The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is deeply disappointed by the fact that the Limpopo Department of Social Development has no plans to absorb over a thousand Social Work graduates from their scholarship program.
During a recent Social Development Portfolio Committee meeting the department conceded that it would not be able to absorb the Social work graduates from the Department’s scholarship program in the foreseeable future and that it would cost R458 million to do so.
The scholarship program agreement states that recipients must undertake to serve the Department, an NGO or another Department they are transferred to, for a continuous period of the number of years sponsored plus one extra year.
During the same meeting it was also revealed that the scholarship will also be stopped by the Department due its failure to absorb graduates. This is worrying as there is a great need for social workers as the province faces a greater need for social workers in special schools and with increasing cases of abuse of children, Gender Based Violence (GBV) as well as alcohol and drug abuse.
The last intake of 20 students is said to be graduating soon and it seems inevitable that unemployment awaits them. What is of great concern was that in previous meetings the Department told the committee that it would be approaching the Provincial Treasury to stop the program in order to direct those funds into absorbing graduates, however during the last meeting it was said that funds were not available.
The DA is deeply disappointed that the Department does not take this profession’s contribution to society seriously by failing to ensure that all these unemployed graduates are absorbed and dispatched to various areas of the province to help our communities. Many of these graduates are from poor homes and had applied for the Department’s scholarship and studied social work in the hope of being employed by the Department.
The Department of Social Development needs to find a way to fund the absorption of the social work graduates. The Department and Provincial treasury should source funds to absorb and keep social workers in this province as they remain a much needed service especially after President Ramaphosa stated that we are currently fighting two pandemics namely, COVID-19 and GBV.
The DA believes the consequence of a shortage of social workers is devastating. The Department must show serious intent to employ these graduates who can provide a vital service to the province.