Thandazo Mandulo

Social Worker

Talent

DurbanMember since September 30, 2026

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About

I am a qualified and dedicated social worker with a Bachelor of Social Work and additional studies in Community Development. I have extensive experience providing comprehensive case management, psychosocial support, counselling, advocacy, protection services, and community-based interventions to vulnerable individuals and families, particularly refugees and asylum seekers.

In my previous role as an implementing partner of UNHCR, I managed a caseload of approximately 120 vulnerable clients and conducted holistic assessments, developed individualised intervention plans, provided trauma-informed counselling and crisis intervention, and coordinated referrals to appropriate services. I have experience working with complex cases involving mental health challenges, trauma, domestic violence, sexual and gender-based violence, child protection concerns, suicidality, HIV/AIDS, poverty, and human-rights violations.

My professional development has included training in legal advocacy on economic, social and cultural rights, sexual and gender-based violence, criminal law relating to the prevention of gender-based violence, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, time management, and Basic Life Support First Aid. These trainings have strengthened my understanding of human rights, protection, safeguarding, crisis response, and the importance of providing holistic and ethical support to clients.

I also have experience conducting Protection Needs Assessments and preparing Best Interest Determination reports for vulnerable children, advocating for clients' educational, medical, legal, and social-service needs, and working collaboratively with government departments, humanitarian organisations, community leaders, and other stakeholders.

In addition to direct social-work practice, I have supervised and mentored junior social workers and social-work students, supported complex case consultations, and contributed to community awareness programmes addressing SGBV, child protection, human rights, and community resilience.

I consider myself compassionate, culturally sensitive, organised, resilient, and committed to client-centred and ethical social-work practice. I am passionate about empowering individuals and communities, protecting vulnerable people, and connecting clients with the resources and services they need to improve their wellbeing. I believe my combination of professional experience, community-development background, specialised training, and commitment to social justice would allow me to make a meaningful contribution to this position.

Experience

Provided comprehensive case management and psychosocial support to refugees and asylum seekers as an implementing partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Conducted comprehensive holistic assessments and developed individualized intervention plans, including goal formulation, trauma counselling, crisis intervention, and vocational counselling for a culturally and linguistically diverse client population.
Managed a caseload of approximately 120 vulnerable clients in a fast-paced office environment, assessing and addressing complex social, psychosocial, protection, and socioeconomic needs.
Advocated for clients' educational, medical, legal, and social-service needs, particularly within a developing-world context where resources and services were often limited.
Worked with complex cases involving mental health challenges, trauma, domestic violence, suicidality, poverty, HIV/AIDS, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), child protection concerns, and human-rights violations.
Investigated protection-related concerns and prepared UNHCR Best Interest Determination (BID) reports for at-risk refugee children and Protection Needs Assessments (PNA) for adult clients.
Participated in the primary crisis response to the April 2015 xenophobic violence in Durban, working in partnership with UNHCR and local civic organisations to support affected refugee and asylum-seeking communities.
Coordinated referrals and access to appropriate support services and community resources, ensuring continuity of care and follow-up for vulnerable clients.
Facilitated child-protection referrals to the Department of Social Development (DSD) and other relevant service providers.
Provided trauma-informed support and participated in trauma debriefing activities for affected individuals and community members.
Trained community leaders in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and trauma debriefing approaches to strengthen community preparedness and resilience.
Facilitated SGBV awareness workshops with congregation leaders, community leaders, and relevant stakeholders.
Supervise two junior social workers, providing professional guidance, case consultation, support with complex cases, quality assurance, and assistance with professional development and effective service delivery.
Supervise and mentor fourth-year social-work students and interns from UNISA and UKZN, providing guidance on casework, professional practice, client interventions, documentation, and organisational activities.
Plan, organise, and lead community events and awareness programmes commemorating World Refugee Day, Human Rights Day, Child Protection Week, Youth Day, Women's Day, Heritage Day, Crime Victims' Rights Week, the 16 Days of Activism, and World AIDS Day.
Work collaboratively with community organisations, government departments, humanitarian agencies, and other stakeholders to strengthen protection and support services for refugees and asylum seekers.
Maintain accurate client records and capture case-management information on the Salesforce database.
Compile and monitor monthly statistics and service-delivery data to support organisational reporting, programme monitoring, and case-management planning.
Arrange and coordinate appropriate support services, referrals, and interventions based on individual client needs.