Ilitha Labantu

01/06/2026

Ilitha Labantu would like to commorate this years Child Protection Week with the following Message from our Social Worker Annelisa Mlakalaka.

Every day Children face many forms of violence and abuse in South Africa and around the world, the duty rests on ourselves as communities, families, care givers and service providers to ensure the safety of each and every child from all forms of Violence.

We continue to strive to make this a reality for all children from all walks of life as a child deserves to be loved, protected and heard. We urge everyone to unite against this scourge and continue to echo for the safety of our children well beyond this week.

01/06/2026

📢 VACANCIES | ILITHA LABANTU

Ilitha Labantu invites suitably qualified and experienced professionals to apply for the following positions:

• Community Development Worker
• Legal Advisor
• Social Worker

Applications should be submitted to: [email protected]

Closing Date: Friday, 12 June 2026

For more information and detailed vacancy requirements, visit: ilithalabantu.org.za/vacancies

Please refer to the advert for further information on the positions and application process.

01/06/2026

Ilitha Labantu marked the start of our National Child Protection Week campaign where we visited Bonga Primary School in Gugulethu, where learners were engaged on their rights, safety, and wellbeing.

As part of our ongoing work in schools, these engagements create opportunities to raise awareness about children's rights, empower learners to speak out against abuse, and ensure that they know where and how to access support when they need it. By equipping children with knowledge & tools and strengthening referral pathways between schools, communities, and support services, we contribute towards creating safer environments where children are protected and heard.

Coinciding with International Children's Day, the visit served as a reminder that every child has the right to grow up free from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

As we observe National Child Protection Week under the theme "Working Together to End Violence Against Children," we are reminded that protecting the rights and wellbeing of children is a collective responsibility. While this week provides an important platform to raise awareness, safeguarding children requires a 365-day commitment from families, schools, communities, government, and civil society. Together, we must continue to strengthen efforts that protect children, uphold their rights, and ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in safety and dignity.

29/05/2026

Ilitha Labantu hosted a Strategic Engagement in Khayelitsha focused on strengthening institutional collaboration and community partnerships in support of safer school environments, as part of Ilitha Labantu’s Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative programme.

The engagement fell under Pillar 5: Institutions & Strategic Partnerships of the Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative, Ilitha Labantu’s strategic school safety and GBV prevention initiative implemented across schools in Gugulethu, Nyanga, KTC, and Khayelitsha. The engagement brought together a range of stakeholders including social workers, child protection services, NGOs, schools, and community leadership structures to engage on strengthening coordination in responding to learner vulnerability and challenges affecting school communities. At the centre of the dialogue was the recognition that schools cannot respond to issues of abuse, neglect, trauma, and violence in isolation.

The session focused on strengthening partnerships, improving coordination between institutions and service providers, and identifying gaps within current systems of support. These discussions were critical in ensuring that vulnerable learners are met with timely, coordinated, and effective interventions and do not fall through systemic gaps.

A key outcome of the engagement was the proposal for a stakeholder alignment session that will bring together strategic partners and service providers operating in Khayelitsha to map available services, strengthen coordination, and improve referral pathways. The proposed session seeks to establish a clearer understanding of existing support mechanisms and identify opportunities for more effective collaboration in ensuring that children and families receive timely and appropriate support.

Through the Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative, collaboration between schools, communities, and external stakeholders continues to be strengthened, contributing to safer, more inclusive, and responsive learning environments.

27/05/2026

Ilitha Labantu will be hosting a Strategic Engagement in Khayelitsha focused on strengthening institutional collaboration and community partnerships in support of safer school environments, as part of Ilitha Labantu’s Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative programme.

The engagement falls under Pillar 5: Institutions & Strategic Partnerships of the Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative, Ilitha Labantu’s strategic school safety and GBV prevention initiative implemented across schools in Gugulethu, Nyanga, KTC, and Khayelitsha. The engagement will bring together a range of stakeholders including social workers, child protection services, NGOs, schools, and community leadership structures to engage on strengthening coordination in responding to learner vulnerability and challenges affecting school communities. At the centre of this dialogue is the recognition that schools cannot respond to issues of abuse, neglect, trauma, and violence in isolation.

