ContentsSave the Children Pilot Project Truth and Reconciliation Project |
The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) was initially launched in January 1989 under the name of the Project for the Study of Violence. The Centre has since expanded to become a multi-disciplinary unit, engaging the services of sociologists, psychologists, criminologists, social workers, lawyers and historians under one roof. This makes the Centre unique in the world - being a large multi-disciplinary institute concentrating exclusively on the issues of violence and reconciliation.
The Centre currently has a staff of 30 full-time employees and is involved in research, policy development, education and training, and operates its own Trauma Clinic providing counselling services for both victims and perpetrators of violence. The Centre's particular areas of expertise are in the fields of political violence, policing and prisons research and policy formation, the fields of criminal, domestic and gender violence, violence against children, violence in industry as well as within the educational sphere. The Centre translates its research into policy proposals and prioritizes intervention strategies particularly in the spheres of education and training, institutional change management, and socio-economic development. The Centre also plays a central lobbying and advocacy role. The primary goal of the CSVR is to utilise its expertise in building reconciliation, democracy and a human rights culture within South African governance and society. As part of its reconciliation work, the Centre is active in generating policy on violence and development as well as the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to deal with past abuses of human rights in South Africa.
Through our work over the past years, the Centre has established contact and has developed working relationships with a range of organisations and institutions, such as trade unions, resource, service and professional organisations, legal and paralegal organisations, educational institutions, press and media organisations, victim aid centres, peace structures and policing institutions, both in South Africa and abroad. These contacts have been essential in ensuring that the work of the Centre is tailored to the needs and developments of the broad community and have provided an ongoing exchange of resources and information. We believe that through our educative and training programmes, our research, our victim aid strategies and our dialogue-generation and capacity building enterprises, the Centre has begun to make a significant contribution in engaging with the problem of violence in South Africa. Through these programmes, it is our mission not only to service the process of transition, but to help generate peace and reconciliation so essential to the long term prospects of sustainable socio-economic development in our country.
The Centre is affiliated to the University of Witwatersrand. This structure provides us with a rigorous and critical environment for objective research and social intervention programmes. The University also provides institutional oversight for the Centre's financial management. However, the Centre receives no financial support from the University or from the State. The CSVR therefore maintains a separate identity from the University, freed from the restraints of remaining a solely "academic" institution. The "action research" conducted at the CSVR thus services our role as an active agency for social change and development, but is unconstrained by some of the purely academic requirements consequent upon University research priorities.
This report covers the activities of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) from January to December 1994. This was a year which was marked by both continuity and dramatic change in South Africa. However, it is the process of change which has understandably caught the imagination of the world and which has been described as the "miracle" of peaceful transformation from apartheid to democracy.
The high point of this process was undoubtedly South Africa's first non-racial democratic election on April 27 1994. Yet however remarkable, from the perspective of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, this was less a "miracle" than it was the product of hard won compromises on behalf of the political leadership, and hard work, innovation and policy initiatives from the non-governmental sector and from civil society. Nor is this hard-won victory for reconciliation entirely secure. The Government of National Unity remains a politically delicate enterprise, the non-governmental organisations face an intensified funding crisis, and an expectant population awaits delivery on needs which have for decades been frustrated.
Perhaps most importantly, there are some things which have not changed enough. Despite indications that the levels of political violence have dropped in the wake of the election, the levels of criminal, domestic, industrial and social violence remain excessive. South Africa is still regarded as one of the most violent countries in the world. However, it is not merely in the levels of violence that one can detect this continuity. The process of negotiated transition has resulted in the new government inheriting many of the same state institutions of the old regime. These institutions, the Public Service, the South African Police Service, the Correctional Services, the Judiciary, etc., lack the confidence and trust of the majority of the population, rendering the process of transformation of such organs of state indispensable to the enterprise of building reconciliation. Yet such organisational culture change is slow and often reluctant. It is also frequently distrusted by ordinary people who have become accustomed to governmental disinterest in their plight.
One thing which will never change is the past. For South Africa, if true reconciliation is to be built, the road ahead will entail confronting the past. Rather than forgetting, South Africans will have to learn to collectively remember. Redress of past wrongs and discrimination is only partly achieved through formal democratisation and the enshrining of a Bill of Rights within the new Constitution. Effective redress demands substantial material and cultural change as the only realistic path to reconciliation. Human empowerment, economic development and the building of a human rights culture in South Africa remain the keys to reconciliation. They are the challenges which emerged from 1994 and which still lie ahead.
It is these themes of continuity and change which have framed the activities and programmes of the CSVR over the past year. The entire Centre staff were actively involved in different ways in the run-up to the elections and in the electoral process itself. The CSVR Trauma Clinic extended and further specialised its services to meet the changing demand framed by ongoing victimisation in both the public and private realms. The Centre's Policing and Prisons Research Projects pursued the objectives of transforming these state institutions and their organisational practices, and developing policy initiatives to this end. CSVR's Children and Violence Project and Education and Training programmes continued to develop strategies to empower target constituencies who have remained the most marginalised during the process of transition. Finally, the Centre's Truth and Reconciliation Project began the tough task of documenting past human rights abuses, framing policy recommendations for dealing with these abuses and educating the public regarding proposals around a future South African Truth Commission. All of these enterprises will be documented in more detail in the pages which follow.
