Staff unpaid, residents vulnerable as funding hang-up drags on
Staff at the Soweto Home for the Aged say they have gone months without salaries, a shortfall they blame on incomplete funding from the Gauteng department of social development. Two unnamed employees told TimesLIVE that workers had not received pay since April and that the staffing shortages were affecting the quality of care for some of the facility’s most vulnerable residents.
The department responded that progress had been made and pointed to an administrative omission in the facility’s funding application. Gauteng social development MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited the home about two weeks before the announcement and instructed that the facility be assisted, the department said.
“We haven’t heard anything from them. Maybe the management heard something, but from our side, we have not heard anything,”
The quotation above was attributed to one of the staff members, a professional nurse, who said there had been no direct communication to staff following the MEC’s visit. She also described the operational strain: shifts have at times been carried by only two carers, many of whom are unpaid and exhausted.
Department says due diligence complete, service-level agreement imminent
Motsamai Motlhaolwa, the MEC’s spokesperson, told TimesLIVE that the home had not been funded this year because its application was incomplete. He said departmental due diligence had since concluded and that the department would sign a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the facility on 4 September 2026. Motlhaolwa added that payment of the subsidy would follow in accordance with the department’s standard payment processes once the SLA was executed.
For workers and residents, however, the timeline matters in practical terms: months without salaries have affected staff morale, household finances and the capacity to maintain regular rosters. The nurse who spoke to reporters said the staffing squeeze sometimes left only two carers on duty, a level she said was insufficient for the needs of the home and left carers exhausted after their shifts.
- Staff report no pay since April 2026.
- MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko visited the facility about two weeks before the department statement.
- The department says due diligence is complete and an SLA was scheduled for signing on 4 September 2026, with subsidy payments to follow.
What this means for Soweto families and carers
Homes for the aged rely heavily on predictable subsidies to cover salaries, medicine and basic operational costs. Interruptions to funding not only place pressure on staff wages but also risk reducing the level of care available to residents, many of whom need regular nursing attention and support with daily tasks. The staff account in this report underscores how administrative problems can have direct consequences at ground level.
| Key dates | Action |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | Staff report last received pay |
| Mid‑August 2026 (about two weeks before statement) | MEC visited the home |
| 4 September 2026 | Department expected to sign SLA and proceed with payments |
The department’s assurance that the SLA was ready to be signed offers a pathway to resolving the immediate funding shortfall. Still, staff say they had not been contacted directly following the MEC’s visit and stressed that institutional support would need to be sustained to restore stable rosters and timely care.
Families with loved ones at the home and residents themselves will be watching closely for the completion of the administrative steps the department outlined. If the subsidy payments follow as planned, the immediate financial pressure on carers should ease; if there are further delays, the home’s operational capacity and resident wellbeing could remain compromised.
Local residents with concerns or information about the Soweto Home for the Aged are advised to follow further official updates from the Gauteng department of social development or to contact the facility’s management for the latest information on staffing and service provision.
