Places of safety for abused women and children are facing uncertainties due to potential budget cuts affecting their vital services. The Department of Social Development has notified shelters of an anticipated decrease in funding for the upcoming year, following Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s announcement of across-the-board budget cuts in his Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement last November.
Shelters, currently relying on just under 50% of their funding from the government, are particularly vulnerable. Bernadine Bachar, a manager at the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Cape Town, expressed concerns about securing financing for the future, stating, “I’m sitting here thinking, where am I going to find that money if it’s not going to come from DSD? I’ve got three months to find six million rand in this economic crisis, so it’s almost impossible.”
While the funding for shelters diminishes, the demand for their services persists.
For many women, finding temporary refuge in a shelter is a lifeline. Two residents at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, Janine Norris and Yolanda Festers, shared their experiences and emphasized the significance of the facility in rebuilding their lives.
Norris says, “Before coming here, I was totally broken. I don’t have matric currently, I don’t have any qualifications. So, because I’m in the sewing room, I’m going to be studying for a qualified machinist. Saartjie Baartman has offered to help me with that.”
Festers adds, “Being able to say enough is enough, and being able to say that I’m going to find my way, and I’m willing to take every opportunity and every strength to go and do what’s best and to get my voice out there, telling other ladies that there is a place of safety. There is a place where you can find yourself, not only for you but for your children.”
