Victim Support Centre (PE)

About the Victim Support Centre (PE)

The Victim Support Centre in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) is located at the corner of William Moffett Expressway and Lilly Avenue in Mangold Park — an area in the western suburbs of the city, near the Charlo and Walmer communities. Victim Support Centres in South Africa operate in partnership with SAPS and the Department of Social Development, providing trained lay counsellors and social workers to support victims of crime at or near police stations.

Services

As a victim empowerment centre, the VSC PE typically provides:

• Psychosocial support and crisis counselling for survivors of rape, domestic violence, child abuse, assault, and other violent crime.
• Victim advocacy and information — helping survivors understand the legal process, their rights, court procedures, and what to expect after reporting a crime.
• Referrals to specialist GBV services, shelters, legal aid, and health facilities.
• J88 assistance — guiding survivors through the medico-legal documentation process.
• Support group facilitation for GBV survivors in the Mangold Park / Charlo / Walmer catchment area.

Community Context

The William Moffett Expressway corridor is one of Gqeberha's primary suburban arteries, connecting Walmer, Charlo, Greenshields Park, and the broader southern suburbs. The VSC is positioned to serve both the surrounding middle-income suburbs and the adjacent working-class communities of Mangold Park and Bethelsdorp. The Nelson Mandela Bay metro has persistently high rates of GBV, and victim support infrastructure in the western suburbs is critical for communities that cannot easily access DSD services in the city centre.