Philisa Abafazi Bethu, a gender-based violence non-profit organisation, opened its children's emergency safe house in Lake Road, Norfolk Park, on Friday November 8.

The seven-day safe house is for at-risk children in need of care and protection.

Philisa Abafazi Bethu also has a 14-day safe house for women and children in Chard Road, Norfolk Park and safe house in Steenberg catering to the LGBTQIA community

“We are a front line organisation that works with horrific cases of gender-based violence and, in particular, we've seen the scourge around children,” says Philisa Abafazi Bethu founder Lucinda Evans.

According to Ms Evans, a safe house exclusive to at-risk children is needed when a parent or a family member is the perpetrator and the child cannot, for a period of time, live at home.

“We cannot mix the services for children with our adult victim-empowerment safe houses. We know that children are also victims of abuse. We call them the secondary victims, but in most cases, children, like mothers, are also the first victims. The only difference between a child and a mother is that the child cannot verbalise.”

Ms Evans said she was glad that the safe house had been able to open in time for the festive season.

After the City had agreed to lease the house in Lake Road to Philisa Abafazi Bethu, the communities of Kirstenhof and Constantia had sprung into action offering their support, said Ms Evans.

“You will see the escalation of children going missing (during the festive season). So this is a critical service that we want to provide to the Department of Social Development. The service is here. We are ready to work. And we had to wait five years for the physical space to become available.”

The house has a social worker and three house mothers, but payment of their salaries would depend on public donations, she said.

“The construction and the rebuild of this house has placed us over budget, which we need to fund-raise back,” she said, adding that Philisa Abafazi Bethu would need R300 000 a year to cover the salaries of the social worker, house mothers and other operational costs, including food, clothing and medical expenses for the children.

More than 70 people attended the opening including representatives from the Human Rights Commission, the Department of Social Development, various community police forums, the police and emergency medical services.

Anneke Myburgh, from the provincial Department of Social Development, said Philisa Abafazi Bethu had realised a dream the department shared, and she added that safe house placement for vulnerable children was a challenge every festive period.

Mark de Hutton, who helped with maintenance and renovations at the house, said: “This project has been a shining example of the generous human spirit and how much change can be affected by people stepping up and stepping in.”

Ward councillor Carolynne Franklin added: “As we celebrate the immense efforts of so many to bring this safe haven, nestled in our community, to fruition, let us remain steadfast in our mission to protect, educate and empower our children. Together, we can break the cycles of abuse and neglect by fostering a society that values and cherishes its youngest members.”

Jasper de Hutton and Amelia de Villiers with her mother, Alison de Villiers, cut the ribbon to open Philisa Abafazi Bethu’s safe house. Picture: Janice Matthews

Words of affirmation decorate the entrance to the children’s safe house. Picture: Janice Matthews

The safe house caters for children from infancy to the age of 17. Picture: Janice Matthews

The opening of the safe house is the realisation of a five-year-long dream, says Philisa Abafazi Bethu founder Lucinda Evans. Picture: Janice Matthews

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