The Saartjie Baartman Centre in Manenberg and the Philisa Abafazi Bethu Shelter in Retreat are two of the 14 shelters in danger of having to close their doors due to a lack of funding.
Fourteen of the Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement’s 26 shelters face closure should they not be able to raise emergency funding.
An emergency meeting was held on Thursday 8 December in Kenilworth to discuss the road forward for the struggling shelters.
Lucinda Evans, director of Philisa Abafazi Bethu, says her shelter is a Stage one shelter.
“A Stage 1 shelter operates in an emergency and is the first line of service before a client is referred to the Saartjie Baartman Centre, for instance.”
Evans says, during the annual 16 Days of Activism For No Violence Against Women and Children campaign, which ran from 25 November to 10 December, the Retreat shelter was full, back-to-back. “Since Covid-19 hit, we were busy 24/7, 365 days a year to accommodate GBV victims from hospitals, police or the courts,” she says.
The shelters offer services ranging from short- and long-term shelter to legal, psychosocial and economic empowerment services to women and children survivors of GBV.
Delene Roberts, chair of the Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement, explains that shelters are unable to raise sufficient funds to cover the deficit in their budgets after the allocation of funding received from the Department of Social Development. The situation is being exacerbated by the escalating economic crisis and rising costs for basic goods.
“We urgently need the private sector to support the fight against GBV; shelters cannot do this alone,” says Roberts.
Kathy Cronje, vice chair of the Western Cape Women’s Shelter Movement, adds: “Many of us will not be able to continue to offer services very shortly if we do not receive emergency assistance.”
Evans says, to remain open, Philisa Abafazi Bethu requires perishable and non-perishable food, toiletries and baby items from zero to two years. A baby formula like Nan 1 and 2, as well as Infacare, is preferred.
“If businesses or individuals want to sponsor in a monetary way, the money will be used to pay our monthly electricity bills and annual rates and taxes at the safehouse,” says Evans.
Food can be dropped off at 55 Strauss Road in Steenberg or at Philisa Abafazi Bethu Shelter at 20 Sullivan Road in Retreat.
- For more information, contact Lucinda Evans on 073 424 4665 or Bernadine Bachar on 083 307 1110.
