South Africa has been battling the scourge of the COVID-19 Pandemic which has negatively affected many individuals and families. The South African government imposed a national lockdown to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the lockdown also brought more challenges such as increased violence cases. Against this background, this study sought to analyse the COVID-19 lockdown and domestic violence in South Africa. A non-empirical research design was used where documents from search engines such as Google scholar, EBSCOhost and ProQuest were sampled and reviewed using keywords and phrases related to COVID-19, lockdown and domestic violence to filter relevant data, restricted to 2002-2022. The inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to analyze the collected data. Findings reveal that the South African Lockdown has contributed to the rise of domestic violence cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results further indicate that victims of domestic violence face psychosocial challenges due to domestic violence. Programs that are aimed at creating awareness and empowering victims of domestic violence are recommended by this study. It is further recommended that policies protecting citizens against domestic violence be reviewed and strengthened.

This paper sought to explore and describe the roles and responsibilities of social workers in addiction management. The researchers adopted a qualitative approach and used a multiple-case study design. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to select social workers who specialise in substance/addiction management from two Non-Governmental Organisations and one Government Department. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were used to gather data, then thematically analysed. The study's findings indicated that social service practitioners' roles and responsibilities in the public and private sectors are blurry. It was further found that there is role confusion due to a lack of clarity on this issue as some staff tends to shift their responsibilities. This article provides lenses for higher education institutions in tailoring social work programs to address addiction management issues, as there is a persistent need for the development of a curriculum responding to addiction in social work

Crystal methamphetamine (meth) is quickly becoming one of the most used synthetic drugs worldwide, adding to the growing pandemic of substance abuse worldwide. Crystal meth may cause serious health effects including infertility, cancer and even DNA damage, especially among long-term users. Crystal meth users are often not aware of the serious health implications caused by crystal meth until it’s too late. This qualitative research paper employed the phenomenological research design to explore and describe lived experiences of crystal meth users. A total of 11 crystal meth users in the Witbank hotspots were identified through purposive convenience and key informants sampling. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and the thematic content analysis was used for analysis. The study's findings reveal that crystal meth users have an uncontrollable urge to use the substance which results in them being stigmatized in society and negatively affecting their family functioning. The findings also show that some crystal meth users engage in criminal activities. There is a need for further studies on lived experiences across all types of drugs. Policymakers in South Africa should work towards an Instant-admission policy for people who use substances, through the capacity of social workers.

Globally, alcohol use is an important public health concern which often contributes to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV/F), Femicide and Gender Based Violence (GBV). Interfacing of alcohol use and intimate partner violence in under-resourced and rural areas has received little empirical attention and interventions for enlightening the crisis of IPV and related social ills. This paper explored the nexus between alcohol use and intimate partner violence in under-resourced and rural areas. The study employed a qualitative, exploratory multiple case study design. Purposive, snowballing and convenience sampling techniques were employed. The study was cleared ethically by the registered body at the university. Data was analysed thematically. This study found that the majority of the cases showed a linkage between intimate partner violence and substance abuse incidents. It can be concluded that the availability and affordability of alcohol play a role in IPV. Awareness campaigns about the linkage between substance abuse and IPV should be implemented.