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NGOs fight to ‘hang on’ to good staff

Ecape lead June 09High staff turnover due to a lack of adequate subsidisation by Government, plagues many South African NGOs, who struggle to provide the necessary services to communities in need.

In the Eastern Cape subsidies used to pay social workers have not been increased in two years, while social auxiliary workers are subsidised on the Department of Social Development’s 2002 scales.

Government pays its social workers on average around 37% higher salaries. In 2008, the Department of Social Development paid its social auxiliary workers a starting salary of R64 410 per annum while NGOs received subsidies of R35 749. Principle social workers were paid R174 243 per annum, while the subsidies amounted to R112 625,67. Last year social workers received a small increase from R75 947,28 to R79 500 per annum, but even this can not compare to the Department’s salaries of R117 501.

This, says CMR (Christian Social Council) Eastern Cape director, Corné Erasmus, results in a high staff turnover. “There is a shortage of social workers in South Africa. The government is paying good salaries to its social work staff members. Social workers are leaving the NGO sector to work for the Government,” she says.

Service delivery

Erasmus says the high turnover has a very negative impact on an NGO’s service delivery as communities do not benefit when there is no continuity.

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The Global Call to Action against Poverty
take-actionThe Global Call to Action against Poverty and Inequality is a worldwide alliance of over 100 national coalitions/platforms made of social movements, women’s organisations, faith groups, trade unions, community groups, youth organizations and individuals working to tackle poverty and inequality in their countries and around the world. GCAP has grown into the largest ever anti-poverty movement: 150 million people, in rich and poor countries, now support us. GCAP supporters are united by their use of the white band. The white band is the symbol that people, towns and cities all over the world can adopt to highlight the injustice of global poverty and inequality. 

GCAP-South Africa members include the South African Council of Churches (SACC) , Black Sash , Studies in Poverty & Inequality Institute (SPII) , South African NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) , and the National Welfare Forum (NWF)
In South Africa, we want to engage citizens, organisations, and government in dialogue and action to deliver the Constitutional rights to freedom from poverty and inequality and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We want to work together, as a nation to build a fair and just society for all people in Mzansi.

GCAP-SA calls on the government to:
  1. Raise the age ceiling of the child support grant to 18 years
  2. Ratify the UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and
  3. Create a roadmap detailing the implementation of a Comprehensive Social Security System for South Africa.
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Vacancy: Human Rights Team Leader
Human RightsThe National Welfare Forum Invites applications for the position of Human Rights Team Leader

The National Welfare Forum (NWF) is a non-profit organisation working in policy engagement, human rights advocacy and capacity building, across South Africa.

The job function is to facilitate the development and implementation of the human rights programme for the NWF.


Essential Requirements
  • A graduate qualification in development, law, education or a related field
  • At least 2 years of work experience in a similar position
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills across a range of audiences
  • Excellent research skills, with some relevant research experience
  • A progressive understanding of the development landscape in South Africa
  • Proficiency in MS Office, a valid driver’s licence and own transport
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Report of the workshop on the Anti-Poverty Strategy for South Africa
poverty5th March 2009, held at the office of Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII) in Johannesburg. Hosted by SPII and Southern Africa Trust
The purpose of the workshop was to make other organisations, working in policy engagement, aware of the development of the framework strategy. The workshop was facilitated by Glen Farred of SPII . As an introduction, Farred presented a basic understanding of the South African context. South Africa is regarded as a middle-income country and it is not on the list of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) . Because South Africa is not on the HIPC list, there is no international pressure or requirements to develop an anti-poverty strategy. South Africa is characterised by high levels of inequality and half the population consists of   poor people. South African society is perceived as being a deliberate product of deliberate politics.

There have been some policies and attempts to address poverty in the pre-history of the draft of the Anti-Poverty Strategy for South Africa (APSSA)
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