- Western Cape social workers are increasingly the target of hijackers in the province.
- This crime forces workers to take leave and lessens the resources government has to enable social workers.
- The provincial government has attempted to address the scourge of hijackings but it needs help from national government.
The hijacking of social workers in the Western Cape is on the rise and this has a detrimental effect on their ability to provide the services many South Africans so desperately need.
The Democratic Alliance Western Cape’s spokesperson on Social Development, Wendy Kaizer-Philander, has called for national government to declare attacks on social workers an attack on the state.
The spokesperson says that social workers in the province who drive government vehicles are often targeted by criminals and hijacked. The social workers are left traumatised both physically and emotionally resulting in them taking leave. With a vehicle also in the hands of criminals, the Department of Social Development has fewer vehicles for workers to use.
This means social workers are strained in terms of numbers and resources and that means their ability to provide services is encumbered.
Social workers assist a number of vulnerable individuals from children to the elderly. Unfortunately, this work can get messy especially when children are being removed from dangerous environments. With these workers being targeted it could deter folks from becoming social workers and helping those who need it.
Social workers can also assist in policing. Police services may not be equipped to deal with social issues in the same way social workers are. Furthermore, social workers can help guide young people away from a life of crime, and toward more productive activities.
To address the danger these workers face, social workers are now escorted into high-risk areas by the South African Police Service. When SAPS isn’t available, officers from the Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) and City Law Enforcement step in to offer support.
“These dedicated individuals work tirelessly to better our society, often under challenging and dangerous conditions. Any attack on a social worker is unacceptable and should be classified as an attack on the state so that harsher sentences can be applied. These heartless perpetrators must face the full extent of the law,” said Kaizer-Philander.
As for the vehicles that are stolen, these tend to be smuggled across the border according to the spokesperson. This tracks with data released by CarTrack earlier this year. As many as 60 vehicles are stolen in South Africa every day and some are moved across the border into neighbouring countries. Criminal syndicates set up makeshift bridges to avoid detection by border officials and this makes it a rather low-risk and lucrative market.
The Western Cape government has tried to address this by using unmarked vehicles and hiding tracking devices in hard to reach places. Whether this will have a tangible impact on the targeting of social workers remains to be seen.
