The Gauteng Department of Health denied that it was intentionally holding back funds
The Gauteng Department of Health says nearly all contracted mental health organisations have received their funding, but a handful remain in limbo over paperwork problems.
It confirmed that most non-profit organisations contracted to provide mental healthcare across the province have been paid, with only around eight still awaiting funds due to administrative and compliance-related holdups.
Spokesperson Steve Mabona stressed that the delays are procedural, not deliberate. “Payments to contracted NGOs are processed in line with approved service level agreements, verification requirements and public finance management prescripts,” he said.
According to Mabona, all mental health NGOs contracted and subsidised during the 2025/26 financial year received 12 months’ worth of payments across all five health districts.
Where things stand for the new financial year
With the 2026/27 financial year now underway, NGOs across the province are going through contract renewal processes at district level.
Mabona confirmed that organisations in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and the West Rand received their April 2026 payments within the required timeframe.
“NGOs in Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and West Rand were paid for April 2026 within the stipulated timeframe as per signed contracts,” he said.
Sedibeng-based organisations received their payments slightly later, on 19 May 2026, owing to contracts being signed late.
Compliance issues at the root of the delays
The verification process for the new financial year flagged a number of NGOs with outstanding or non-compliant documentation.
Among the most common problems were expired Sars tax clearance certificates.
“These documents were returned to the affected NGOs for correction before payments could be processed,” Mabona said.
In Johannesburg, seven organisations required further attention.
Three faced administrative or compliance-related challenges, while the remaining four submitted their corrected documents on 19 May 2026 and are currently being processed.
In Tshwane, one NGO was also flagged for documentation-related matters.
Deliberate delay claims
The department rejected any suggestion that it was intentionally holding back funds.
“The department, therefore, will not deliberately delay or withhold payment of NGOs, and as such, delays are linked to compliance requirements,” Mabona said.
He emphasised that the work these organisations do is too important to be undermined.
“The department values the critical role played by mental health NGOs in caring for vulnerable mental healthcare users and continues to work with affected organisations to resolve outstanding compliance issues as quickly as possible,” Mabona said.
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