Unemployed social workers protest to demand change
“The Department of Social Development always excludes self-funded and NSFAS funded graduates but bursary holders from the department are employed immediately after graduation.”
The Unemployed Social Workers Movement of South Africa (USWMSA) took to the streets of Pretoria CBD demanding more jobs on Thursday morning March 31.
In hopes to have their demands met, marchers began their protest at Madiba Street towards Kgosi Mampuru Street heading to the Department of Social Development to table their concerns.
Deputy Chairperson of USWMSA Tshepo Mbengwa, said the protest was aimed at pleading with the social development department to create more jobs to stop prioritising those who are funded by the department through scholarships.
“The Department of Social Development always excludes self-funded and NSFAS funded graduates but bursary holders from the department are employed immediately after graduation.
“We are tired of not being taken seriously by the department, they have been promising us change for almost five years but still nothing has changed,” she said.
Mbengwa said they visited the department hoping to receive a response from the Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu, but on arrival they were told she was out of the country.
“This is not the first time this happens, every time we come here they say she is out of the country,” she said.
Mbengwa said she graduated five years ago from Unisa but is still unemployed.
She added that there are many other social workers in South Africa who are struggling because of the mismanagement of funds within the department.
Speaking to Rekord, social work graduate Akhona Mkhumla said she is tired of the discrimination that the department has against social workers.
“The department hires one social worker to handle 15 schools instead of placing a social worker for each school.”
She said social workers pay an annual fee to the council but they struggle to pay because they don’t have money.
USWMSA handed a memorandum of demands to the Department of Social Development in hopes to have their demands met this time.
Among the many demands stated in the memorandum, the protestors emphasised more on a raise in the monthly stipends, the employment of social workers, scrapping the current age restrictions of 60 years and equality among social workers.
The department said they will only be able to respond to the USWMSA’s memorandum of demands after 14 days.
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