CAFDA
CAFDA (Cape Flats Development Association) is a large Cape Flats welfare organisation at Retreat that provides social welfare, development programmes, and community services to the poorest of the poor in Cape Town's southern suburbs. Services explicitly include domestic violence support and counselling, addiction recovery, family strengthening, and skills training for unemployed community members.
Contact & Location
- c/o 8th Avenue & Prince George Drive, Retreat
Opening Hours
Opening hours not available. Contact the organisation directly.
About
About CAFDA
CAFDA (Cape Flats Development Association) is a registered non-profit organisation based at Cnr 8th Avenue & Prince George Drive, Retreat, Cape Town (also known as the corner of Retreat Road & Prince George Drive, Steenberg, Retreat, 7945). CAFDA was formally registered as an NPO on 20 December 1999 and is classified under economic, social and community development — specifically "organisations working towards improving the quality of life within communities or neighbourhoods."
CAFDA operates from the well-known CAFDA Community Centre — a multi-purpose welfare campus visible from the M5 highway — and has been a cornerstone of welfare service delivery in Cape Town's southern suburbs for over 25 years.
Services
CAFDA's mission is to empower and improve the capacity of the most vulnerable and marginalised to sustain themselves despite negative economic conditions. Their services are broad:
- Domestic violence support and counselling — explicitly listed on their website: "We provide a range of social welfare, development programs and services that promote stable family and community life. The aim of these projects are to empower people to take charge of their life, to take charge of their health and to overcome the challenges they face due to addictions, domestic violence and dysfunctional family dynamics."
- Social welfare services — social work support to families in crisis.
- Addiction and substance abuse support — counselling and recovery services for individuals and families struggling with alcohol and drug dependency.
- Skills training — CAFDA Skills Training Courses provide practical and theoretical training to empower individuals for employment or self-employment.
- Community development — poverty alleviation, food programmes, and community upliftment in the Retreat/Cafda Village/Steenberg/Lavender Hill corridor.
Community Context
CAFDA serves communities in the southern Peninsula — including Retreat, Cafda Village, Steenberg, Lavender Hill, Grassy Park, and Muizenberg — that are characterised by significant poverty, gang presence, and domestic violence. As a multi-service community hub, CAFDA provides an accessible first point of contact for community members who need social welfare support, including GBV survivors.