The Department of Social Work was established in 1931 as part of a larger Department that included Psychology and Sociology. On 1 July 1957 a separate Department of Social Work was officially established. Throughout its history, the Department was known for its outstanding academics and alumni, notably Prof Erika Theron and Prof Narisscia Botha, who conducted ground-breaking research in social work, and who were instrumental in establishing social work as a profession in South Africa.