Developing an intergovernmental approach in addressing gender-based violence : a focus on the Ikageng and Promosa suburbs of the Tlokwe Local Municipality

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) and its legislation, policies and programmes are complex and diverse in their very nature. GBV has various dimensions within society and is therefore, embedded in the social, economic and political spheres of the country. This study investigates the various challenges experienced by National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Social Development (DSD), Department of Health (DOH), Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) and Crisis Centre in comprehensively addressing GBV. The very fact that the TCC and Crisis Centre employ inter-sectoral approaches in addressing GBV is of fundamental importance in the South African government’s quest to comprehensively address GBV. Yet the current lack of integration and coordination between the TCC and Crisis Centre, as well as with the various departments who are involved in addressing GBV, causes not only the services which are provided to the GBV victims, but also the overall functioning of the TCC and Crisis Centre to be fragmented. For this very reason, the study proposes an intergovernmental approach to addressing GBV. A qualitative research methodology is used in this study, which includes a literature study and unstructured interviews. The main objective of the study is to focus on the challenges experienced by the TCC and Crisis Centre, as well as the respective departments involved in comprehensively addressing GBV in the local suburbs of Ikageng and Promosa and finally, the extent to which an intergovernmental approach will address GBV in the Promosa and Ikageng areas of the Tlokwe Local Municipality. The findings of the study confirmed that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding of GBV and IGR legislation by officials involved in addressing GBV, as well as the lack of communication between the TCC and Crisis Centre, including all the respective departments involved in both centers, as well as between the three spheres of government. The study also revealed that there are coordination and alignment challenges between the TCC and Crisis Centre, as well as power struggles occurring between the respective departments involved in addressing GBV. Various recommendations were made to the TCC in Potchefstroom regarding the integration and coordination of not only the services, which are provided to victims of GBV, but to the overall functioning of the TCC. These recommendations are grouped under the five main sections, namely: establishing the TCC; organisation design and planning within the TCC; managing the TCC roles and responsibilities; monitoring, reporting and evaluating the TCC and reporting to provincial and national structures, which emerged throughout the course of the analysis of the findings in chapter four. These recommendations will assist the TCC in comprehensively integrating and coordinating the overall functioning of the TCC, which will in turn significantly improve the manner in which GBV is addressed.