The session will focus on strengthening partnerships, improving coordination between institutions and service providers, and identifying gaps within current systems of support. These discussions are critical in ensuring that vulnerable learners are met with timely, coordinated, and effective interventions and do not fall through systemic gaps.

Through the Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative, collaboration between schools, communities, and external stakeholders continues to be strengthened, contributing to safer, more inclusive, and responsive learning environments.

This engagement forms part of an ongoing process to strengthen coordination, accountability, and collective action in support of safer school communities.

25/05/2026

Ilitha Labantu attended the Social Services Cluster Media and Stakeholders Briefing held at Parliament under the theme “Promoting values of accountability, transparency and fairness.” The engagement brought together Members of Parliament, oversight committees, and civil society stakeholders to engage on critical social development, public health, governance, and innovation matters affecting communities across South Africa.

The discussions highlighted the growing disconnect between policy commitments and the lived realities experienced daily by vulnerable communities. Concerns surrounding the underfunding of the Central Drug Authority, deteriorating public health infrastructure, institutional capacity challenges, and ongoing service delivery failures continue to reflect broader systemic issues confronting the country’s social services sector.

At a time when communities are increasingly affected by substance abuse, poverty, gender-based violence, unemployment, and barriers to accessing healthcare and social support services, accountability and implementation can no longer remain abstract policy discussions detached from realities on the ground.

A major concern remains government’s ability to translate commitments, declarations, and strategic plans into tangible implementation and measurable impact within communities. Public confidence in state institutions cannot be sustained through commitments alone, but through responsive governance and effective service delivery that materially improves people’s lives.

The engagement further highlighted the urgent need to identify and address service delivery gaps within township communities and rural areas, where access to essential services and institutional support often remains inadequate and unequal.

As an organisation with an extensive footprint across the Western Cape Province and a broad network of community stakeholders and grassroots structures, Ilitha Labantu continues to contribute towards identifying service delivery gaps through community engagement, psychosocial support programmes, youth development interventions, and community-based support services.

22/05/2026

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ILITHA LABANTU CALLS FOR URGENT INTERVENTION FOLLOWING ALLEGED SHORTAGES OF R**E KITS AT WESTERN CAPE FCS UNITS

Ilitha Labantu expresses serious concern following reports of severe shortages of r**e kits across several Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Units in the Western Cape, particularly the reported absence of D7 r**e kits used in cases involving children.

The reported findings from oversight visits conducted at FCS Units in Nyanga, Delft, Bellville, Mitchell’s Plain, Caledon and Hermanus raise alarming concerns regarding the readiness and capacity of specialised SAPS units to effectively respond to cases of r**e, child sexual abuse and broader gender-based violence. These units service communities that continue to experience disproportionately high levels of violence against women and children, including many working-class and rural communities where access to alternative support services may already be limited.

There is particular concern that many of the areas serviced by these FCS Units continue to record some of the highest reported rates of r**e and sexual assault in the province. The reported shortages therefore raise serious concerns regarding the ability of the criminal justice system to adequately respond to the scale of violence experienced within these communities.

Of particular concern is the reported absence of D7 r**e kits for children at all inspected facilities, while fewer than ten D1 r**e kits for adults were reportedly available at each unit visited. In cases involving sexual offences, forensic evidence collection is both critical and time-sensitive. Any delays in accessing appropriate forensic resources may severely undermine investigations, weaken prosecutions and compromise survivors’ access to justice. This concern is particularly severe in rural and geographically isolated communities where alternative facilities may be several hours away.

South Africa continues to face an ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and violence against children. While government has repeatedly acknowledged GBVF as a national crisis and introduced legislative reforms aimed at strengthening protections for survivors, these commitments must be matched by properly functioning systems and adequately resourced institutions on the ground. Specialised FCS Units cannot effectively fulfil their mandate without the forensic tools necessary to investigate these crimes.

