says the department's failure to pay subsidies on time threatens their operations. 'We are running an organisation. There is petrol, groceries, and salaries. Luckily, the community stepped up when we were about to close and that has been keeping us going at the moment,' she says. Last year, the Gauteng Care Crisis Committee slammed the department for its handling of subsidies. At the time, the committee listed 17 non-profit organisations that had depleted their subsidies for 2023/24. Some of the organisations were forced to shut down, depriving thousands of critical services. A year later, the committee is once again sounding the alarm over non-payments. Lundie says while there is no expectation that payments must be made on 1 April, when Treasury releases funds, it's expected that SLAs must be in place by 31 March. "This is not an unreasonable demand, it is the standard set by the national Department of Social Development's sector funding policy. However, the DSD only began signing contracts in mid-April and making payments from 9 May onward," she said. Social Development MEC Faith Mazibuko told the Gauteng Legislature that while the department experienced funding challenges in the previous financial year, those challenges had been addressed. She said the narrative of a 'crisis' was a 'gross misrepresentation' of facts. She told the legislature that, for 2025/26, the department had: • Received 2,000 applications for funding; • Issued 1,200 letters confirming funding; and • Signed over 300 SLAs. The MEC also revealed that a formal appeals process was underway for unsuccessful applicants. Gauteng Care Crisis Committee chair Lisa Vetten, however, says this is not enough, as the department has not indicated how many of the award letters will be converted into SLAs. She adds that at least 800 organisations that did not receive award letters have likely been excluded from funding. Vetten has called for payments to be expedited, saying the department must publish a full list of organisations that will be funded for 2025/26. She says the department must also disclose the number of rejected organisations. Gauteng Social Development spokesperson Teddy Gomba attributes the delays to 'technical issues at Treasury'. 'This does not constitute a crisis, as several other provinces have experienced similar delays in the past week,' he says. Gomba adds that the department spent 96% of its total allocated budget for NPOs in 2024/25, with 'the 4% non-payment due to non-compliance on the side of NPOs'. He also blames the late signing of some SLAs on non-compliant NPOs, and says payments are being made to qualifying organisations. 'NPOs were made aware of delays. The change of [financial years] sees lots of processing of payments, so there was a technical glitch with the payment system. Payments have resumed; 395 payments have been processed successfully to date, and more payments are ongoing. There are no failures, just delays because of the reasons given above.'
