The Minister of Social Development, Ms Lindiwe Zulu, will on Friday, April 01, hand over the Early Childhood Development (ECD) function to the Minister of Basic Education, Ms Angie Motshekga, in Freedom Park, Gauteng Province.

This handover comes as a response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement during the 2019 State of the Nation Address (SoNA), that the responsibility for ECD centres would migrate from the Department of Social Development to Basic Education.

As a result, both departments have been working tirelessly through relevant governance work streams in areas of Human Resources, Finance and Budgets, Legislation and Contracts, Immovable and Movable Assets, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement, Monitoring and Evaluation, Data and Information as well as the implementation of the ECD programme.

Informed by the recommendation from the Office of the Chief State Law Advisors (OCSLA), chapter 5 of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, as it relates to ECD facilities, and chapter 6, have been identified for transfer from the Department of Social Development to Basic Education.

This migration will enable children to receive quality education and best support during the early stages of their lives.

Source: Government of South Africa