In particular, at a time when many NGOs were contracting or ceasing operation, 1994 saw the substantial development of three new areas of work at the CSVR, all based on planned initiatives anticipated in our 1993 Annual Report. The Children and Violence Project for which funds were raised in 1993, finally began operating at the beginning of 1994, once the necessary staff were recruited. This project is being housed within the Trauma Clinic during its initial phases. The Centre's Prisons Research Project was also launched in early 1994 and was located within the Policing Research Project during its incubation period. Finally, based on comparative international research and a year of policy formation, the Centre launched its Truth Commission Project in mid-1994.
One further development emerging from the past year - and which warrants some brief discussion here - was the changing trajectory of non-governmental organisations. Here too there was much continuity amidst the change. Ultimately, the challenge confronting the NGOs has been to forge a new relationship to government in the post-electoral phase. In some cases, particularly within the human rights sector, the old roles of "government watchdog" or extra-parliamentary opposition remained. In others, where NGOs had historically been substituting for government in the delivery of services, this role was also retained due to the slow pace of governmental transformation. However, a democratised system of government also lent greater accessibility to the process of governance. NGOs were consequently confronted with a greater possibility of partnerships with government, as well as of lobbying and advocacy functions in relation to government - particularly in the policy development and service delivery spheres. In the CSVR during 1994, the full range of these functions were developing side by side. At some points, in some departments, the Centre was playing a classic "watchdog" function, whilst in others it was seeking to build a partnership with the new government. In still other spheres of the Centre's activities, it was substituting for government in the process of service delivery. Indeed, one of the organisation's great strengths proved to be its ability to adapt and creatively harness the potential intrinsic to these new relationships.
However, the NGO sector also faced serious threats during 1994. The beginnings of a funding squeeze - at least in part consequent upon the emergence of a democratic government - resulted in many organisations being forced to close their doors. Furthermore, not only was government more accessible to the NGOs, but NGOs were also much more attractive to the new government. Not surprisingly, the NGO sector was plundered of many of its most talented people, firstly to fill the seats of parliament, and thereafter to staff the new government bureaucracy. Thus, having survived the hostile attentions of the previous government, the NGOs found it somewhat more difficult to survive the more recent attentions of a friendly regime - with whose remuneration and benefits packages the NGOs simply could not compete.
1994 posed some fundamental challenges to the CSVR. Firstly, the new access to government presented its own problems and demands. Not least amongst these was the increasing request for actual implementation of previous policy work, either through a consultancy function or through education and training. The danger of becoming entirely absorbed in the "bottomless pit" of much-needed implementation, had the real potential to undermine the policy formation and research functions of the Centre. The CSVR was also under some pressure to generate larger scale or national interventions and solutions, thus demanding substantial upgrading of previous pilot programmes.
Secondly, the process of transition, pregnant with potential for delivery and development, generated its own new forms of social conflict and violence. Far from eliminating conflict, the injection of resources into communities previously divided over access to such scarce resources, may escalate it. Development consequently brings with it the potential for increased levels of violence if it is not managed effectively. Finally, the unshackling of the political process in the years leading up to the election in April 1994, also generated greater opportunity for the operation of criminals - and violent crime became a primary concern in the post-electoral phase. As such, it presented a particular challenge to the CSVR.
In the final analysis, the CSVR did more than merely survive this challenging year - though for many organisations in our position, to have done so would have been adequate. The CSVR expanded and grew, it capitalised on the opportunities which presented themselves and, through astute strategic planning, the organisation thrived in meeting the challenges of change most successfully. In this endeavour, the CSVR has been lucky to rely on a dedicated, committed and self-critical staff. It is their successes, failures and strategic evaluations which are reflected in the pages which follow.
We would like to express our gratitude to the full range of institutions which have made such generous contributions to funding the various activities and programmes of the CSVR during 1994. In particular, it is those long term donors who have provided the organisational stability upon which rested (in large measure) our ability to withstand all the pressures over the past year, to whom we are especially indebted for their support. The full list of the Centre's financial supporters - both through donations or substantial commissions - are listed in alphabetical order below:
Anglo American/De Beers
Anglovaal Group Trust
Australian Embassy
Envirotech
Eskom
The European Union (via the SACBC)
The Ford Foundation (US)
Gencor
Health, Housing & Urbanisation Directorate
ICCO (The Netherlands)
IDASA
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (UK)
Medico International (Germany)
One World Action (UK)
Oxfam (UK)
The Royal Danish Embassy
The Royal Netherlands Embassy
Comic Relief (UK) (via The Save the Children Fund (UK)
Standard Bank Foundation
USAID
Wits Vaal Peace Secretariat
This report covers the financial year from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1994. Despite the expansion of the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in the course of the year and the consequent significant increase in operating costs, conservative financial spending enabled the Centre to retain its reserves by the end of the financial year. Total income accruing to all the Centre's Departments and Projects in 1994 amounted to R3 720 324.00. Total expenditure during the year under review amounted to R2 248 416.00 (almost double that in 1993), nonetheless leaving a balance of income over expenditure of R1 471 908.00. This positive balance may be misleading due to the fact that it is substantially enhanced by the fact that many donors made contributions for the 1995 financial year before the end of the 1994 financial year. Furthermore, expansion in the staff complement of the Centre during 1994, means that in proportion to the size of the staff, the accumulated fund is smaller than was the case in the previous year.
