The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) calls on national Social Development Minister, Sisisi Tolashe, to intervene and assist as some 2 600 social workers remain unemployed despite many of the province’s communities facing significant social ills.
As a society, KZN is in crisis and the DA urges Minister Tolashe to assist in dealing with the backlog of social workers who remain sitting at home despite the critical role they play in the development of society.
The issue is long-standing with affected social workers desperately trying to force government to employ them. This, to the extent that they have been camping outside Premier Thami Ntuli’s offices in Pietermaritzburg since before the May election in an attempt to be heard.
The sad reality is that KZN’s Department of Social Development (DSD), under MEC Mbali Shinga, does not have sufficient budget to employ them. While the DSD has acknowledged the dire need for more social workers, it claims that its hands are tied.
The issue has also reached the office of KZN Finance MEC, Francois Rodgers. He, along with KZN Legislature Chief Financial Officer, Senzo Zungu, have also appealed to the Minister to boost the DSD budget however, to date, the situation remains unchanged.
KZN’s DSD currently employs approximately 1 700 social workers, which is completely insufficient for the needs of our province. While the DA recognizes the departments interventions, there is a lot more that needs to be done. This includes the stationing of social workers at our schools, police stations, clinics and other government departments.
The DA appeals to Minister Tolashe to prioritise this matter and to intervene without further delay on behalf of KZN’s people. The development of society is crucial in the fight against social ills.