The reported shortages also raise broader concerns regarding institutional accountability, supply chain management and the prioritisation of GBVF responses within law enforcement structures. This issue has been raised previously, yet the same concerns continue to emerge. It cannot be business as usual while critical forensic resources remain unavailable in communities experiencing some of the highest rates of r**e and sexual violence in the province.

Serious questions must therefore be asked about the underlying causes of these recurring failures. Whether this points to a lack of political will, poor coordination, failures in procurement and supply chain management, or broader systemic weaknesses, the reality is that survivors continue to bear the consequences of institutional shortcomings.

South Africa cannot hope to adequately address the scourge of r**e and sexual assault while failing to ensure that the most basic forensic tools required to investigate these crimes are consistently available. Commitments to combating GBVF must be reflected not only in policy and public statements, but in the operational functioning and preparedness of institutions responsible for responding to survivors.

For children, the consequences are particularly severe. In many cases involving child sexual abuse, perpetrators are often individuals known to the child, including family members, neighbours or trusted individuals within the community. This makes the need for an immediate, survivor-centred and properly resourced response absolutely critical. When institutions fail to respond effectively in these matters, survivors are not only denied justice, but may also be retraumatised by the very systems meant to protect them.

At a time when violence against women and children continues to devastate communities across South Africa, failures within systems designed to protect survivors cannot be treated as administrative oversights. The effective investigation and prosecution of sexual offences depends on properly functioning systems, adequate resources and urgent institutional accountability.

Ilitha Labantu remains committed to advocating for the protection, dignity and safety of women and children and calls on all relevant authorities to treat this matter with the seriousness, urgency and accountability it deserves.

For media inquiries please contact:

Siyabulela Monakali
Communications Manager | Ilitha Labantu
[email protected]

" R**e kit shortages in Western Cape police units have raised serious concerns about the ability to investigate child sexual abuse cases, as DA MP Nicholas Gotsell demands urgent action from the Acting Police Minister.

20/05/2026

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ilitha Labantu Notes Public Debate Following Sentencing In Murder Of Young Police Constable

Ilitha Labantu has noted ongoing public debate following the sentencing of a teenager to four years’ imprisonment in connection with the murder of a 23-year-old police constable, with discussions continuing around violent crime, accountability, youth offending, and sentencing in cases involving serious violent offences.

According to reports, the constable was stabbed in the back and killed last year. Two suspects were later arrested following an investigation conducted by the Hawks and subsequently entered into a plea agreement with the State.

The case has generated widespread public reaction, particularly regarding sentencing outcomes in cases involving serious violent crime and the broader impact of violence on communities across South Africa.

Incidents involving violent crime and loss of life continue to remain deeply concerning, particularly within communities already heavily affected by crime, violence, substance abuse, trauma, gang activity, and ongoing social instability.

While South Africa’s legal framework recognizes the importance of rehabilitation and reintegration, particularly in matters involving child offenders, serious violent offences must also carry meaningful consequences that reflect the severity of the crime, the loss of life involved, and the broader impact on affected families, communities, and society.

The criminal justice system should continue to treat all cases involving serious violent crime with the same level of seriousness, urgency, and accountability they deserve, irrespective of the age of the offender or surrounding social circumstances.

There is growing concern that sentencing outcomes perceived to be excessively lenient in cases involving murder risk setting a dangerous precedent for future sentencing in matters involving serious violent crime, particularly at a time when South Africa continues to experience alarming levels of violence and loss of life across communities. Such outcomes may further weaken public confidence in the criminal justice system and contribute to perceptions that accountability for serious violent offences is inconsistent.

While broader social conditions such as poverty, unemployment, trauma, violence, and social instability continue to contribute to vulnerability and criminality within communities, there can be no justification or excuse for acts involving serious violence and murder.

