Deputy Minister Nel to Launch the Phuthaditjhaba Thuthuzela Care Centre

11 April 2025

Deputy Minister Nel to Launch the Phuthaditjhaba Thuthuzela Care Centre

The Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr. Andries Nel, accompanied by the National Director of Public Prosecution, Adv. Shamila Batohi, will officially launch the Phuthaditjhaba Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), at the Elizabeth Ross Hospital, in Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State. The 5th TCC in the province with the four other TCCs 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-centered 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 Thuthuzela Care Centres 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), Department of Social Development (DSD) and various NGOs. The TCC’s 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.

The launch details are as follows:
Date: 16 April 2025
Time: 09h00
Venue: Elizabeth Ross District Hospital, 597A2 Motebang Road, Makong Village, Phuthaditjhaba, Free State Province

Enquiries:

Adv Mthunzi Mhaga
Spokesperson
Cell: 083 641 8141

Issued by the National Prosecuting Authority