The team exceeded many of their targets. They conducted community dialogues that engaged over 1,000 residents, including men, women, youth, and the LGBTQIA+ community, raising crucial awareness. They established a Community Patrol and CPF Integration Team with 25 trained volunteers, who conducted daily patrols in identified hotspots.

A significant achievement was the successful piloting of a drop-in reporting desk at a local community hall, which enabled 20 survivors to access services directly. The team also successfully deepened partnerships with local NGOs to provide psychosocial support to 40 survivors. This effort created a positive ripple effect, leading to an increased public sense of safety and a greater trust in reporting systems.

A Story of Change: The Power of Unified Action

The Braamfischerville team’s journey was marked by a series of powerful shifts, from institutional collaboration to genuine community empowerment. While they faced obstacles like limited resources and the persistent issue of underreporting due to stigma, their success was rooted in a foundational shift in how different groups worked together.

They realized that addressing gender-based violence required more than just individual effort. The turning point was a realization that their impact would be limited without a unified, integrated approach. This led to a significant innovation: Integrated Community Patrols. This was not simply more patrols, but a new way of working, bringing together Community Policing Forum (CPF) members, GBV volunteers, and SAPS reservists. This unified team approach created a seamless flow of communication and action that had not existed before. The use of WhatsApp community alert groups further enhanced this, allowing for faster response times and real-time situational awareness.

This newfound collaboration fostered a deeper trust that rippled through the community. Survivors began to perceive the support systems as more reliable. This was further solidified by the emergence of survivor-led support circles in safe, confidential spaces. For the first time, survivors could find healing and empowerment in the shared experiences of their peers.

The impact of these changes was twofold. The concrete impact was a quantifiable improvement in law enforcement responsiveness and a growing number of survivors accessing vital services. The soft impact was a strengthening of community cohesion and institutional accountability. The team’s experience taught them that the biggest hurdle wasn’t just limited resources, but a lack of coordinated effort. By bridging the gaps between different groups, they laid a solid foundation for long-term prevention and created a more secure and responsive environment for everyone.