Meaningful responses to violent crime require both accountability and prevention measures, including strengthened violence prevention programmes, early intervention initiatives, improved access to psychosocial support services, and broader investment in addressing violence within vulnerable communities.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Siyabulela Monakali
Communications Manager, Ilitha Labantu
"[email protected]

A teenager has been controversially sentenced to just four years for the murder of a police officer, igniting outrage in Beaufort West.

18/05/2026

MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ILITHA LABANTU CONCERNED BY REVELATIONS OF HUNDREDS OF R**E CASES CLOSED AFTER VICTIMS COULD NOT BE TRACED.

Ilitha Labantu is deeply concerned by revelations contained in a parliamentary reply to DA MP Lisa Schickerling, which disclosed that 837 r**e cases were closed over the past three financial years because victims could not be traced.

This revelation raises serious concerns about the handling of r**e cases within SAPS and the broader criminal justice system. Behind every r**e docket is a survivor, a family, and a justice process that should be handled with urgency, sensitivity and accountability.

The parliamentary response itself raises troubling questions. While SAPS states that 837 r**e cases were closed because victims could not be traced, the same response further indicates that 781 cases were withdrawn and 105 cases were classified as undetected. These figures amount to 886 cases, creating a discrepancy of 49 cases in a formal parliamentary reply.

Equally concerning is SAPS’s assertion that none of these cases involved incorrect or incomplete recording of victims’ contact details, and that no consequence management was required.

The inability to trace victims in cases of this nature cannot be treated as a routine administrative matter. It raises serious concerns about whether sufficient measures were taken before these dockets were closed, including whether contact details were verified, whether alternative contacts were pursued, and whether the necessary oversight mechanisms were followed.

Despite the existence of legal frameworks intended to safeguard the rights and dignity of women, failures in implementation and enforcement remain deeply concerning. Survivors continue to face delayed justice, fragmented services and inadequate institutional support. The result is a justice system that too often fails those most vulnerable and contributes to a broader culture in which accountability remains elusive.

This matter once again highlights the ongoing institutional shortcomings that continue to undermine access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence. Public declarations and expressions of concern cannot continue to exist without meaningful implementation and measurable accountability. The gravity of South Africa’s gender-based violence crisis requires sustained political will, survivor-centred interventions and functional systems capable of protecting women and ensuring justice.

Ilitha Labantu calls for urgent transparency and accountability regarding the handling of these cases, including clarity on the discrepancies contained in the parliamentary response and the processes followed before these dockets were closed.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Siyabulela Monakali
Communications Manager, Ilitha Labantu
siyabulela@ilithalabantu.

Why were 837 r**e cases closed in the Western Cape? This shocking revelation raises questions about the availability of r**e kits and the effectiveness of the SAPS in supporting victims.

16/05/2026

Ilitha Labantu hosted an Educator Induction Training at the Ilitha Labantu Head Office in Gugulethu as part of Pillar 2 of the Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative, the Educator Empowerment Hub.

The Educator Empowerment Hub, which forms part of Pillar 2 of the Safe Schools Leadership Collaborative, is designed to strengthen educator support and professional development by promoting trauma-informed practices within schools and improving responses to learner wellbeing, safety and protection concerns. The induction training brought together educators from selected schools in Gugulethu, Nyanga and KTC and formed part of a broader ongoing training process focused on strengthening educator capacity and fostering safer, more supportive and responsive learning environments for children and young people.

Throughout the training, educators engaged in sessions focused on gender sensitivity, trauma-informed approaches, recognising indicators of abuse, and introductory counselling skills. The programme aims to strengthen educators’ ability to identify learner distress at an early stage, respond more effectively to wellbeing concerns, and create more supportive school spaces for learners facing social and emotional challenges.

Educators continue to play an important role beyond the classroom, often serving as the first point of support for learners experiencing distress, abuse, neglect and other social challenges. Strengthening educator capacity is therefore an important step towards building school communities where children feel safer, supported and seen.

Ilitha Labantu continues to prioritise learner wellbeing and protection through initiatives that strengthen school safety, empower educators, and support schools in responding to the realities affecting children and young people within their communities.