The killing of Reeva Steenkamp by her boyfriend and international athlete Oscar Pistorius has once again put the issue of violence against women on the national agenda.  She was killed by her double-amputee boyfriend on Valentine’s Day last year.
 
In trying to address the scourge of gender based violence, the Department of Social Development, in partnership with the Vodacom Foundation, is piloting a 24-hour call centre dedicated to provide support and counselling to victims of gender based violence.  The toll free number to call is 0800 428 428 (0800 GBV GBV) to speak to a social worker for assistance and counselling.
 
Shocking statistics by the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveal that between 40 and 70 per cent of female murder victims are killed by their husbands or boyfriends in South Africa.  According to the South African Police Service 175 880 crimes against women and 66 387 sexual offences were committed in 2012/13.
 
The command centre will allow social worker agents to provide telephonic support and counselling and can direct the victim’s case to a social worker in the following pilot areas - Gauteng (Hillbrow, Moroka, Sunnyside, Akasia, Alexandra) and KwaZulu Natal (Edendale and Inanda).
 
Social workers in the pilot districts have been provided with training on the GBV Command Centre system and cell phones to provide feedback on the cases directed to them for support and resolution.
 
Callers can also request a social worker from the Command Centre to contact them by dialling *120*7867# (free) from any cell phone.
 
The Command Centre will be symbolically launched soon after Human Rights Day, commemorated in South Africa annually on March 21, and shortly after International Women’s Day - a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future - on March 8.
 
 
Vodacom has invested R4.2 million for a period of six months to help cover the cost of the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and expertise to customise the call centre for the purpose of handling calls from victims of gender based violence.
 
Minister for Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini says the Command Centre is aimed at making the Department as responsive as possible to gender based violence. Additional functionality available to the Department on a real time basis includes strategic reporting which will highlight trends in specific locations or types of violence occurring, as well as an indication of demand for social workers in a specific district.
 
Future collaboration and information sharing with other government departments will also improve with the efficient handling of cases and the support required by victims via the Command Centre.
 
The Command Centre is working in collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS), allowing calls to receive priority and be escalated to a police station nearest to them where necessary.
 
In addition to providing immediate intervention for victims of gender based violence, the Command Centre will also assist in the prosecution of perpetrators as information collected throughout the intervention process by all role players can be made available to the courts as evidence.
 
This project emanates from the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender Based Violence and was committed to by Minister Dlamini during her 2013 Budget Vote. It also forms part of service delivery improvements being implemented by the Department of Social Development through Project Mikondzo – a service delivery improvement strategy that seeks to roll out speedier and more innovative methods of meeting community needs.
 
Members of the media are invited to a media briefing of the Command Centre, which will take place as follows:
 
Date: Sunday, 23 March 2014
Time: 09h00
Place: GCIS Head Office in Hatfield, Tshedimosetso House, 1035 Frances Baard Street (corner Festival Street) – a link to Cape Town will be provided
 
Media RSVPs may be directed to Jaconia Kobue on 073 026 1111 or jaconiak@dsd.gov.za.