PRESS RELEASE                                                                                     20 September 2002

CITY GIVES R730 000 TO SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

The City of Cape Town has granted R730 000 to 14 organisations in three different categories namely, street people, homelessness and social development, with the aim of improving and supporting the development of the youth and under-privileged in our society.

Speaking at a special function held at the Civic Centre, Councillor Kent Morkel, the City of Cape Town’s Executive Committee Member for Economic Development, Tourism and Property Management, said, “In demanding economic times, we must extend a helping hand, wherever we can, to assist the youth and under-privileged in their endeavours to build a successful future. We see social development as vital in our society and we need to focus on promoting this and, by doing so, creating more jobs.”

Councillor Morkel noted that this funding is only made available once applications have been carefully considered on merit in terms of various funding criteria defined by the City of Cape Town and that not all applicants receive grants or donations.

A policy, which was adopted by the City of Cape Town, includes certain criteria for the organisations to achieve in order to obtain funds.

These include

· a copy of the organisation’s constitution or deed

· the organisation’s most recent annual report

· a certified copy of the registration certificate

· the organisation must have a project that is sustainable

· they must demonstrate an ability to manage funds effectively

· they must non-discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation or disability

· must enter into the necessary contractual agreements with the City of Cape Town

· they must have been in existence for more than one year

“The harsh reality is that there will always be a greater demand for money to support the many commendable projects and organisations that do such a great deal of very good work in our various communities than our local economy can reasonably support,” said Councillor Morkel.

He added, “We need to address the issues of street people, homelessness, youth development and social development, in order to build a better life for all.”

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