Pretoria: The Department of Social Development has called on all non-profit organisations (NPOs) that are registered with the department, and haven’t submitted their annual reports, to do so by March 31 in order to avoid being deregistered.

The call is directed at NPOs that were registered with the department between 1997 and 2012, and have not previously submitted their annual reports to the department, as required by the NPO Act.

This applies to all NPOs registered under the NPO Act, whether funded or unfunded.

This follows the extension given by the Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini in January 2013 after 36 428 NPOs were deregistered between August and December 2012 for failure to comply with the NPO Act by submitting annual reports.

Following the deregistration of the NPOs in 2012, Minister Dlamini held a meeting in January last year with the Ministerial Task Team on Non-Profit Organisations to discuss administrative matters relating to the NPO sector, the registration status of NPOs, and also reach an agreement on the way forward.

The task team comprises representatives of government, civil society organisations, business and other entities such as the National Lotteries Board and the South African Revenue Services. It was established in August 2012 following the declaration of the NPO Summit, with the view to ensure formal, regular and inclusive dialogue between government and the NPO sector, and to address the challenges confronting the sector.

Source: South African Official News