The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms Thembisile Simelane, accompanied by the National Director of Public Prosecutions Adv. Shamila Batohi, will on Monday 19 August 2024, officially launch the latest Thuthuzela Care Centre at the Mitchell’s Plain Hospital in the Western Cape. This increases the number of operational Thuthuzela Care Centres to 65 in South Africa – a phenomenal increase from 55 in 2021.
The Mitchells Plain TCC is one of three new centres developed in close collaboration with the Networking HIV and AIDS Community of Southern Africa (NACOSA), employing a survivor-centred design approach, and funded The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
TCCs are one-stop facilities which provide pre-trial services; and psychosocial, medical, and legal services to victims of gender-based violence (GBV) in a victim-centred manner. TCCs are court-directed and have been developed to reach three main objectives:
• Reducing secondary victimisation
• Increasing the conviction rate ensuring that cases are court trial ready
• Reducing the cycle times of these cases from reporting to finalisation.
Owing to the high levels of GBV in South Africa, and in the execution of its mandate to develop best practices and policies in the reduction of gender-based violence, the SOCA Unit of the NPA, in 2001 introduced the TCC model.
The establishment of the Thuthuzela Care Centres is led by the NPA’s Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit (SOCA), in partnership with various stakeholders, as a response to the urgent need for an integrated strategy for prevention, and response and support for victims of GBV.
Their strength lies in the fact that they function as a multi-disciplinary team, consisting of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Department of Health (DOH), South African Police Service (SAPS), and Department of Social Development (DSD) and community organisations. The TCC’s integrated approach to gender-based violence (GBV) care is one of respect, comfort, restoring dignity and ensuring justice for children, women and men who are victims of GBV.
