VEREENIGING.- The MEC for Health and Wellness, FaithMazibuko, together with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Siriti and Fraser Alexander, hosted the TCC’s Day of Learning and the unveiling of the Kopanong Thuthuzela Care Centre.

The event was held at the Kopanong Hospital in Vereeniging last week.

Through this event, the partners aim to share lessons learned and look at ways to improve support services for victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) Mayor, Hassan Mako, was also in attendance.

The unveiling of the centre will help bring much-needed support services closer to survivors and communities. Thuthuzela Care Centres are one-stop, victim-centred facilities integrated into public hospitals and clinics

The Health Department said that they bring together critical services that survivors need, including medical attention, psychosocial support, assistance with reporting, investigation and access to the criminal justice process, in an environment designed to protect their dignity and reduce the trauma that can accompany seeking help.

In his address Mako said, “I will go to sleep in peace knowing that victims of rape, those who have been sexually assaulted, and victims of GBV and femicide now have a place of refuge and support, a place where they will receive medical care and psychosocial support, where statements can be taken in a private and caring environment, and where investigators and prosecutors will be readily available to deal with perpetrators.”