MEC Mazibuko not doing enough to curb GBV – DA

The Gauteng Department of Community Safety has failed to roll out “green doors” intended to ensure that the victims and survivors of gender-based violence receive prompt and effective services to prevent secondary victimisation.

This is according to the DA, who claim information revealed in the department of community safety’s first-quarter report highlighted the concerning find.

Reasons provided by the department was due to the inaccessibility of the homes, a result of the lockdown.

A Green Door is a safe space in the community that is at least 5 kms away from a police station and run by community members. It offers debriefing, containment and referral to necessary stakeholders such as local NGOs, police, and courts.

In a statement, the DA says the community safety department’s failure to establish Green Doors indicated the ANC-led government’s lack of care in ensuring that victims of GBV were protected during the lockdown period.

With a noted spike in GBV cases during the lockdown period, the DA said the department should have prioritised the establishment of Green Doors in the province, instead of using Covid-19 as an excuse.

Calling for MEC Faith Mazibuko to ensure the prioritisation of Green Doors, the party has tabled a Community Safety Private Members Bill which intends to ensure that cases of domestic and interpersonal abuse are treated with the concern they deserve, while also labelling specific offences with serious consequences for those who failed to assist the victims in accordance with the duties outlined in the bill.

The DA’s call for action comes as the MEC was in Eldorado Park last week in response to the violent situation in the area after a teen’s death.

The MEC alongside the SA Human Rights Commission had managed to calm angry crowds who clashed with police after the death of Nathaniel Bradley Julies, aged 16.

The crowds retaliated in response to Julies allegedly having been shot and killed by Eldorado Park police on Wednesday evening. Mazibuko pledged to update the parents of Julies on Ipid’s investigation.

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