Over 20‚000 social workers march to Union Buildings

Streets of Pretoria were painted white as thousands of social workers from different parts of the country gathered to hand over a memorandum at the Union Buildings on Monday.

Over 20‚000 social workers came from as far as Limpopo‚ the Eastern Cape and Free State to march for better working conditions and salaries.

The marchers who were clad in white shirts‚ on which words like 'social worker'‚ 'save our profession' and 'tired of being treated like an amateur' were inscribed in red‚ marched from the SA Council for Social Service Professions offices in Annie Botha Street.

The march was peaceful throughout with marchers only singing struggle songs such as 'Senzeni Na' and 'Thupa'.

• We work under horrible conditions‚ say social workersSocial workers have taken their case to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to hand over a memorandum of demands to Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini and the presidency. 

The situation almost turned nasty when marchers were met by a representative from the presidency and another one from the department of social development and administration instead of Minister Bathabile Dlamini.

"Who are you? We want Bathabile‚ we don't want you‚" marchers started chanting at the fence separating the entrance to the park in front of the Union Buildings.

Their demands included better salaries‚ separate office space allocations‚ pool cars and work equipment like laptops and cellphones.

"Starting from the 20th of September 2016 we will no longer be utilising our personal resources to render government services. We further [are] resolute that we will no longer be utilising our personal resources including our cell phones‚ our cars‚ our laptops‚" read the memorandum.

Dlamini and the president have until October 31 to respond to the demands made by the marchers.