A brand new gender based violence and femicide (GBVF) and all abilities victim support centre opened its doors at the Bothasig Police Station last week. The centre is described as a first for Cape Town, the Western Cape and perhaps South Africa.
The launch of the centre took place on Friday 6 May.
It was attended by sponsors, the police, the community policing forum, the local neighbourhood watch, the ward councillor, the Western Cape premier, Allan Winde, minister of community safety and police oversight Reagen Allen, as well as members of the non-profit organisation (NPO) Iris House Children’s Hospice in Stikland, Bellville.
Iris House, who cares for special needs children and young adults and offers free respite care to their families, serves 46 communities in the province and West Coast. The NPO is also responsible for arranging funding for the facility which was set up next to the police station building in Steenoven Street, Bothasig.
Here trained volunteers and police officers will be able to assist those most vulnerable victims in a safe and secure space going forward.
In her speech Sue van der Linde, founder and chair of Iris House Children’s Hospice, said during an earlier visit to the Bothasig Police Station, she found that the old victim support centre was not in good keep after which they submitted a proposal for funding to have it replaced with a brand new container.
“We got hold of our partners at Maersk. Without them we will not be here today,” Van der Linde said.
She said the new centre will not just serve specific victims of crime, but all and that the centre will be an “all victim support centre”.
She said even blind people will be served at the centre, as a lot of crime is committed against people living with disabilities.
“We hope the centre will be able to help all the victims of crime,” she said.
Lt Col Taswell Paulse, section head for gender based violence and victim empowerment at the provincial police, said the facility will be available to those in need 24/7. He said the facility should not be misused by police officers, but exclusively for victims of crime.
Minister Allen indicated that as a department they look forward to working with the NPO and police going forward. He said the department will also expand their oversight role and that more visits to police stations will be conducted in the future by his department.
Allen also said they will look closely at gender based violence cases and how these cases are being responded to.
“We also are looking forward to building our relationship with the police,” he said.
Allen was sworn in as minister of community safety and police oversight on 26 April this year after the former minister had been removed on allegations of sexual misconduct.
Winde, the keynote speaker on Friday, said he was shocked to hear about the alleged sexual misconduct at the department, that he was equally shocked at the person who was alleged to have been involved, but that his main priority at the time was to protect the whistleblowers who came forward.
Furthermore he said he is glad to hear that the new facility at Bothasig Police Station is an all abilities victim support centre.
“I am glad to hear that, and thank you for that. This is a first for the Western Cape, perhaps even South Africa and the rest of the continent. This should be a standard across the board.”
He said GBV is a massive issue in our society.
“This must become the norm at every single police station across SA.”
He added: “We know that safety is an issue for so many of us in the province.”
Winde praised Van der Linde for her determination, her focus and the fact that she never gives up.
