The National Shelter Movement of South Africa (NSMSA) is urging the National Treasury to increase shelter financing during the upcoming Medium-Term Budget Policy speech (MTBPS), amid widespread gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to present the MTBPS on Wednesday in Cape Town.
The NSMSA recently held the annual GBV Shelter Indaba, which starkly revealed the underfunding of shelters, and a lack of support to jeopardise the steadfast commitment to protect GBV victims.
The board chairperson at NSMSA, Dianne Massawe, urged for financial support from the government, highlighting that shelters are a safe haven for GBV victims, especially for women who have endured abuse from their intimate partners.
“While the Indaba clearly showed the critical role that civil society plays addressing this issue, which could have implications for more than half of the population, we cannot do it alone. We need support from the government, the private sector and from citizens and society as a whole,” said Massawe.
According to the NSMSA, many shelters find themselves in uncertain positions due to the chronic lack of funding, which is exacerbated by a lack of interdepartmental collaboration in government, and not enough public-private partnerships.
“There is also a definite lack of communication between government and NGO shelters with regards to compliance regulations. This can result in shelters being deemed non-compliant, or wrongfully accused of maladministration and put under investigation,” said the NSMSA.
The organisation lamented that Gauteng Department of Social Development failed to prioritise the dire need for shelters after returning R554 million of unspent funds.
“The lack of support is a slap in the face to those who are doing this work on behalf of the government,” said the NSMSA.
A shelter manager, Natalie Solomons, said shelters face severe challenges, with staff members being overworked, while earning meagre salaries that do not reflect the intensity of their work.
Recalling a violent incident involving a woman who was abused by her partner that took place at her shelter, she highlighted the safety of staff members was at risk.
“Evil has a face, and our teams confront it every day. Our work extends far beyond the walls of the shelter – it consumes us. The weight of this work is overwhelming, but shelter staff continue, knowing that without these spaces, many more lives would be lost,” said Solomons.
Among other internal challenges was the issue of late payments from government agencies, which disrupted cash flow, and making it difficult to plan for long-term service provision and retain skilled staff.
The NSMSA’s head of the executive Dr Zubeda Dangor urged the National Treasury to heed the organisation’s pleas, adding that the private sector should also chip in at the moment.
“GBV shelters are not just safe havens for victims of domestic and intimate partner violence; they are a critical component of South Africa’s social safety net for some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens. With most services, without proper funding, the future of many shelters is uncertain, and the people who rely on these services will be left without a lifeline.
“Therefore, we must work together to address these issues head-on and work towards sustainable solutions because preventing femicide starts with ensuring that women have safe spaces to turn to before violence escalates,” said Dangor.
Attempts to get hold of MEC Faith Mazibuko’s spokesperson, Teddy Gomba, were unsuccessful at the time of print.