In her budget speech, Brown reiterated the need to contribute to the fight against gender-based violence, poverty and numerous other social ills. In addition, Brown allocated R25.4 million for social relief programmes as well as to assist with Covid-19 response measures. The budget in general focused mainly on assisting those who have been affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, and prioritising those who are the most vulnerable.

This year’s mid-term budget has increased for the next three years due to the pandemic, as the department allocated R1.49 billion for 2020/21, R1.50 billion for 2021/22 and R1.57 billion for 2022/23. The Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) sees the department spending a total of R4.56 billion - in mainly social work.

Brown concluded the budget with an allocation of R72.65 million to Non-Profit Organisations - which will include the appointment of social workers to assist with the Covid-19 response measures.

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