Visits halted as safety fears grow
Social workers in Khayelitsha have stopped conducting home and school visits after a series of armed robberies and vehicle hijackings, a move that union representatives say will immediately affect services for the township's most vulnerable residents.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) said staff will now work from their offices, with home visits to people with disabilities and victims of domestic violence and child abuse cancelled for the time being. The union's Khayelitsha spokesperson, Makhaya Jezile, said safety has been a persistent issue since 2022 and has worsened this year.
- Service disruption: Home and school visits suspended.
- Workers' safety: Regular hijackings and robberies cited as the cause.
- Department response: Provincial officials promised increased security but gave no timelines.
NEHAWU and Khayelitsha social workers handed a memorandum to the Western Cape Department of Social Development on Tuesday demanding enhanced protection. They met department officials on Thursday, who committed to beefing up security, Jezile said, but did not provide a rollout schedule.
“This means social services will be compromised for now,”
Jezile warned services will be compromised while outreach is curtailed. He told reporters that, historically, social workers have been targeted repeatedly: in 2023 criminals stole 11 cars from the office and, last year, staff stopped using branded vehicles to avoid being singled out.
Jezile also reported the scale of recent attacks: “This year, every two weeks a social worker gets hijacked.” He said the most recent incident involved social workers who were forced out of a Toyota Hilux at gunpoint.
Bonga Zamisa, chairperson of the Khayelitsha Safety and Security Forum, expressed concern about the consequences of halting fieldwork. He said reduced outreach will affect victims of domestic violence, neglected children, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents, while also stressing that workers are entitled to a safe working environment.
| Year | Reported development |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Persistent safety challenges for social workers began, according to NEHAWU |
| 2023 | 11 cars stolen from the social development office |
| 2025 (last year) | Staff stopped using branded cars to reduce targeting |
| 2026 (this year) | Union reports a social worker is hijacked about every two weeks; recent hijackings prompted suspension of home visits |
The Western Cape Department of Social Development confirmed that commitments were made during the meeting to enhance security measures, but the department did not provide timelines for implementation, according to the union account of the talks.
The suspension of home-based and school outreach services raises immediate questions about how urgent cases will be managed. Social workers are often the first point of contact for victims of abuse and for assessments of children and adults with care needs. Without in-person visits, assessments, interventions and referrals will be delayed or depend on clients travelling to offices they may not be able to reach.
Community safety groups and the union face the task of securing rapid, practical protections for staff while maintaining services to vulnerable people. The situation also renews calls previously raised by the provincial standing committee on social development to seek tougher legal consequences for attacks on social workers — a move the committee suggested in 2024 by asking the national justice minister to consider reclassifying attacks on social workers as an offence against the state.
For now, the department's pledge to bolster security is the primary assurance social workers have received. Residents and safety advocates will be watching for concrete measures and timelines, and for interim plans to ensure that victims and dependent clients in Khayelitsha continue to receive essential social services.
