‘Where are the pads?’ MPs question R125m returned unspent in sanitary programme
Schoolgirls have been left vulnerable without essential hygiene products, while more than R125 million in dedicated funding was returned.
The government has returned R125.7 million meant for sanitary products to schoolgirls over the past three years, sparking outrage from parliament's Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities committee. The Sanitary Dignity Programme (SDP), with a budget of R268.7 million for 2026-27, has suffered chronic failures, leading key provinces to return significant portions of their budgets instead of delivering essential products to pupils.
Committee chairperson Liezl van der Merwe condemned the underspending, stating that funds must translate directly into physical products on school desks. She emphasized that learners must receive the services they are entitled to, as the programme aims to enable them to stay in school and pursue better futures. The returned money could have provided millions of sanitary packs, vital for young women's education.
MPs criticized procurement delays, capacity constraints, and chaotic distribution protocols, with some provinces delivering entire year's supplies in single bulk shipments and others failing to deliver any products for months. The committee called for an immediate halt to administrative failures and a complete overhaul of the Sanitary Dignity Framework, with plans to conduct site inspections in targeted provinces.
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