Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from all over the Eastern Cape assembled in Bhisho to protest about the lack of support from the government.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from all over the Eastern Cape assembled in Bhisho to protest about the lack of support from the government.
They marched down Independence Avenue to Phalo House where they met with Nonkosi Mvana, The MEC of Social Development, to hand over their memorandums.
This was part of a nation-wide demonstration held in different parts of the country against the government raising the salaries of government social workers but neglecting the needs of NGOs. Around 200 people attended the peaceful demonstration wearing their respective organisations’ t-shirts. Some of the placards read: "equal work for equal pay" and "good social work costs money". Grahamstown was represented by the local branches of Child Welfare, Age in Action and Famsa. Woineshet Bischoff, the director of Grahamstown Child Welfare, said, “We are supposed to get a 75% subsidy from government and then get the 25% from fundraising but now it’s not like that.
Government increases salaries of its social workers but does not increase our subsidy." Thobeka Mtirara, the Eastern Cape chairperson of the National Social Services and Development Forum added, “Another mistake the government does is to look on subsidising social workers only, forgetting that NGOs have support systems that are part of the NGOs. Administration and other supporting workers should be paid accordingly.”
“More people are leaving the private sector because of the lack of money,” said Eastern Cape Social Welfare Forum coordinator, John Allen. “People go for greener pastures (with government being one of them) and we don’t have enough staff as we can’t retain staff because of the lack of money,” Mtira agreed.
However, the demonstration was not only about salaries. Many NGOS are also complaining about delays in providing funding which severly hinders the progress of important projects and causes delays in starting up programmes.
“Three months ago we needed programme funding for our Iso Labantwana programme and we signed a service level agreement of R144 000 but then it was returned and we were told to sign for R72 000, which we still have not received,” said Bischoff, “this a volunteer driven programme and we give our volunteers a stipend as a way of motivating them and now because of the funds we had to cut down on the stipend and they are not happy.”
“Signing the memorandum means taking note of it and that we as the department have taken it into consideration,” said the MEC. After the signing of the memorandum, the NGOs went back to Phalo Avenue where Mtirara addressed them. “We have given the department until September 11 to respond to the demands and we will have to keep in touch with each other to know the progress,” she said.
“I did not expect so many people,” said Bischoff, “it shows how serious everyone is and the demonstration should have happened a long time ago but social workers are passive. Because of the strikes that have hit South Africa lately, this demonstration does not have as much weight but at least we are being heard.”