Whilst the overall position is generally positive, the financial well-being of the different departments and projects varies according to funding prospects for the future - at a time when donor assistance to the non-governmental sector appears to be shrinking. The specific departmental financial statements are reflective of this situation.
The increase in expenditure during 1994 was primarily the result of an increased salary bill - partly the result of expansion of the Centre's administrative personnel infrastructure, and partly due to inflation-based salary adjustments (and, of course, increased overheads associated with a larger staff). The salaries offered by the CSVR remain considerably lower than those available in both the state and private sectors, but are in line with salaries offered at the University of the Witwatersrand. However, these University salaries are frequently well below appropriate market rates. Other significant increased expenses included our capital expenditure, predominantly in information and communications technology necessary to keep abreast of developments internationally and to improve productivity.
Following a review of our accounting system and the employment of a bookkeeper, as well as a detailed audit, the Centre now has improved internal financial controls in addition to those provided by the computerised accounting system of the University of the Witwatersrand. We enter 1995 with some trepidation in respect of the impact of changing political conditions on future funding prospects in the non-governmental sector. There remains a critical need to secure additional funding over the next two years in order to assure the funding of our current projects and staff members for this period. However, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation currently enjoys a healthy financial position for the year ahead.
Gain on foreign exchange: The amount of R37 980 shown as a gain on foreign exchange is based on University Foundation foreign exchange practice and the securing of a more favourable exchange rate prevailing when these funds were deposited.
Administration fees received: All the Centre's Departments and Projects make a contribution of 10% of their income to assist in covering the costs of a centralised administrative system and the overheads costs borne by the Core Account. This is a fiscal principle of the Centre to ensure that any project funding also contributes to the infrastructural, administrative and other needs of the Centre as a whole.
Capital Expenditure: Capital expenditure is itemised in the Assets Register of the University of the Witwatersrand.
University Administration Fee: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
Special printing: This amount was expended on the production of information brochures on the CSVR.
Photocopying: This amount includes the photocopying costs of the CSVR Resource Centre as well as the reproduction of seminar papers presented in the monthly public seminars. It also includes some of the photocopying costs of workshops run by various of the Departments - particularly the Education and Training Department.
Staff recruitment: These costs include both commission fees paid to employment/recruitment agencies, as well as the costs of advertising job vacancies.
Wits Vaal Peace and Consultations: These amounts were earned through consultations and commissioned work in the course of the year.
Administration fee - University of the Witwatersrand: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
Administration fee - CSVR: All the Centre's Departments and Projects make a contribution of 10% of their income to assist in covering the costs of a centralised administrative system and the overheads costs borne by the Core Account. This is a fiscal principle of the Centre to ensure that any project funding also contributes to the infrastructural, administrative and other needs of the Centre as a whole.
Workshop costs: It must be noted that this amount is for direct workshop costs only. other workshop costs are included in such varied items as: postage, photocopying, stationary and printing, facsimile expenses, sundry expenses, telephone and salaries and staff costs.
Administration fee - University of the Witwatersrand: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
Administration fee - CSVR: All the Centre's Departments and Projects make a contribution of 10% of their income to assist in covering the costs of a centralised administrative system and the overheads costs borne by the Core Account. This is a fiscal principle of the Centre to ensure that any project funding also contributes to the infrastructural, administrative and other needs of the Centre as a whole.
Interest payable to the Royal Danish Embassy: We are contractually obliged to repay the accumulated interest on Danish donor assistance to the Royal Danish Embassy. Although these funds are only payable at the end of the project funding period, they are debited and removed to a specific account for this purpose, so as not to create a false impression that these monies are available for other disbursements.
Training: This item covers some of the staff development undertaken by the Policing Research Project. Additional amounts were expended for this purpose from within the Centre's Core account.
Administration fee - University of the Witwatersrand: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
Salaries and staff costs: The Centre was unable to recruit a suitable person for this project until August 1994. The expenditure on salaries is therefore unexpectedly low for 1994, but the balance allocated for expenditure from January to March 1995.
Administration fee - University of the Witwatersrand: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
It was decided to waive the 10% levy normally charged to the Projects by the Centre's Core account for the purpose of covering overheads and centralised administration costs for the Centre. This was based on the fact that the Prisons Project is a fledgling project housed within the Policing Research Project, with great potential, but with limited resources.
