The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has partnered with the Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) at Themba Hospital in KaBokweni, Mpumalanga, to ensure gender-based violence (GBV) cases are trial-ready. This collaboration comes after the Commission for Gender Equality criticized the NPA and South African Police Service (SAPS) for the high rate of GBV case withdrawals in the province.
Advocate Antoinette Nkosi, an NPA case manager at the care centre, explained the streamlined approach. “When a case comes through the Thuthuzela Care Centre, I review the docket with police, who meet the victim at the centre. We also provide psychosocial services with our partners from the Department of Social Development, offering counselling to victims. The aim is to ensure that when the case leaves the centre, it is ready for trial. Our goal is to secure convictions in as many sexual offences and GBV cases as possible,” said Nkosi.
The relaunch of the TCC is part of broader efforts to combat the country’s alarming GBV statistics.
Study Reveals 40% of South African Women Face Violence
A recent study by the Human Sciences Research Council highlights the extent of the GBV crisis in South Africa. It reveals that nearly 40% of women in the country experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes. The study, the first of its kind in South Africa, sheds light on widespread issues such as rape, femicide, and domestic abuse, alongside emotional, economic, and controlling behaviors.
Young Black African women are disproportionately affected, and intimate partner violence remains a significant problem. Alarmingly, girls as young as 15 are subjected to violence, often by family members.
The study calls for a comprehensive national action plan to address GBV, emphasizing the urgent need for systemic changes to protect vulnerable women and girls.