Ahead of the start of 16 Days of Activism tomorrow, the DA in the Western Cape welcomes the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the province and national government which will allow for six government-owned properties to be made available as shelters for survivors of gender-based violence. Service providers have been appointed by the province for the shelters, each of which will manage their daily operations.
In response to our parliamentary question, the provincial Minister of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez, informs me that the shelters are located in the following municipalities and with the support of the indicated services providers:
- Two adjacent Properties in Bergriver Municipality. These will operate as one shelter managed by Siyabonga Huis van Danksegging;
- One shelter in Swartland Municipality, managed by Community Cohesion;
- One shelter in Laingsburg Municipality, managed by Famsa; and
- Two shelters in Hessequa Municipalty, managed by Mosaic.
Through additional parliamentary questions, I will continue to monitor the development of these shelters, the uptake of their services, and compliance with the relevant norms and standards.
The shelters are set to operate as emergency units that will house women and children for a period of up to two weeks. During the course of that time period, a social worker will carry out a safety and developmental needs assessment which will inform a decision on whether or not the survivor may be reintegrated into the community or referred to a longer-term shelter.
We further welcome the support of the provincial department in funding unit costs per bed in the shelters, along with house mothers, security, initial set up costs (including furniture), and social work services at each shelter.
