Roster Home of Safety (RHOS)

Roster Home of Safety (RHOS) was established in this environment with a broad-spectrum community development mandate — reaching into the domains that intersect most acutely with GBV and social vulnerability in OR Tambo: HIV/AIDS, social behaviour change, human rights, skills development, and NPO strengthening.

Leadership

CEO Mr Songezo Kohliso brings more than 20 years of NGO sector experience across multiple positions and departments, with representation at district, provincial, and national development structures. CFO Mr Sikhumbuzo Xina has more than ten years of NGO experience including in corporate communications and stakeholder relations. Director of Programmes Yonela Gosa has eight-plus years of NPO experience in M&E, project management, and procurement and supply chain management. The leadership team is experienced, credentialed, and rooted in the OR Tambo civil society ecosystem.

Programmes

HIV, TB Prevention and Support Prevention Programmes: Community awareness campaigns and dialogues (door-to-door, school visits, church visits, tavern visits, local events, media and social media). HIV, TB, and STI screening, counselling, and testing. Treatment Adherence Support: Establishing adherence clubs and support groups; screening, testing, counselling, and linkage to care; HIV home-related services; stigma and discrimination reduction. These programmes operate in a district where HIV prevalence is among the highest in South Africa, and where TB and HIV co-infection is a compounding challenge.

Social Behaviour Change — GBV Programmes Adolescent Young People: Boys and girls indabas and dialogues; youth camp activities; teen parenting support; Gender-Based Violence awareness; substance and alcohol abuse intervention.

Young Women and Widows: Awareness and dialogues on human rights; self-independence and entrepreneurship; family planning; GBV victim support — this is RHOS's direct service to women experiencing or recovering from GBV.

This programme recognises that in OR Tambo's communities, GBV, HIV, early pregnancy, substance abuse, and economic dependence are deeply intertwined — and that interventions which address only one thread leave the others intact.

Human Rights Advocacy Training modules and dialogues on: rights and freedom; diversity, stigma, and discrimination; sex, gender, and sexuality; key and vulnerable populations (sex workers, LGBTQI+ persons, men who have sex with men, people with disabilities); sexual and gender-based violence; and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Men-focused programmes: Human rights, self-independence, family planning, and GBV victim support — an important acknowledgement that men can also be GBV victims and need targeted support pathways.

Training and Development Accredited and non-accredited training for individuals, NPOs, and communities in: life skills and personal leadership; farming; personal finance; business skills, principles, and entrepreneurship; communication skills; social media marketing; and home-based care. Specific target beneficiaries: young people, women, and people with disabilities.

Capacity Building and Mentoring for NPOs RHOS conducts comprehensive institutional assessments of other NPOs in the OR Tambo area, identifying governance, finance, compliance, communication, and M&E gaps and developing individualised capacity building plans. It then mentors organisations over a 6-month period (from R4,500) on good governance, M&E, policy and document design, marketing, and fundraising. This strengthens the entire civil society ecosystem in the district — including the many small community GBV organisations that lack management infrastructure.

Community Events RHOS hosts regular community events including: the Mthatha Heritage Festival (annual, September — now in its 4th year in 2026); Youth Day events in June; and community donation and activation initiatives. These events create platforms for community mobilisation, awareness-raising, and the celebration of community identity and resilience.

Partnership

RHOS partners with the Departments of Health, Education, Social Development, and Sport; the OR Tambo District Municipality (including traditional and political leadership); and Sicelusizo Development Trust — the organisation that mentored RHOS's founders and shares its developmental objectives.

Relevance to GBV Survivors

RHOS provides GBV victim support and awareness as part of its Social Behaviour Change programme — particularly for young women, widows, and adolescents in OR Tambo communities. While it is not a shelter or 24/7 crisis line, it offers community-based support, referrals, and dialogue in communities where specialist GBV services are scarce. For survivors in the Mthatha and OR Tambo area who need community-level support, human rights education, or referral to appropriate services, RHOS is a relevant contact.

Roster Home of Safety: 52 Sprigg Street, Mthatha, Eastern Cape. Phone: +27 67 278 8687. Email: info@rosterhos.org.za. Website: rosterhos.org.za. NPO 262-371.