Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has stressed how serious the provincial government is about dealing with Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and homelessness in the province.
He made these comments after giving the Gauteng Premier’s State of the Province Address on Monday, February 19, 2024, at the Nasrec Expo Centre.
GBV is a big worry for people in Gauteng, especially when recent SAPS crime stats show that the province has a big share of reported cases of sexual assault and rape.
Gauteng accounts for about 20.6% of sexual assault cases and 20.4% of rape cases reported nationally.
“To tackle this rise in crime, we’re setting up an e-policing network and improving our ICT infrastructure to help with GBV, school safety, and making policing more visible,” said Lesufi.
Lesufi also said the Gauteng Government will put into action the Provincial Gender-Based Violence Plan, working with different groups to match the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
So far, the government has opened 23 Green Doors, which are support centers for GBV survivors, and they plan to help nearly 500,000 households.
“We’ve also added 34 special cars to deal with gender-based cases quickly.”
On the issue of homelessness, efforts have been significant too.
Lesufi said over the term, the government has provided support to over 340,000 homeless people through shelters and outreach campaigns.
“We’ve set up 2,782 shelters, including 19 Park homes. These shelters provide services to over 21,000 homeless people, offering meals, counselling, and referrals to other services. About 8,097 people got life skills training,” he said.
Many homeless people have been reunited with their families, and others have found job opportunities.
To offer more support, there’s a mobile initiative providing services like washing, trucks, and mobile offices acting as drop-in centres for those in need.
On the anti-drug campaign, known as Ke Moja Without Drugs, Lesufi reported that over 6 million substance abusers have been reached.
“We’ve helped 155,616 people access substance use disorder treatment services. During this time, 205,071 drug addicts were rehabilitated, including in aftercare facilities. Our prevention programs reached 15,832,764 people,” he said.
The government has partnered with Clinix Health Group to offer inpatient treatment services, with beds, outpatient programs, and halfway houses.
On the Anti-Substance Abuse Helpline, Lesufi said they’ve handled 25,402 service requests, with crystal meth and nyaope being the most common.
“We’ve provided different treatment options, and 4,851 users got inpatient treatment from government and NGO centers. We’ve also given over 8,000 outpatient services and 8,304 community-based services.”
By Thabo Bodibe
