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‘Little to nothing’ done with R336m budgeted for ECD pilot nutrition programme since 2024

Daily Maverick · · 2043 words · By Tamsin Metelerkamp
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-19-children-go-hungry-while-r336…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 6
check_circle Corroborated 2
info Single Source 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
schedule Pending 1
info
“The Department of Basic Education’s ring-fenced budget for a pilot nutrition programme for early childhood development (ECD) centres appears to have gone largely unused over a two-year period”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence includes unrelated content and no direct confirmation of the ECD nutrition pilot budget being unused. The third web search result mentions agricultural credit unutilization but does not specify ECD program funds.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Bodycam footage captures the callous behavior of an Illinois woman who laughed and played dumb after killingtwopeople in a deadly DUI crash on April 10, 20...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMHaHwcAPaw
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — TheDBEallocated 14 billion birr in credit thatyear, with only 37 percent of the total being put to use.Twopercent of the total was credit provided to agro-processing industries.Overthe sameperiod, com…
https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/37462/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Zero2FiveNutrition& WASHprogrammehas reachedover4500 children at unfundedECDCentres in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
https://different.org/projects/zero2five-trust/ecd-nutrition…
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“Funding for the pilot programme was first set aside in the 2024/25 budget, standing at R197-million. This was increased to R336-million in 2025/26, with the most recent allocation in the 2026/27 budget going up to R772-million”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the R197-million allocation for 2024/25 and R336-million for 2025/26. The third source corroborates the increasing trend in ECD funding.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Early Childhood Development has been allocated R150millionfor Resource package for2024/25financial year. Early Childhood DevelopmentNutritionpilothas been allocatedR197millionfor Resource packages for…
https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-siviwe-gwarube-bas…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Theallocation of R157millionin2024/25rising to R161millionin2025/26is welcome but much more needs to be done to ensure that provincial education departments are capacitated to provide the ...
https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/2024-budget-disappoints…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Funding early childhood development remains a challenge, but there's hope now that Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, has increased theECDallocation. This is the largest single increase inECDfunding …
https://omny.fm/shows/power-podcasts/budget-2025-ecd-funding
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“The existing ECD subsidy for registered centres was increased to R24 per child per day in 2025/26, with 40% of this amount earmarked for nutrition”
CORROBORATED
Two sources explicitly state the subsidy increase to R24 per child per day with 40% allocated for nutrition. The third source confirms the subsidy increase from R17 to R24.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In his most recent budget speech, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that R10 billion wouldbeallocatedto early childhood development (ECD) over the medium term, with theper-childsubsidysetto …
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-11-11-the-first-fiv…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Only a minority ofECDcentresin the country receivesubsidiesfrom the government. R17 can barely get you a loaf of bread, but thisiswhat our government paysECDcentresperchildperday. It’s getting harder …
https://groundup.org.za/article/we-cannot-afford-to-scrap-r1…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Increasing thesubsidyvalue from R17 toR24perchildperdayatcentre-based programmes will support increased investments in staff, nutritional provision, equipment and essential infrastructure byECDprogram…
https://thebulrushes.com/2025/05/23/budget-3-0-r10-billion-h…
verified
“Data from 2022/23 showed that only 40% of centres in South Africa were registered, and of that 40%, only 33% were reported to be receiving the subsidy”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries provide general education information but do not mention ECD center registration statistics or subsidy receipt rates.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Education in South Africa is governed by two national departments, namely the Department of Basic Education (DBE), which is responsible for primary and secondary schools, and the Department of Higher …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a gallery of the various international, national and subnational flags of Africa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orange Free State a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_State_(province)
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“In August 2024, the Real Reform for ECD movement flagged an effort by the DBE to subsume the funds for the pilot nutrition programme under a ten-year, R10-billion-a-year National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) 'modernisation' tender”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No relevant evidence found in web search results or cross-references.
help
“The plan to merge the ECD pilot programme with the NSNP tender ultimately fell by the wayside”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search results or cross-references.
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“Concerns around the unused funds for the pilot programme are not new. In October 2025, the Union Against Hunger released a statement questioning the absence of an implementation plan”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search results or cross-references.
help
“In February 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed to ending stunting by 2030 in his State of the Nation Address”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search results or cross-references.
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“Daily Maverick reached out to the Department of Basic Education with questions around the implementation of its pilot nutrition programme but did not receive a response”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search results or cross-references.
help
“Ntuli’s ECD centres are conditionally registered, which means she has access to the early learning subsidy”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search results or cross-references.
schedule
“Mantjé noted that a successful model for an ECD pilot nutrition programme could draw lessons from the National Schools Nutrition Programme, but could not be a 'one-size-fits-all' solution”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.