West Cape News (Cape Town)
Peter Luhanga
7 July 2009
Cape Town Child Welfare were forced to close their offices in Du Noon township near Milnerton on Monday afternoon after a group of local residents stormed the offices and insulted and pushed social workers, says the organisation.
The residents, who according to staff at the offices numbered about 12, were apparently complaining that not enough Du Noon residents were employed in the running of the offices, which have been open for three months.
Cape Town Child Welfare chief executive Niresh Ramklass said staff had been pushed and warned not to return.
"We were very upset about the approach. You can't just go into people's offices and put them out," he said. Ramklass said the office had reopened on Tuesday and would remain open on Wednesday, but staff were not operating in "perfect conditions".
Du Noon community leader Tasana Thembalakhe said residents did not want people outside of Du Noon to take work opportunities in the township.
He said prior to its opening, residents had been told they would be involved in running the office, but instead people from outside Du Noon were doing so.
Office social worker and manager Nomonde Kulati said staff had been physically pushed and insulted, leading to the closure of the office.
Kulati said they had been told there were qualified people in Du Noon who could do the job.
"We felt safe before the incident but now we are thinking otherwise. We are not sure anymore about our safety," she said.
She said the office dealt with more than 10 cases per day, which typically included abandonment, neglect or assisting in foster care applications.
Ramklass said it was untrue that jobs had been promised to the residents, but said of the seven employees at the office, four were from Du Noon.
He said it was impossible to source all social workers from one community as there was a huge shortage of social workers in South Africa.
Before they had started operating in Du Noon in April, he said the Department of Social Development had introduced Cape Town Child Welfare to the community and everyone had been happy.
Ramklass said Du Noon had a high case load of neglected and abused children who needed attention and Cape Town Child Welfare would not be held to ransom by the demands of residents.
Milnerton police spokesperson Inspecter Daphne Dell said police had been informed about the incident and were monitoring the situation. No arrests had been made and no criminal docket opened.
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