Interest payable to the Royal Danish Embassy: We are contractually obliged to repay the accumulated interest on Danish donor assistance to the Royal Danish Embassy. Although these funds are only payable at the end of the project funding period, they are debited and removed to a specific account for this purpose, so as not to create a false impression that these monies are available for other disbursements.
Administration fee - University of the Witwatersrand: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
Administration fee - CSVR: Because the Save the Children Project was a new and rather under-resourced project, it was decided not to levy the full 10% fee normally charged to the Projects by the Centre's Core account for the purpose of covering overheads and centralised administration costs for the Centre.
Advertising - launches: This amount was used to promote the Project in the four initial schools as well as within community forums. 3 000 brochures were printed for these purposes. The advertising amount also includes the costs of advertising to recruit a field-worker for the project.
Standard Bank Foundation and Consulting fees: Both of these items reflect amounts that were actually earned through commissioned counselling work.
Capital Expenditure: Capital expenditure is itemised in the Assets Register of the University of the Witwatersrand.
Administration fee - University of the Witwatersrand: Wits University charges the Centre a 6% administration fee. This percentage is calculated on the amounts credited to the CSVR current accounts, rather than on our interest bearing accounts into which all donor deposits are made. This 6% levy is charged to all independently funded University-based units at Wits. The Centre negotiated a separate agreement with Wits which was directly related to our move off the University campus and the consequent increased expenses borne by us. It was agreed that the Centre would be reimbursed portions of the levy in lieu of those expenses which, had we still been on the campus, the university would in any event have covered. Nor were any of these specific expenses deemed subject to the levy. Consequently, this Administration Fee will be adjusted in the course of 1995 when the Centre will receive a rebate from the University based on the refund on such expenses as would have been borne by the University had the CSVR been resident on the university campus.
Administration fee - CSVR: All the Centre's Departments and Projects make a contribution of 10% of their income to assist in covering the costs of a centralised administrative system and the overheads costs borne by the Core Account. This is a fiscal principle of the Centre to ensure that any project funding also contributes to the infrastructural, administrative and other needs of the Centre as a whole.
Interest payable to the Royal Danish Embassy: We are contractually obliged to repay the accumulated interest on Danish donor assistance to the Royal Danish Embassy. Although these funds are only payable at the end of the project funding period, they are debited and removed to a specific account for this purpose, so as not to create a false impression that these monies are available for other disbursements.
Rent: This item reflects the rental paid by the Trauma Clinic in respect of the new additional premises occupied early in 1994 due to the substantial expansion of the clinic and its services. The clinic moved into separate premises on another floor in the same building as the rest of the CSVR. These unexpected costs were not covered by the 10% Administration fee of the CSVR, so that the Trauma Clinic paid an additional amount for the rental of office space.
The CSVR operates with five basic levels of accountability and managerial responsibility:
The CSVR is divided into various departments concerned with specialised areas of work. These departments hold weekly meetings to which all project members report. All departmental staff are accountable, in the first instance, to the Department Coordinator, and then to the Director and Deputy Director of the Centre.
On a monthly basis, the CSVR has All Staff Meetings to facilitate cross-pollination and communication between departments, as well as to generate a collective accountability within the staff of the entire Centre.
The CSVR has an internal Management Committee which is made up of the coordinators of all the Departments, the Director and the Deputy Director. This Management Committee meets fortnightly and is responsible for all policy and strategic decisions.
An Executive Committee consisting of the Director, Deputy Director and Administration Officer meets weekly, monitors the activities and finances of the various departments and generally regulates the day to day functioning of the Centre.
The CSVR also has a University-based Steering Committee upon which sit respected individuals representative of the interests of some of those constituencies and stakeholders serviced by the various CSVR departments. The membership of this Steering Committee has been the subject of some negotiation with the University over the past year, due primarily to concern that the University Steering Committee was not adequately representative of these "community-based" interest groups. (The CSVR had previously decided to amalgamate existing community-based and university-based Steering Committees into one.) In particular, concerns over the racial and gender profile of the Committee have been raised by the CSVR staff and management. It is imperative that these issues be finally resolved in the course of 1995. This Steering Committee meets annually to review the activities and expenditure, as well as future plans of the CSVR.
The substantial annual expansion of the Centre's activities with the resultant increase in the organisation's staff complement over the past five years has continually exerted strain on the CSVR's administrative infrastructure. For this reason it became clear at the end of 1993 that it was necessary to commission an outside consultant to evaluate the Centre's needs and secretarial and administrative systems. This was duly undertaken in the first half of 1994.
