NPA opens rape crisis centre in Mitchells Plain

The Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCC) have seen an increase in the numbers of reported matters where children were victims in the past eight years. This was revealed by Advocate Shamila Batohi of the National Prosecution Authority during the opening of the 65^th Thuthuzela Care Centre in Mitchells Plain on Monday. Introduced in 1999, the Thuthuzela Care Centres are one-stop facilities that were introduced to provide critical care as part of South Africa’s anti-rape strategy.

The national director of public prosecution at the NPA told the various stakeholders that attended the event that the centres have also seen improved reporting of cases since 2020. “Besides providing better quality services to victims of GBV [gender-based violence], a larger footprint of TCCs translates into improved reporting with 29,593 matters reported in 2020/2021 (60 TCCs) vs. 36,813 reported in 2022/2023 (62 TCCs). This figure represents an increase of 24.3% over a two-year period.  For the past 8 years combined, TCC sites have dealt with 266,593 matters reported at these sites. By the end of December 2023, 51.8% of these reported matters involved children as victims, whereas 28.2% involved adult victims,” said Batohi.

Batohi said they have also noticed an increase in longer sentences handed down by the courts for cases that were finalised by the centres. “For the past 2 years up to December 2023, the courts imposed 337 life imprisonment sentences, 236 sentences of between 20-25 years imprisonment and 624 sentences of between 10-15 years imprisonment,” she said.

Batohi was however quick to point out that the imposition of higher sentences has not led to reduced levels of GBV. “As much as we are committed to delivering justice for victims of GBVF [gender-based violence and femicide], we cannot prosecute ourselves out of this crisis,” said Batohi.

The Mitchells Plain centre is the 10^th Thuthuzela Care Centre in the Western Cape. The MEC for health and wellness in the province, Mireille Wenger, said that there is an alarming increase in the use of firearms in GBV cases. Wenger said that GBV is costing the country billions of rands. “A report titled ‘The costly impact of GBV: Private sector perceptions and realities in South Africa’ estimated that gender-based violence cost South Africa R36-billion in 2019. This includes judicial costs, medical costs and huge human capital loss that occurs as a result of the extraordinary toll it takes on women’s health, education and productivity,” Wenger said.

Ward councilor for Sub-council 12, Solomon Philander, said that as local government, they also have a role to play in ensuring that street lights are working in order to improve the safety of women and residents.

Caroline Peters, a gender activist and founder of Callas Foundation, called for the centre to operate all day as opposed to only operating from 07h00 until 16h00. “How is it that we do not have a centre in Mitchells Plain that is open 24 hours a day when Mitchells Plain is in the top 30 of GBV cases in this country?” Peters asked.

Responding to Peters, the head of the Sexual Offences and Community Affairs unit of the NPA, Advocate Lizelle Africa, said that the services are available 24 hours but it is a shared service and they are available to victims in Mitchells Plain

Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andre Nel, said the government has signed laws to strengthen efforts to end GBV. “The Criminal Law Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act expands the scope of the national register for sex offenders to include the particulars of all sex offenders and not only sex offenders against children and persons who are mentally disabled. It expands the list of persons who are protected to include other vulnerable persons, namely, certain young women, persons with physical, mental or intellectual disabilities and persons over 60 years of age who, for example, receive community-based care and support services,” he said.