9,000 Social Workers Without Jobs
Durban, South Africa (1 June 2026) – South Africa has roughly 9,000 qualified social workers without jobs, while millions of learners in public schools are dealing with trauma, violence, hunger and mental health difficulties with little or no professional support.
Khuluma MHFA NPC says this is a gap the country cannot afford to leave open.
The figures were highlighted in a Daily Maverick report published on 31 May 2026 [1]. According to a written parliamentary reply by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube cited in the report, just 761 social services professionals serve the entire public education sector. Expanding this support is held back by tight budget caps and a shortage of funded provincial posts, and regulations to formalise school social work have been stalled since 2020.
The report, which draws on the warnings of Dr Marelize Vergottini, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at North-West University, describes schools that are “no longer safe havens of learning” and a system “collapsing under the weight of rampant classroom violence, severe teacher shortages, overcrowding and systemic hunger.” [1]
In practice, this leaves teachers, who are already stretched delivering the curriculum, to deal with behavioural, emotional and psychological crises they have not been trained to manage. Learners who need help are often not noticed until a situation has become serious.
Khuluma MHFA NCP believes school-based psychosocial support cannot be treated as an optional extra. Funded social work posts need to be created and filled, and the regulations that formalise school social work need to be finalised. Bringing unemployed professionals into schools that need them is both a practical solution and a national priority.
Professionals alone cannot be in every classroom, however. Teachers, learners and parents also need the basic skills to recognise when someone is struggling, offer initial support, and connect them with the right help. This is the role Mental Health First Aid is designed to play, and it is why
Khuluma MHFA NCP focuses on building these skills within school communities, alongside, not instead of, professional services.
About Khuluma MHFA NPC.
Khuluma MHFA NPC provides mental health education, awareness and support programmes to young people across South Africa.
Media Contact
Khuluma MHFA NPC
Registration No.: 2025/718356/08 | PBO No.: 930090563 | NPO No.: 335-625
Email: ello@KhulumaMHFA.org.za
Phone: +27 87 353 9800
Website: KhulumaMHFA.org.za