Amongst other observations, the evaluation conducted by Lewis Rosen of Network Management Development Services, indicated that the CSVR was administratively understaffed and that the existing administrative functions needed to be rationalised and centralised. This was duly set in motion and a full-scale centralised Administration Department was established providing administrative, financial and secretarial support for the entire Centre. Apart from the Centre's Administration Coordinator, this Department included a full-time secretary and receptionist, a part-time bookkeeper, a part-time secretary/computer assistant and a full-time Fundraising Assistant on a short-term contract. The Centre's Resource Centre, along with its Administrator Andie Miller, was also incorporated into the Administration Department on a trial basis. The Administration Department now provides assistance with fund-raising, monitoring of income and expenditure, staff training and development, regular computer and communications upgrading, and the institution of systems to ensure regular and accurate accountability to both donors and clients.
By the end of the year this new system was working smoothly and a great improvement was visible, despite the fact that the Centre's staff numbers had once again increased substantially from 20 in January 1994, to 28 by the end of the year. A great debt of gratitude is owed to Robyn Lewis who gave tirelessly as the Administrator of the CSVR over the previous two years and who left the Centre at the end of 1994. She has been replaced by an equally dynamic successor: Laureen Bertin.
The staffing complement of the Centre increased from 20 at the beginning of 1994, to 28 by the end of the year.
As was anticipated in the Centre's 1993 Annual Report, the formation of a democratic government compounded the difficulties of retaining staff in the face of the considerably higher salaries and benefits offered, as well as the unique opportunities for policy implementation which became available within those spheres of expertise established at the CSVR. In combination with the existing competition from the private sector, this contributed to the traditionally high staff turnover at the Centre. This was a common experience within the NGO sector.
The problem was compounded by inadequate forward planning regarding staff development funds, so that our capacity to offer alternative benefits in the form of staff skills development was limited. Some concerns were also expressed by staff regarding the Centre's limited capacity to reward achievement through upward mobility, both in salary as well as in status within the organisation. In this respect, limitations imposed by University regulations inhibited a creative managerial response. Problems with inflexible job grading and salary scales will have to be taken up with the University in the coming year.
One consequence of the above dynamics was to render the Centre's affirmative action employment policy difficult to implement effectively. Whilst we remain committed to recruiting, training and promoting black and women staff within the organisation, the widespread propensity to resort to "lateral entry affirmative action" (recruiting black managers from elsewhere rather than investing in training and staff development) on the part of both the governmental and private sectors, has made it extremely difficult to retain these personnel in the face of a vibrant job market in this sector.
It is unlikely that the problems outlined above are going to ease over the next couple of years. Ultimately, it is only through incentives, greater earning capacity and more competitive funded salaries that these problems are likely to be resolved in the future. This may require some targeted communication and negotiation with both donor agencies and the University. Nonetheless, the CSVR has retained a dedicated staff who deserve commendation for their initiative and commitment. Furthermore, the CSVR's proven ability to recruit and to train so as to build and rebuild capacity is a strength upon which will be founded the future successes of the organisation.
The programmes which the Education and Training Department initiated in 1994 were framed in the context of the processes of democratisation and largely took shape around the first non-racial democratic elections in South Africa. The months preceding the elections were characterised by high levels of violence in many communities. There was widespread uncertainty over the pending political settlement and the election of a Government of National Unity. The education programmes of the Department before the elections were therefore designed to respond to this particular context. During this time, the CSVR's public education programme aimed to encourage debate about the election process and to understand its relation to violence. The training programmes focused on understanding the violence and social conflict on a deeper level and sought to enable people to explore their feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. The courses aimed to provide people with the skills to manage stress and, in many cases, to cope with the high levels of violence they were experiencing.
In the post-election period, the focus of the Department shifted significantly. The CSVR's education and training programmes now sought to capitalise on the successful election and aimed to consolidate the processes of reconciliation and social reconstruction. This involved empowering target constituencies through an understanding of the past, particularly in relation to the healing of victims of violence and moving forward to building a culture of human rights and political tolerance. Another important shift in the content of the department's training programmes and educational workshops was borne of an increasing need to deal with the phenomena of domestic and criminal violence. As the more public manifestation of political violence decreased in the immediate post-electoral phase, family and criminal violence became much more of a burning issue, particularly manifest in the schools environment.
One further component of the post-electoral period was the growth in demand for education and training from within inherited state institutions confronting the critical need to transform themselves. This demand was not only confined to state institutions. With the advent of the new political dispensation there was also an increasing demand by organisations of civil society and institutions such as schools, community organisations, health groups, etc. to understand the shifting nature of a society undergoing transformation and how this impacts on their work, relations and structures. It is anticipated that these trends, manifesting themselves towards the end of 1994, will continue to be an area of growth in the coming years.
Despite the relative peace that characterised the election process, South Africans have continued to experience high levels of violence-induced trauma and stress. As a result the CSVR continues to receive a variety of training requests from different constituencies concerned with the need to fully grasp the complex dynamics of violence - specifically domestic violence, sexual abuse and violent crime. Therefore, the critical needs to: empower victims of violence; confront family violence; build a culture of human rights; and facilitate the transformation of state and civil society institutions, determined the priority areas in the CSVR's education and training for the rest of 1994.
