Cuma Pantshwa

• – Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Conference deliberates on “Positioning the NDA as a thought leader in poverty eradication and amplifying the role of CSOs as drivers of sustainable community development.
• – “We will continue changing lives, and now is the time to be known not only for funding, but also for capacitating our civil society.”Acting CEO of the NDA, Mr Thabani Buthelezi
• – CSOs expected to play a critical role in delivering feedback, strengthening accountability mechanisms, and providing key insights that will inform and refine future NDA interventions.

Today marks the opening of the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Conference led by the Minister of Social Development, Ms Sisisi Tolashe.
Hosted by the National Development Agency (NDA)—an entity of the Department of Social Development (DSD)—the two-day gathering in Benoni brings together a diverse range of civil society organisations from across South Africa, along with leadership from DSD, SASSA, the NDA, and development partners under the compelling theme:
“Positioning the NDA as a thought leader in poverty eradication and amplifying the role of CSOs as drivers of sustainable community development.”

The conference aims to reposition the NDA not just as a funder of community-based organisations, but as a strategic enabler of partnerships, innovation, and sustainable impact.
Speaking to this vision, Acting CEO of the NDA, Mr Thabani Buthelezi, emphasised the urgency of redefining how the state engages with civil society.

“This theme reflects our renewed commitment to be a pivotal force in enabling state-CSO collaboration,” he said. “CSOs are the ones at the heart and centre of communities. They know and understand the people’s lived realities.”

Buthelezi said the time has come for the NDA to evolve beyond its traditional role as a grant-disbursing agency.

“We are reimagining partnerships. It also speaks to strengthening stakeholder engagement and advocating for innovative approaches to poverty eradication.” he said.

Reflecting on the volatile global context, Buthelezi said:
“We find ourselves in a world that is in flux. We’ve seen how some Presidents can make certain utterances, and things start tumbling down.”, Buthelezi said, referring to the abrupt withdrawal of donor funding such as USAID and called for bold solutions and more resilient, homegrown funding models.

“We will continue changing lives, and now is the time to be known not only for funding, but also for capacitating our civil society.”

NDA Board Chairperson, Ms Ruth Bhengu, echoed these sentiments in her welcome address. In a warm message to Minister Tolashe, she expressed gratitude for the Minister’s open-door leadership and responsiveness.

“The NDA has turned over a new leaf because of you,” Bhengu said. “This conference is a clear outcome of leadership that listens and acts. The NDA is finally moving in the right direction.”

The NDA, as a government agency mandated to contribute towards poverty eradication and promote sustainable development through partnerships with CSOs, is aligning its programmatic focus with the Government of National Unity (GNU) pillar on “Reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living.” This alignment strengthens its legislative mandate and affirms its role as a catalyst for scalable solutions to poverty.

A key highlight of the conference is the CSO exhibition, where 38 NDA-funded projects are showcasing poverty eradication initiatives across various provinces. More than 160 CSO attendanding the conference will also participate in commissions that focus on deepening collaboration, accountability, and long-term impact.

Delivering a thought-provoking input on the CSO landscape, Ms Mpho Mngxitama reminded delegates of the shared end goal:

“We have to move further than where we are to make sure that we achieve our goal, which is to eradicate poverty,” she said. “Progress is being made, but we also know that real change will only happen through strong coordination between government and the private sector.”

As the conference continues in this inclusive platform, CSOs will play a critical role in delivering feedback, strengthening accountability mechanisms, and providing key insights that will inform and refine future NDA interventions.