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GroundUp reports that the Western Cape Government is increasingly concerned over attacks on social workers as they try to go about their work.
The matter was discussed at a Social Development Committee meeting in the provincial legislature on 17 March. According to the department, there have also been numerous attacks on Emergency Medical Services’ (EMS) staff vehicles. Hotspots include Khayelitsha, Philippi, Nyanga, and Gugulethu. The Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) and SA Police Service (SAPS) officers “do help when they have resources”. “At some point we won’t be able to conduct home visits because we are scared. We don’t feel safe,” said Xolisani Sibhozo, a social worker since 2012, based in Khayelitsha. He was hijacked during a home visit in Makhaza. Other colleagues have been hijacked at gunpoint. His wife, a social worker based in Philippi, had to flee a situation when the police vehicle that was escorting them was attacked. Sibhozo believes it is up to community members and structures, such as community police forums and street committees, to make the environment safe for them. Meantime, 247 new social work posts will be distributed throughout the province where the needs are the greatest, particularly in the welfare and child protection system, and in hotspot areas. Social workers have access to an employee health and wellness programme to support them to deal with the daily challenges they face.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Matthew Hirsch at GroundUp
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