“This paper is divided into five sections: an introductory section that includes a review of critical concepts currently underpinning social policy and anti-poverty debates gobally and in South Africa; a second section exploring key social policy trends and anti-poverty initiatives over the past fifteen years paying special attention to the post 2004 period; section three focuses on the institutional history and multi-dimensional anti-poverty role the DSD plays; the fourth section goes deeper into the DSD looking at it from a Western Cape perspective with a special focus on developmental challenges,facing the DSD at district office level in Khayelitsha. The final section presents concluding remarks, challenges and potential points for further discussion.”