The content of the Training and Education Intervention Programmes, varied according to the constituency being addressed and its specific needs. The most common training module has been "Understanding and Coping with Violence". This module explores the different types of violence and its impact on individuals and communities. It also explores ways of coping with the effects of such violence. This module has been used successfully with a range of different age groups and constituencies, including senior high school students, teachers, youth undergoing development training programmes and community workers.
The training programmes were successful in equipping participants with knowledge of the dynamics of violence in South Africa and deepening their understanding of how it impacted on their personal, community and working lives. This included an understanding of the psycho-social effects of violence and the principles and practices of crisis intervention, trauma counselling and support work. Requests for workshops dealing with issues such as racism, political intolerance and ethnicity have become increasingly important, particularly within the schooling system. This has provided the Education and Training Department with the impetus to develop a more comprehensive programme on social conflict and human rights, which can be used by teachers in the schools as part of the formal curricula.
The development of non-violent conflict management skills has become a training priority within almost all constituencies grappling with the processes of social and political transition in South Africa. Most communities and institutions are trying to develop ways to live peacefully and productively in the new South Africa and the Department is developing and deploying more and more expertise in this area.
Another common theme of many of our workshops over the last year has been the issue of dealing with transition both at a personal and at an institutional/organisational level. This has provided the CSVR with the opportunity to introduce and develop workshop material on building a culture of human rights within the changing South African context. We have developed a workshop on the theme of reconciliation, with particular reference to the need to deal with past human rights abuses. With the proposed establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it is anticipated that this area of work will become a substantial focus for the Education and Training Department in 1995.
The Centre ran several successful programmes in secondary schools during 1994. These programmes varied from a four week module with 40 matric students and two guidance teachers, to an eight week programme with a small group of 13 - 16 year old students. We have found the participation of those teachers who were nominated by the students - and respected by them - to be a critical element in ensuring the success of the programmes. The teachers' participation also proved to be important in ensuring clear follow up plans and procedures. On the whole, the programmes were improved on those run the previous year and were evaluated as having been more successful. As a result of our work in the schools we have had requests from guidance teachers within the formal education system to run similar training programmes with them in the Gauteng province in 1995.
The Centre was also involved in a training programme initiated by the Centre for Health Policy, based in the Department of Community Health at Wits University, in which five facilitators were trained in different aspects of violence, drug abuse, sexual abuse and counselling. The five facilitators will work closely and in a sustained manner with three different schools in 1995.
Evaluation of Schools Programmes
The Centre was not able to adequately sustain an ongoing programme in township schools as was envisaged at the beginning of the year. Most of the schools in which the Department ran programmes, were inner city and previously "Model C" schools. Although over 90% of the students at these schools are black and live in the townships, the schools are relatively protected from community and gang violence (although criminal violence is certainly an increasing concern). The primary problems in most of these schools revolve around racism and family violence.
The Department plans to access township schools more effectively in 1995 by targeting specific schools within Soweto and by employing a Youth Trainer from the Sowetan community who is able to consult more effectively with the different stake-holders in that area. Any suggestion that our schools-based programmes did not achieve all they set out to in 1994, should be tempered by a realistic sense of the magnitude of this task and the difficulties of working in the schools environment during this early transition phase. Most township schools experienced significant disruptions during 1994 and the Education Ministry was beset by many problems in its first year. Indeed, many of the difficulties will continue into 1995. Nonetheless, whilst the process of integrating the sixteen different Education Departments was a priority concern for the Education Ministry in 1994, it is hoped that 1995 will allow the Ministry to place greater emphasis on in-service teacher training, as well as on social awareness programmes in the schools themselves. If this does in fact occur, it will contribute substantially to creating an enabling environment for our education and training programmes within the schools in 1995.
Future Plans for the Schools Programme
There are a number of areas which need to be addressed in order to ensure that the Schools Programme maximises the benefits for teachers and students as far into the future as possible. Firstly, it is vital to ensure that the valuable material being developed in the interactive processes between teachers and students within the sessions facilitated by the CSVR's Education and Training Department become part of the formal schools curriculum. Until human rights issues and ways of dealing with violence and social conflict are integrated into the formal school curriculum, there is no guarantee that these types of programmes will be sustained in the long term. Secondly, it is also critical to develop a model for in-service teacher training which can be replicated on a national level. In consultation with the Education Ministry it has become clear that there are many innovative and valuable life-skills and social awareness programmes being developed by NGOs, but their general weakness lies in the very limited number of teachers which benefit directly. The challenge put to the CSVR by the Education Ministry is to develop a model (including a process) where valuable and ground-breaking programmes such as ours, can become part of a national initiative to upgrade and develop teachers' skills and expertise - and in this way contribute to a culture of learning, understanding and tolerance in the schools. These are the ambitious plans of the Education and Training Department in the years to come.
