A damning report by the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has exposed serious shortcomings at Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) across the Eastern Cape, including poor oversight, lack of accountability and inadequate resources.
Thuthuzela Care Centres are one-stop facilities established to reduce trauma for survivors of sexual violence and strengthen prosecutions.
The Eastern Cape has 11 centres, falling under the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) sexual offences and community affairs unit, and work with the departments of health and social development, police and civic organisations.
The commission said that despite clear operational guidelines set out in the TCC Blueprint, “implementation of this model faces significant challenges in the Eastern Cape”.
It found that while the blueprint defined roles and responsibilities, it did not provide for accountability or oversight, “resulting in a lack of accountability in the event of noncompliance or resistance”.
The report found inconsistencies in the allocation of resources across centres.
“Only the Dora Nginza TCC had a dedicated medical officer. Other TCCs rely on casualty and outpatient departments.
“Moreover, three of 11 TCCs have dedicated forensic nurses, indicating a significant shortage,” it said.
The commission also reported that “36% of TCCs, including Lusikisiki and Mthatha, do not have SAPS officials on site despite high rates of reported sexual offences in these areas”.
Only five centres had social auxiliary workers or first responders.
Only four of the 11 TCCs attended to rape survivors within the prescribed two-hour period.
In many cases, waiting times were extended due to “the availability of clinical and forensic healthcare practitioners and a lack of infrastructure”.
“Allocation of security measures is not based on risk assessments. Only the Butterworth TCC had dedicated security officers during the monitoring visit.
“Of the seven TCCs visited, only one had security personnel on site, and none were equipped with surveillance cameras,” the report found.
It said transport remained a major barrier across all centres.
“In some instances, victims have to sleep at the centres waiting for the SAPS to transport them home, especially at night, exposing the victims to secondary victimisations and compromising staff safety.”
The commission said there was no clear budget officially allocated for TCC services, which undermined service quality.
It also raised concern over “a significant lack of clarity regarding the maintenance plan for existing TCC infrastructure, particularly for those operating in park home facilities”.
Among its recommendations, the commission urged the NPA and health department to legislate the TCC Blueprint to ensure accountability and oversight, finalise memorandums of understanding and hold monthly implementation meetings to address gaps.
It also called for improved co-ordination between departments, formalised maintenance plans, a dedicated transport strategy and the recognition of forensic nurses to reduce delays in medical services.
It further recommended that the NPA develop a clear complaints procedure and provide related staff training, while the social development department should deploy first responders and social auxiliary workers to ensure 24-hour service.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said: “We are aware of the report. We have engaged them and shown them many inaccuracies contained in the report.
“For now, we are not going to be responding to the media.”
Social development spokesperson Mpumzi Zuzile said: “We support all Thuthuzela centres in the Eastern Cape.”
Children’s rights activist Petros Majola said: “The concept of Thuthuzela was a brilliant concept but didn’t yield the anticipated results.
“In some [TCCs], a victim is told a doctor is still busy with emergency services.
“I would receive a number of calls from victims about waiting for long hours. There’s a lot that needs to be done.”
Masimanyane Women’s International director Dr Lesley Ann Foster said the report reflected reality on the ground.
“The co-ordination between [health] and the NPA is not very strong. The expectations are not clear as to who has responsibility for what.
“The fact there’s no dedicated forensic doctor at Cecilia Makiwane, for instance, is a big problem.
“They [victims] have to stand in line with other accident and emergency patients.
“The waiting time for rape survivors can be very long.
“We’ve had reports of up to nine hours, and it’s the same thing with the police.
“In general, rape survivors are treated with disdain. Their human rights are not upheld and that’s absolutely tragic.
“The state has to take responsibility for this.
Police spokesperson Lt Col Siphokazi Mawisa said Thuthuzela Care Centres had police members deployed for 24hrs for statement taking.
“When the victim is reporting a case at the Police Station, there are victim friendly rooms in support of the victims. The statements to open a case are sometimes taken in the victim friendly room before the victim is taken to the Thuthuzela Care Centre,” Mawisa said.
“We are not aware of the victims sleeping at police stations. Police treat all victims with respect and dignity.”
The health department had responded to inquiries by the time of publication.
Daily Dispatch
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