WITH over 160 000 non-profit organisations at risk of de-registration due to compliance issues, concerns have been raised that requirements often pose significant challenges, especially for grassroots organisations with limited resources and lack of support from government.
The Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) confirmed there are 30 914 registered NPOs operating across multiple sectors in the province including social services, health, environment, law and advocacy, and education and research.
However, 17 364 are non-compliant.
Nationally, as of October 2024, there were 295 052 registered NPOs, of which, 167 103 are non-compliant.
According to DSD, the biggest contributors to non-compliance were failure to submit annual reports and organisations not adhering to the provisions of their own founding documents.
“In anticipation of the phased deregistration process, the WCDSD’s Institutional Capacity…