SOCIAL WORK MANAGER HAS A PASSION FOR HELPING

Social Work Manager Tebogo Morokane

By Thabiso Khumalo

• Tebogo Morokane, hailing from the North-West Province, embarked on her journey as a social worker within a non-profit organisation’s substance abuse program before transitioning to the Gauteng Department of Social Development in the West Rand Region.

• With over two decades of experience spanning both Gauteng and North-West provincial governments, Morokane’s commitment to aiding others is deeply rooted in her upbringing in rural areas plagued by poverty and unemployment.

• Specialising in clinical social work and serving as a probation officer, Morokane’s expertise extends to mentoring university students and tackling diverse cases ranging from child protection to gender-based violence. She emphasises empowering clients by capitalising on their strengths and advocating for sustainable community development, all while prioritising self-care amidst the emotional demands of the profession.

Tebogo Morokane, originally from the North-West Province, started working as a social worker for a non-profit organization (NPO) under a substance abuse programme. Later, she moved to join the Gauteng Department of Social Development in the West Rand Region as a generic social worker. 

Morokane has over two decades of experience in the profession, moving in different ranks in both the Gauteng and North-West provincial governments.

She highlighted that she enjoys helping people, which is inspired by her background in rural areas where poverty and unemployment are rife.

Currently, she specialises in clinical social work and is a probation officer with the necessary qualifications. She also trains and mentors university students at the University of Pretoria.

As a generic social worker, Morokane has worked with different cases in the fields of child protection, substance abuse, and older persons, including the presentation of cases at the high court. 

She worked with NPOs, particularly those who provide services to victims of gender-based violence (GBV), and she has also helped to establish one-stop centres, victim-friendly facilities, TTCs, and shelters for human trafficking victims.

Morokane’s approach and philosophy when working with clients is that, as social workers, she believes they must capitalise on the client’s strengths for them to lead their own lives. 

In a developmental approach, they must teach communities how to fish for themselves and be sustainable, while a client-centred approach requires them to consider Batho Pele principles whenever they engage clients as social workers.

Morokane said, “It is important as social workers to embrace social, economic, and political changes as change agents,” when asked how she integrates the social justice principle into practice. 

“Social work is emotionally demanding, and we prioritize ourselves and believe we come first; therefore, we recharge ourselves through consulting with medical professionals,” added Morokane. 

In her spare time, Morokane reads journals and likes to write a lot. She highlighted that one day she will pursue writing articles on observations and the experience of training social service professionals.

Picture taken by Thabiso Khumalo