DEPUTY MINISTER NEL TO LAUNCH THE PHUTHADITJHABA THUTHUZELA CARE CENTRE

• The 66th Thuthuzela Care Centre is to be launched in Phuthaditjhaba on Tuesday.
•  ⁠The strength of TCCs lie in the multi-disciplinary integrated approach of government agencies and NPOs.
• ⁠The TCCs prioritise respect, comfort, restoring dignity and ensuring justice for children, women and men who are victims of GBV.

Government’s concerted efforts to address the scourge of gender based violence through reducing secondary victimisation and bolstering successful prosecution of perpetrators comes to the fore as the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr. Andries Nel, accompanied by the National Director of Public Prosecution, Adv. Shamila Batohi, will on Tuesday officially launch the Phuthaditjhaba Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), at the Elizabeth Ross Hospital, in Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State.

The Phuthaditjhaba TCC is the 5th in the province, with the four others located in Bloemfontein, Bethlehem, Sasolburg and Welkom.

This increases the number of operational Thuthuzela Care Centres to 66 in South Africa, which is a phenomenal increase from 55 in 2021 to 66 in 2025.

TCCs are one-stop facilities which provide pretrial services: 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; and
•⁠ ⁠Reducing the cycle times of these cases from reporting to finalization.

The establishment of the TTCs is led by the NPA’s Sexual Offences and Community Affairs (SOCA) Unit, in partnership with various stakeholders, as a response to the urgent need for an integrated strategy for prevention, response and support for victims of GBV.

Their strength lies in the fact that they function as a multi-disciplinary team, consisting of the NPA, Department of Health (DOH), South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of Social Development (DSD) and various NGOs.

The TCCs’ 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.