The Free State department of social development has identified Mangaung as a hotspot for gender-based violence (GBV), recording 504 cases in the metro during the 2025/26 financial year. The reports originate from Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu and have prompted increased support services and prevention measures across the area, the department said.
Services expanded as cases mount
Provincial officials say a range of interventions are now in place to assist survivors and attempt to curb further violence. These include shelters that provide safe accommodation, protection, counselling, psychological care and material support. Thuthuzela Care Centres continue to offer trauma containment and psychosocial assistance in affected communities, the department added.
In addition, the province runs a prevention initiative known as the 365 Days GBVF Prevention Programme, which aims to rebuild community cohesion and reduce the incidence of violence across the Free State. The department also deploys social workers beyond normal hours and offers psychosocial support for perpetrators who have been referred through the courts, with the stated intention of addressing harmful behaviour.
Officials call for collective effort
Free State social development officials framed the surge in cases as a symptom of deeper social problems. Mathabo Hlalele, the provincial social development MEC, described GBV and femicide as rooted in entrenched patriarchal attitudes, unequal power relations and harmful social norms that erode the freedom and safety of women and children.
"Men must move beyond condemning GBVF only after another woman has been killed or abused and become active participants in changing the attitudes and behaviour that sustain violence," said Hlalele.
The department’s spokesperson, Thembile Nqabeni, emphasised that tackling GBV requires the participation of communities, civil society, government departments, men, boys and women. Nqabeni said the scale of the problem demands sustained community involvement and preventative action, not solely responses that arrive after violence has occurred.
Context and national concern
Provincial action in Mangaung takes place against heightened national attention on violence against women and children. The reporting noted that calls for stronger prevention measures intensified recently after the recovery of a ninth woman’s body in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg.
Locally, the department’s measures seek to join up immediate victim support with longer-term prevention. Social workers available after hours can assist survivors at difficult times, while court referrals for perpetrators may be accompanied by psychosocial services aimed at behaviour change, Nqabeni said.
What residents should know
For people in Mangaung seeking assistance, the provincial department has signalled that shelters and Thuthuzela Care Centres are available for trauma support and protection. The role of community organisations and men’s groups has also been highlighted as essential to shifting norms that underpin violence.
- Recorded cases: 504 GBV reports in Mangaung (2025/26 financial year)
- Primary locations mentioned: Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu
- Key provincial responses: shelters, Thuthuzela Care Centres, 365 Days GBVF Prevention Programme, after-hours social workers, psychosocial support for court-referred perpetrators
The department’s account underlines that services are both reactive — offering immediate protection and counselling — and proactive, through prevention programming and efforts to shift social attitudes. Officials urged a broad-based, collective approach in which community stakeholders and men take active roles in preventing violence.
| Intervention | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Shelters | Safe accommodation, material and psychological support |
| Thuthuzela Care Centres | Trauma containment and psychosocial services |
| 365 Days GBVF Prevention Programme | Community cohesion and violence prevention |
| After-hours social workers | Immediate support outside office hours |
| Perpetrator psychosocial interventions | Behavioural change where routed through courts |
The department did not provide a ward-by-ward breakdown of the 504 cases. It said the response will continue to balance survivor services with prevention efforts, and called on all sectors of society to contribute to a sustained reduction in GBV across Mangaung and the broader Free State.
