Eldorado Park Thusong Service Centre (Link Cres)

What Thusong Centres Offer

Each Thusong Centre is designed for the specific needs of its community — there is no single standard configuration. A centre in a rural Limpopo village will look different from one in a Cape Town township. But the core basket of services is drawn from the same departments:

Home Affairs: IDs, passports, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage registrations. SASSA: Social grant applications (child support, disability, old age, foster care grants) and grant-related queries. Department of Labour: UIF claims, labour law disputes, employment services. Department of Social Development: Social workers for child protection, family welfare, probation services, substance abuse, and VEP (Victim Empowerment Programme) officers. Department of Health / mobile clinics: Primary health care, chronic medication collection, family planning, HIV/AIDS services, and vaccination. Community Development Workers (CDWs): Frontline government workers who help community members navigate services, address blockages, and make referrals. NGOs, youth services, legal aid, and private sector: Many centres host additional civil society partners — legal aid clinics, youth advisory centres, small enterprise development (SEDA), and more.

Some Thusong Centres co-locate SAPS community service rooms and VEP receiving spaces, making them relevant as first points of contact for survivors who are not sure where to go.

GBV Relevance

Thusong Centres have been used as GBV awareness and outreach hubs since the programme's early years, including serving as the base for 16 Days of Activism campaigns and government GBV outreach events. Social workers from the Department of Social Development — including those responsible for VEP case management — are based at or rotate through many Thusong Centres.

For GBV survivors in rural communities, informal settlements, and areas where specialist NPOs have no physical presence, the nearest Thusong Centre may be the most accessible government touchpoint for: - A social worker who can provide immediate crisis assessment and referral - A VEP officer who can assist with protection orders and case support - SASSA grant access (critical for economic independence from an abusive partner) - Child protection services (child support grants, foster care, child protection reports) - A CDW who knows the local area and can connect a survivor to additional resources

Finding Your Nearest Centre

The full directory of Thusong Centres, with addresses and contact numbers, is available at: - thusong.gov.za - gov.za/about-government/contact-directory/thusong

Services vary centre by centre; it is worth calling ahead or asking your CDW what GBV-related services are available at your nearest location.

For Immediate Crisis

Thusong Centres are not 24-hour crisis services. For immediate GBV support at any hour: - GBV Command Centre: 0800 428 428 (toll-free, 24/7) - TEARS USSD: 1347355# (free, works without airtime or data) - Childline: 116 (toll-free, 24/7) - SAPS emergency: 10111

Thusong Service Centres: thusong.gov.za. 278+ centres, all 9 provinces. One-stop government service hubs: Home Affairs, SASSA, DSD social workers, VEP officers, Labour, Health, CDWs. Find your nearest: gov.za/about-government/contact-directory/thusong. Services vary by centre. Not a 24-hour crisis service. GBV crisis: 0800 428 428 (toll-free, 24/7).