The national helpline service for gender-based violence is currently out of service. While the Department of Social Development attributes this to the restructuring of service providers, NGOs and civil organisations point out that survivors pay the price.

Listen to this article 9 min Listen to this article 9 min The National Gender-Based Violence Command Centre (GBVCC), serving as a national lifeline for GBV survivors, is currently out of service.

When the helpline's number (0800 428 428) is dialled, the call cuts off and delivers the message "the subscriber you have dialled is not available right now", says Mosaic, a non-government organisation advocating for women's rights

Mosaic verified that the line was not working when they checked it on 25 November, at the start of the 16 days of activism. Mosaic undertakes this verification process each year.

The last time Mosaic was aware that the number was "at least still ringing" was during last year's rounds of checks.

Daily Maverick called the helpline on 9 and 10 December and can confirm that the number is still unavailable.

The Department of Social Development was unable to answer questions about when the service had been cut off.

'Glaring failure'

According to the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, the GBV Command Centre received 65,311 calls, of which only 5,845 GBV survivors were assisted.

The spotlight on the service's failure comes during the 16 Days of...