Only 45 social workers for 130 police stations in Gauteng

Gauteng has only 45 social workers servicing 130 police stations – interrupting the investigation of sensitive cases such as gender-based violence (GBV) and other related crimes.

Responding to the DA’s questions at the Gauteng legislature recently, MEC for social development Faith Mazibuko said the remaining 15 police stations do not have social workers funded by her department.

Severe staffing shortages across police stations

Mazibuko said one social worker was rotating among four police stations – day and night.

She said a social worker’s job in a police station is to take care of the employees’ health and wellness.

They also provide counselling, trauma debriefing and offer support to cops and their families dealing with a stressful environment.

Other tasks include dealing with social crime prevention tasks and victim support, as well as assisting cases involving children.

Prof Witness Maluleke, senior criminologist from the University of Limpopo, said this was a crisis, as police members were not trained to offer social services to crime victims.

Maluleke said some crime victims urgently need the services of social workers as their cases cannot be successfully solved without their interventions.

He said a police station renders poor public service without social workers.

“Some cases, such as GBV or rape, are very sensitive to deal with; that is why the services of social workers remain vital to ensure that the challenges experienced by victims are adequately addressed,” he said.

With one social worker servicing four police stations, they would experience burnout as the rotations can be regarded as a heavy workload, he added.

Calls for urgent government intervention

Maluleke also urged the government to urgently employ more social workers.

“This cannot be allowed to continue, as the social work graduates are roaming the streets without jobs; their placement is imminent,” he said.

Refiloe Nt’sekhe, the DA Gauteng shadow MEC for social development, said failing to fill vacant social worker and auxiliary positions has severe consequences.

“Victims of crimes like GBV receive poor support and existing staff face increased caseloads, leading to delays in child protection investigations,” said Nt’sekhe.

“Meanwhile, staff shortages affect the effectiveness of community welfare programmes.”

Risks of secondary trauma and underreporting

Prince Soga, the executive director of the I Am That Man organisation, said the lack of social workers at police stations in Gauteng was concerning, especially for GBV cases.

Soga said without on-site social workers, “victims might not get the support they need, which can lead to secondary trauma and decreased reporting”.

“It can also mean cases aren’t handled sensitively, potentially compromising evidence and the victim’s willingness to cooperate,” said Soga.

“Social workers play a crucial role in providing emotional support, counselling and connecting victims with resources like shelters and medical care. Their absence can create a gap in the support system, making it harder for victims to access help.”

Proposed solutions to address the crisis

He said the issue requires urgent attention from the authorities.

“Some possible solutions include increasing funding for social worker positions at police stations, improving collaboration between the department of social development, police department and non-profit organisations,” said Soga.

He said another solution was to deploy mobile units or telehealth services for remote support, training police officers in basic crisis intervention and referral processes and establishing clear protocols for handling GBV cases without on-site social workers.

Shaheda Omar, clinical director for the Teddy Bear Foundation, said: “The lack of social workers at police stations creates a critical protection gap, exposing child victims of GBV to further trauma, weakening evidence and significantly undermining their safety and access to justice.”