President’s 2025 Welcome Message!
The 2025 academic year started with an avalanche of national, regional and global, crises stemming from socio-economic, political and environmental issues. The rising cost of living continues unabated, placing many families at risk of food insecurity and/or unparalleled debt crises. South African crime stats show a glim picture. Political instabilities across the globe are a daily occurrence. These unjustified wars and conflicts taking place in many parts of the world continue to violate people’s rights, contributing to loss of life, and/or destabilising and displacing families. Many innocent children and women become victims and casualties. Many advocates have spoken against such atrocities, but everything has fallen on deaf ears. We should not relent. Let us join hands in condemning the unjustified violence against humanity.
Coming to our home front. The 2025 academic year started in earnest between mid-January February, with many students returning to campuses across the country to pursue their studies. We witnessed and welcomed entrants who chose to register for the Bachelor of Social Work degree and post-graduate studies. Please join me in welcoming all our students. Let us renew our commitment to ensuring that they receive good quality education and training that meets our national and global standards.
Join me in welcoming the University of Mpumalanga under the leadership of Dr Thembelihle Makanya within the ASASWEI family. Let me also take the opportunity to congratulate all the colleagues who have contributed to the development of new knowledge through research and publications. The country is moving in the right direction of decolonising and indigenising social work research and practice. It is incredible to witness the efforts put by each and every one of us towards producing high quality local and context relevant teaching material. In addition, congratulations to all the colleagues who have been promoted. Well done. You all deserve it.
To all our academic and support staff, I hope this year will be more productive and enjoyable. I wish we all enjoy peace and good health. I also like to take this opportunity to remember our departed colleagues, acknowledging the legacy they left behind. May their souls rest in eternal peace.
On a lighter note, ASASWEI EXCO proudly announced the Biennial International Conference ‘25 a month ago to be held from 10-12 September 2025 at the University of the Free State. This year’s focus will be on the theme: Advancing Social, Economic and Environmental Justice, Peace building, and Sustainable Development through Teaching, Research and Practice. The theme is premised on the increasing social inequalities, environmental crises, and geopolitical conflicts, whereby the role of social work and related disciplines has never been more vital. As communities grapple with challenges such as climate change, conflicts, forced displacement, poverty, and human rights violations, social work educators, researchers, practitioners and students must actively engage in finding solutions that promote justice, peace, and sustainability. This international conference will provide a platform for critical reflection, knowledge-sharing, and action-oriented discussions that are geared towards providing direction that will enable social work education, research, and practice in harnessing solutions towards addressing these global issues. The ultimate goal of social work is to bring about transformative and sustainable change.
The conference will be duly presented in collaboration with prominent partners and key stakeholders in the sector - the University of the Free State, the Free State Provincial Department of Social Development, the National Department of Social Development (DSD), the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP), the Health & Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA), the Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa (ASSWA), and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW).
I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the established Local Organising Committee and various committees represented by academics from across our 19 universities. Members of these task teams are hard at work, meeting after hours hellbent on putting concrete plans into place, to ensure that once more, South Africa hosts a successful and well attended international conference. Rea le boga, Siya bonga, Thank you very much for sacrificing your time and energy, for the benefit of our profession and our beautiful country.
Under the leadership of Prof Mpumelelo Ncube – the Chairperson of ASASWEI Biennial International Conference ‘25, the conference promises to create opportunities for educators, practitioners, and scholars to engage in dialogues across disciplines and sectors, as they explore innovative, evidence-based solutions that bridge theory and practice. The conference will serve as a catalyst for fostering global and local actions that promote peace, justice, and sustainability. I invite you all not to miss this opportunity.
ASASWEI EXCO promises to create an environment where conference attendees will engage in keynote address sessions, panel discussions, workshops and paper presentations. Moreover, attendees will enjoy free time to build relationships and networking opportunities that will inspire collaborative strategies for bringing about transformative and sustainable change. These spaces will culminate in gatherings that challenges all attendees to reflect on their role in shaping a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world through their work in research, education, direct practice and advocacy. For more details on the Theme, Sub-themes and Call for Abstracts, please visit our website: https://asaswei.org.za/2025/
Watch the space for the upcoming Regional Colloquiums, the first one of its kind to be hosted by the KZN, Limpopo and Eastern Cape Regions. In addition, look out for Webinars that will be organised under the banner of ASASWEI Special Interest Groups (SIG) and Journal Club. I would like to encourage all academics, students, practitioners to join, engage, contribute and participate in these enriching initiatives. Particularly, I look forward to more student participation.
In conclusion, I encourage all institutions to mobilise and organise all and sundry to gather in our various spaces as we celebrate World Social Work Day on 18 March 2025 under the Theme: Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing. The challenging times we live in call upon us to put on the spotlight the importance of caring and respecting people across generations irrespective of our differences, to care for and protect the planet and its ecosystems, and to accentuate the value of building peaceful societies, sustain the environment, and share wisdom across generations for a better future.
Wishing you ALL a new year that is filled with peace, a caring spirit and joy!
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Poppy Masinga
ASASWEI PRESIDENT