Kwatsaduza – Each year during March, the Gauteng Department of Social Development takes time to reflect and recall the stories and experiences shared by social workers.
These are social development officials who are community-focused and spend their days connecting with vulnerable people and offering them care and support.
During this month, the department salutes them as they observe World Social Work Month and World Social Work Day on March 20.
This year, World Social Work Day is observed under the theme Shared Future for Transformative Change.
This day is a reminder to social work professionals and social auxiliary workers of their importance. The Gauteng Department of Social Development acknowledges and appreciates the significant role of social workers in communities.
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One such phenomenal person is 29-year-old Mpho Thubakgale from Tsakani, a social worker based at the Gauteng Department of Social Development, Duduza Service Point.
Thubakgale says seeing dysfunctional families functional and reunited, children rehabilitated from drugs and many other vulnerable people receiving assistance from the department warms her heart.
“Initially, I wanted to be a clinical psychologist. But then, I discovered that helping people is not limited to therapy. Any social issue that people encounter becomes personal to me and I always have the urge to help, to make our society a better place to live in.
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“Working with people is always stressful. On a day-to-day basis, we have clients who come in with many social issues; then we attend to that.
“At Duduza Service Point, we deal mainly with statutory social work, which means everything court-related.
“We deal with issues such as foster care placement, adoption, and guardianship, to name a few. Any child-related matter that needs intervention of the court, whether it is an abandoned child, neglected, or needs placement to safe care, we deal with it.
“Social work is very important because society comes with societal problems. So, there cannot be a functional or healthy society without the social worker.
“Personally, my success story would be my growth in the field. Moreover, seeing foster children or orphans succeeding in life. I have foster children who are at varsity. Some are working and earning a decent living,” she said.
