Dear Honourable Minister Nokuzola Gladys Tolashe

This is a cry for help. I am a 43 years old, unemployed, single mother who is a qualified registered Social Worker since February 2017.

I am writing to you with a question, hoping that this letter will reach your attention. Where we wasting our time, parents money putting in sleepless nights study hard with the hope that all our sweat will benefit our country and it's people?

Many Social Workers like me graduated years ago have been waiting for placement since. Promises has been made but all we see is absorption of scholarship graduates only, the very same scholarship that some of us where not given because we do not know the whose and whose in positions.

Minister our country is overwhelmed by social ills which we are all aware of, tragedies are happening in our households, schools, communities, our country daily which calls for intervention but here we are equipped to can help and we are cast aside.
We volunteer to help only to be exploited and cause damage to ourselves "mental health" as we are hungry ourselves and our families. We try to start NGOs to bridge the gaps we see in our communities and no one is willing to assist, no space to render services, no funds to move the notion forward.

I might sound like someone who is just putting blame and doing nothing. Believe me when I say as a proud South African citizen I did my part and I am still doing it in isolation, referring people to relevant institutions as it fulfills my heart to see someone getting the help they need. I am doing this with love even though I myself is in need of help.

I do hope that this letter finds your attention, not only for my sake but for the sake of many unemployed Social Workers and for the sake of our country which is in dire need of Social Work services every second of the day.

Thank you!

Yours,
Miss Jacobeth Lydia Mokoena