NAMIBIA LOOKS TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR SOLUTIONS TO WELFARE CHALLENGES

By Precious Mupenzi

• Namibia’s Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare has sent a delegation to South Africa to observe effective practices in social welfare, focusing on child protection and workforce development.
• Facing a critical shortage in auxiliary social workers, Namibia aims to adopt South Africa’s structured training and data integration systems to strengthen its welfare infrastructure.
• This visit also seeks to deepen regional collaboration, with leaders from both countries committed to enhancing social support systems across Southern Africa.

In an effort to strengthen social welfare and child protection measures, a delegation from Namibia’s Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare arrived in South Africa today for a three-day mission. The visit aims to observe and adapt best practices from South Africa’s established social service frameworks, especially to bolster Namibia’s capacity in auxiliary and paraprofessional roles. This exchange offers Namibia a valuable opportunity to study South Africa’s approach to workforce structure, training, and integration, with the goal of developing a more effective welfare system back home.

Leading the delegation, Deputy Director of Child Care and Protection Services, Ms. Rosida Pelema, highlighted Namibia’s need for a more organized and well-resourced social service structure. “Our current workforce is overstretched, with many critical positions vacant or experiencing high turnover,” Pelema explained, referencing a recent analysis that identified the need for nearly 300 additional auxiliary social workers to support Namibia’s Child Care and Protection Act. While auxiliary social workers are essential to safeguarding children’s welfare, staffing shortages mean their capacity to address the nation’s needs is limited.

A key objective of the visit is to learn from South Africa’s comprehensive system of training, certification, and funding for social and child care workers. Unlike Namibia, South Africa has established robust frameworks to ensure consistency and quality in its social service workforce, which Pelema sees as a model for Namibia. “We are particularly interested in understanding how auxiliary workers are integrated into government systems and how their roles are clearly defined and supervised,” she noted, seeing these insights as crucial for setting standards and goals that suit Namibia’s unique context.

Namibia also hopes to improve its child protection data systems. Currently, the Ministry’s electronic case management system collects data only from its social workers, limiting insights needed for coordinated care. In contrast, South Africa’s data systems integrate information from both government and non-profit partners. “We aim to harmonize data collection and reporting across all sectors involved in child protection,” said Pelema. “This will improve tracking and service delivery, ensuring that vulnerable children receive the coordinated support they need.”

Welcoming the Namibian delegation, Mr. Peter Netshipale, Acting Director-General of South Africa’s Department of Social Development, underscored the importance of this visit in fostering regional partnerships and addressing shared challenges. “We are eager to share our experiences and challenges in all areas of social development,” he said, noting that South Africa’s commitment to social protection and poverty alleviation is guided by the National Development Plan 2030. This plan emphasizes developmental welfare services, social security, and community development to support vulnerable populations and build community resilience.

Netshipale also stressed the importance of African unity, especially as global polarization increases. With upcoming changes in African Union leadership, both South Africa and Namibia have a responsibility to champion visionary leaders who will promote continental unity. “In a polarized world, a united African Union is essential to amplify Africa’s voice on the global stage,” he added, emphasizing that Africa’s aspirations for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development contribute to global progress.

Concluding his remarks, Netshipale assured Namibia of South Africa’s commitment to a sustained partnership, viewing this visit as the beginning of ongoing cooperation to combat poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment across the SADC region. He expressed hope that through shared practices and policies, both countries could strengthen their social service systems and create lasting, positive change for the region’s most vulnerable populations.