The CSVR Education and Training Department has initiated a number of new training programmes with community-based organisations. The Centre played a key role in the training of Community Peace Workers of the Peace Corps Project in Alexandra. This project is also operative in Daveyton on the East Rand, where the Education and Training Department acted as a process and educational consultant in the development of the Peace Corps Training Programme. The Programme aimed to recruit youth from all the different political organisations and train them jointly. However this process proved to generate high levels of conflict and the Centre played an important role in ensuring that this difficult situation did not escalate. With the Peace Corps Projects increasingly focusing on community development rather than crisis intervention, the Department gained valuable experience regarding the processes involved in ensuring negotiated development at a local level. We hope to be involved in further in-service training of these Peace Corps members in 1995.
We continue to work closely with the CSVR's Trauma Clinic staff in dealing with some of their training requests. This has included workshops with 25 tutors from the BG Alexander Nursing Science College, exploring the different experiences of black and white nurses and how this impacts on their ability to meet the challenges of a changing profession in the new South Africa. This was facilitated in the context of a desire within the nursing profession to create cohesion between different cultural groups, and an openness to reviewing the ethics and practice of nursing in the current period of transformation.
Another area of co-operation with the Trauma Clinic has been in a joint effort in training on "Critical Incident Stress Debriefing" for senior staff at the Sandton Emergency Service and Crisis Control Centre. The Education and Training Department's main role has been in the design of the course outline and assisting in the needs analysis. The training is due to take place in early 1995 and potentially opens a whole new area of training - as there are very few agencies engaged in this type of intervention.
At the request of the Gauteng Ministry of Education, the Centre played a key role in developing a programme for youth from self-defence and self-protection units in Katlehong on the East Rand. Although much time and energy was devoted to this project, it was not particularly successful. The sector is a complex one and needs far more research, consultation and preparation. It is also not possible for NGOs to sustain such ongoing projects without the direct support of the government Ministries involved. The Education and Training Department, together with the CSVR's Policing Research Department, plans to work on developing a model for this type of education and training in 1995. If the model is successful, there is an excellent chance that the government will adopt the model at a national level.
Cross-sectional educational workshops concerned to explore the impact of violence on workplace relationships continued to be run in a number of companies as part of the ongoing work of the Violence in Industry Project. These workshops were well received and created a need among companies for ongoing facilitation in dealing with tensions and workplace conflict.
Although based in the Education and Training Department, the Violence in Industry Project was effectively run as an inter-departmental project during 1994. However, through the consultancy work of Graeme Simpson, a large number of requests continued to be generated, placing substantial strain on the capacity of the Education and Training Department - which simply did not have the staffing capacity to meet the demand. Up to this point the Violence in Industry Project has been entirely self-financing. However, if we are to effectively meet the demand which we are capable of generating in this sphere, then it will be necessary to raise funds to build capacity within the Education and Training Department. Whether this is achieved or not, in 1995 it is likely that this area of work will be less centrally dependent on the input of the Education and Training Department. The Violence and Industry Project is dealt with in more detail below.
The CSVR continued to place emphasis on translating our research products and policy proposals into public education. This was done through publication in newspapers and magazines, as well as through a range of public activities and educational events. This "public education" dimension to our work is regarded as more important by the day as increasingly the Centre engages in lobbying and advocacy work targeting the new institutions of government and the legislature.
Conference on Reconciliation and Reconstruction
The Department's seminar series after the elections focused on strategies for reconciliation in the lead up to a national Conference which was held at the World Trade Centre in August. The Conference gave members of civil society an opportunity to debate, define and plan their role in the processes of reconstruction and reconciliation. One of the objectives of the Conference was to set in motion a process ensuring that reconstruction and reconciliation are "people driven" - that civil society is empowered to input strategically into the process of reconciling with the past and building a democratic future. A transcript of all the papers presented, as well as minutes of the discussions, were printed in booklet form and forwarded to the 120 delegates after the Conference in order to foster the objective of transforming discussion into concrete action within their respective constituencies. The Conference evaluation forms which were distributed to all the delegates, indicated that the Conference was widely regarded as a major success.
Seminar Programme
The Education and Training Department continued to run the CSVR's monthly seminar series, which this year explored different aspects of the elections and the reconciliation process after the elections. The seminar series has become a popular forum for debate and the exchange of topical ideas. It is usually attended by well over 50 people and the papers delivered at the seminars are used to build on the information in the Resource Centre and are sent to national and international subscribers. The following seminars were presented in 1994:
| Date | Title | Presenters |
| No. 1 January |
The Run-up to Elections | Angela King |
| No. 2 March |
The Role of the South African Police in the Elections | Frans Cronje |
| No. 3 March |
Comparative Examples of Elections: Lessons for South Africa | Graeme Simpson, Bernard Owen, Mark Quarterman & Leticia Martinez |
| No. 4 May |
The Role of Truth Commissions in the Process of Reconciliation in South Africa | Frank Chikane |
| No. 5 June |
The Bill of Rights and the Criminal Justice System in South Africa | Jody Kollapen |
| No. 6 July |
Rights, Reparations and Reconciliation: Some comparative notes | Jayni Edelstein |
| No. 7 September |
Inner City American Programmes to Reduce Violence and School Drop-outs and Increase Employability and Family Stability | Lynn Curtis |
| No. 8 October |
Female Circumcision: Cultural right or human wrong? | Paul van Zyl |
The Department initiated and coordinated a forum with other NGOs working in schools on issues relating to violence, reconciliation and human rights. Over 15 NGOs met once a month to workshop problem areas, share new approaches and discuss and plan joint programmes. The forum is proving to be a useful precursor to a more coordinated approach to education and training which aims to empower schools and communities. Often underestimated, the CSVR's role in fostering inter-NGO cooperation of this sort is, in our view, one of the organisation's strongest assets.
