Lerato Mailoane
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya has commended  the role the Gauteng Provincial Government continues to play in the fight against gender based violence through the Ikhaya Lethemba place of safety.
The Deputy Minister was speaking during her monitoring visit at Ikhaya Lethemba place of safety in Braamfontein, where she was accompanied by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko and MEC for Social Development, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi on Wednesday, 05 August 2020..  
"Our systems must never subject victims to secondary victimisation or push them back to the perpetrators because the consequences will be too dire. We must be able to assist victims and help them to reintegrate into society," said Siweya. 
The shelter serves as a place of hope for  abused women and children and provides a range of services for the women.  "The model might have challenges, but it is an ideal intervention in the fight against gender-based violence. It emphasises the victims' rights and prioritises their protection and recovery. It would be ideal if similar institutions could be replicated in all the districts where there are reported high levels of GBV," added Siweya.
Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko said the center has been sanctuary for many women and children who suffer various forms of gender based violence.
Since its inception in March 2003, the centre has assisted over 17 000 victims of gender based violence.