Traffic at a main intersection leading to Paardekraal, a township outside Rustenburg, is quieter than usual given South Africa’s ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. But on a late winter’s day, a cluster of people who are gathered on the pavement refuse to be silent.
Realistic dolls and teddy bears are part of the props that trained Kgomotso Care Centre staff use to help children who are victims of rape and sexual abuse feel more at ease expressing their injury and trauma. The MSF services in the Bojanala district have been centred on the establishment of four Kgomotso Care Centres . Each care centre is equipped to give a rape victim medical, emotional and psychological support. Besides having a registered counsellor and social worker on hand, there is also a forensic nurse to collect evidence that will stand up in court. They also help facilitate the reporting of the crime to the police if the victim wants to.
Months into South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown, however, much of this has been vandalised. Mphahlele points this out on a spot-check visit to the taxi rank. It is also noticeable that mask wearing is not being enforced and taxis do not operate with windows open. Mphahlele’s biggest concern is that Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have disrupted regular services for reproductive health and termination of pregnancy. In the early months of lockdown, there were reduced services and some facilities closed for weeks at a time. MSF had to increase their assistance to transport patients to facilities and to arrange appointments at the few sites where treatment was still available.
The reality of the handover in the province though has so far been hit and miss – raising questions about the department of health’s capacity and commitment to continue with the KCCs in a model that will still deliver a reasonable service.Spotlight’s She says knowing the community will “not be able to just switch to services run by the department of health when we are gone is heartbreaking – it is something that doesn’t gel with me”.For Poppy Makgobatlou, a resident of Bapong, Rustenburg who is a survivor of 29 years of domestic violence and abuse, finding the KCCs in 2017 “saved her life”. She says the team at the KCC helped her “find my self-esteem, to stand up for my dignity – they are my family”.