The National Prosecuting Authority in partnership with Vodacom launch the Kabokweni Themba Thuthuzela Care Centre

MBOMBELA - The National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Adv. Shamila Batohi, and the Chief Executive Officer of Vodacom South Africa, Sitho Mdlalose, officially re-launched the KaBokweni Themba Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) in Mpumalanga today. The KaBokweni Themba TCC serves a vast jurisdiction, characterised by a high rate of crime, especially gender-based violence and femicide, in areas such as Masoyi, KaNyamazane and White River. Such cases are dealt with in various courts including the High Court.

Thuthuzela Care Centers are one-stop facilities established by the NPA, which provide pre-trial services, psychosocial support, medical treatment, and legal services on-site aimed at reducing secondary victimisation and building a case ready for successful prosecution. The TCC process ensures that service providers are available to gender-based violence (GBV) survivors in various locations and the model has been internationally recognised as a best practice for the provision of services to victims of gender-based violence.

Advocate Batohi said: "There is an incredible amount of work being done to address the national Gender -based violence and femicide crisis, both here in Kabokweni and across the country. But statistics show that barely 10% of victims receive justice. As much as we are committed to delivering justice for victims of GBVF, we cannot prosecute ourselves out of this crisis. GBVF is not a problem that the criminal justice system can solve. We need a whole of society approach.”

She added that the NPA has found that, generally, the focus on gender-based violence has been on the crimes, and very rarely on those gender norms that enable women’s subordination and suppression in various communities. Very limited attention is paid to the various social and cultural practices that promote the treatment of women as objects of violence and abuse. These are therefore areas where a lot more work must be undertaken to really make an impact. We have to target interventions proactively to make sure that our children are not violated, and our girls and women are not subjected to these abuses.

Mdlalose said that as the statistics on GBV continue to make headlines in the country, Vodacom remains steadfast in its pledge to end this societal ill. Vodacom donated towards the re-accommodation of the Kabokweni Themba TCC into a new fit for purpose modular structure, including refurbishment as part of its fight to tackle gender-based violence in South Africa. He explained that the new TCC at Themba Hospital, addresses a need to provide GBV survivors in underserved areas with a safe, private space, increased access to medical, psychological, and legal services.

"Our partnership with the NPA forms part of our comprehensive GBV ecosystem approach, working together with government and non-government organisations to invest in initiatives that prevent and respond to GBV while empowering those affected. Through technology-driven solutions and public-private partnerships, we aim to expand our GBV ecosystem across all sectors of South Africa to enable sustainable, far-reaching impact in overcoming this pervasive societal issue. Our ongoing efforts affirm our commitment to driving inclusion for all as we achieve our purpose to connect everyone to a better future,” said Mdlalose.

Owing to this model's success, the NPA has partnered with the private sector to establish more TCCs and rapidly increase its footprint in South Africa as part of its strategy to fight the GBV scourge. The model allows for access to a dedicated State Advocate, responsible for the prosecutor-guided investigation of the matter, a Victim Assistant Officer, a forensic Nurse/ doctor to assist during the examination, a specialised Police Officer, and a Social Worker to provide counselling services to the victims.

Additional services to address the needs of the victim and comfort as part of restoring the dignity of the victim are also provided. There are several referral services from Kabokweni Themba TCC, for prevention and early intervention services to the Department of Social Development and NGOs rendering services at KaBokweni and surrounding areas.

Countrywide there are 65 Thuthuzela Care Centres , six in Mpumalanga, which are all located in public hospitals in various districts, namely, Kaboweni Themba TCC, Nelspruit Rob Ferreira TCC, Tonga TCC, Ermelo TCC, Evander TCC, and Emalahleni Witbank TCC . The NPA recognises the significant impact that GBV has on our communities, families, and individuals, and we understand that this is a collective challenge that requires the active involvement of all stakeholders, government, non-governmental organisations, law enforcement, and community members and remains committed to establishing public-private sector partnerships.