Finance and Economic Opportunities
With regard to the Community Economic Recovery Programme:
- (a) How many individuals have benefitted from this programme since it was launched in September, (b) where are these individuals based, (c) how much funding has been made available to beneficiaries and (d) how many spaza shops have benefitted from this programme;
- whether his Department plans to continue this programme in the foreseeable future; if so, what are the relevant details?
- (a) How many individuals have benefitted from this programme since it was launched in September?
At present it is not possible to identify beneficiaries to an individual level, but we can confirm that the project benefitted 135 spaza shops and 225 community kitchens.
The community kitchens provided approximately 100 meals per kitchen per day at an average of three days per week which amounted to an average of 67 500 meals per week
(b) Where are these individuals based?
The location of individual beneficiaries is not tracked however, the Spaza Shops and Community Kitchens are based in the following areas locations:
Hotspot | Area | Spaza Shops | Community Kitchens |
South/West
| Langa, Atlantis, Hangberg, Imizamo Yethu | 17 | 34 |
Klipfontein/Mitchells Plain | Strandfontein, Tafelsig, Lentegeur, Rocklands, Woodlands, Westridge and Eastridge | 19 | 29 |
Khayelitsha/Eastern
| Makhaza, Nkanini, Site B, Ilitha Park, Harare and Lingelethu West | 20 | 31 |
Tygerberg/Northern
| Elsies River, Ravensmead, Bishop Lavis | 19 | 25 |
Cape Winelands | Breede Valley, Drakenstein, Langeberg, Witzenberg | 26 | 56 |
Overberg | Bonnievale, Villiersdorp, Grabouw
| 11 | 20 |
Garden Route | George, Mossel Bay
| 23 | 30 |
(c) How much funding has been made available to beneficiaries?
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism contributed R2 million to the Community Economic Resilience Project and the DG Murray Trust made available R1 million. The funding will be spent by end March 2021.
The funds were distributed to beneficiaries the community kitchens who received R1000.00 per voucher every second week of the month to be spent at nearby participating spaza shops.
(d) How many spaza shops have benefitted from this programme?
A total of 135 spaza shops benefitted from the programme.
- Whether his Department plans to continue this programme in the foreseeable future; if so, what are the relevant details?
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism has not allocated any budget to continue this programme, however the Department of Social Development will be providing food relief through intermediaries including the DG Murray Trust by providing digital vouchers to community kitchens who will be encouraged to support the local economy.