The booklet "Perspectives on Violence" was completed in 1994 to accompany the video of the same title completed in 1993. The video and the booklet have been very effective teaching tools and have been used successfully in many of the workshops run by the Department and by other NGOs and teachers. The educational package has enabled workshop participants to talk about and understand their lives within a personal framework as well as understanding the socio-political conditions which contribute to the different types of violence experienced in South Africa. The great value of these materials is that they render the education and training programmes offered by the CSVR more sustainable in that they stand alone and are not reliant on constant input from Centre personnel. The remaining challenge is to effectively market these materials. It is intended to strategise such marketing and distribution in the course of 1995, probably through the assistance of the Film Resource Unit.
Sharon Lewis of the CSVR Education and Training Department also produced a manual on "Dealing with Rape", which is due to be published in book form early in 1995 by Sached Books. This manual is a seminal aid to victims of rape and sexual abuse. It is also invaluable as a training aid for the helping professions, including social workers, police personnel, etc. who deal with the problem on a daily basis. The manual covers the problem of rape and sexual abuse from a wide range of angles including the development of coping mechanisms for victims. It provides a breakdown of the legal and policing concerns, as well as the psychological implications of victimisation and healing, to mention but a few.
Through the production of both of the above manuals, it has become evident that the production of accessible and contextual educational tools is crucial in sustaining the education and training programmes of the Department. Not only do they provide essential back-up to the training workshops and courses, but they create the opportunity for other trainers around the country to use the material as part of their own training initiatives. For this reason, the Department plans to prioritise the production of such educational materials and the design of workshop packages in 1995, which can be used as modules in various training courses.
The CSVR Resource Centre, a useful library of research papers, information, policy documents and journal articles relating to the fields of violence, reconciliation, conflict resolution, and human rights, is widely used by the media, students, academics and members of the public, as well as by the staff of the Centre.
Numerous individuals, organisations, libraries and bookshops, both local and international, already subscribe to the Centre's publications and automatically receive any material that is produced. The Resource Centre also sells and distributes considerable material in response to ad hoc requests for information and provides a limited publicity function by networking with various local and international organisations and with the print and electronic media. The Resource Centre continues to earn a limited amount from the marketing and sale of CSVR publications, and this is reinvested into its service delivery.
The considerable expansion of the CSVR made it necessary in 1994 to employ a dedicated staff member to manage the increasing demands on our "mini" resource centre. It was also decided that because of the increasing pressure on the CSVR administrative infrastructure, the resource centre should be located in the Education and Training Department. Much of the year was taken up with devising and implementing a suitable and "user-friendly" classification system. Now that this has largely been achieved, in 1995 it will be necessary to develop a more aggressive marketing strategy based on an evaluation of the areas of greatest demand and an outreach programme designed to put CSVR publications on the bookshelves of Universities, public libraries, schools and book-stores. If this can be achieved, then the CSVR Resource Centre may also be in a position to become a net earner for the Centre.
Not surprisingly, demand for information tends to reflect the concern with issues which are the subject of CSVR education and training programmes. In 1994 the material most sought after was in the areas of youth, sexual and domestic violence.
The key strengths of the Department have been its ability to design workshops in response to a very wide range of requests and develop tried and tested modules which work well in a number of different constituencies. The use of modules on "dealing with violence and developing solutions", has been particularly successful within the schools programme. As a result, the relationship between the Department and the Education Ministry has been considerably strengthened. In addition, where the Department has translated these learning processes into professional educational materials, this has been an enormous strength and a laudable innovation contributing significantly to realising the objectives of sustainability of our programmes. However, in the spirit of constructive self-criticism, we do not feel that this has occurred sufficiently and in future must look to specialising in the educational materials field. The Education and Training Department has been overworked in 1994 and has had to meet requests and develop an expertise in an extremely wide range of areas. This has created a difficulty in trying to develop such a specialised expertise.
Besides the commitment to developing educative materials and accessing township schools in a more sustained fashion, there are three main issues which will frame the future direction of the Department:
The increasing need to structure, within the Centre as a whole, an integrated approach to the youth sector. The Education and Training Department has, as one of its key target groups, students and youth at schools. The Children and Violence Programme, the Trauma Clinic and the Policing Research Project also work with youth and students. All of these projects are making a valuable contribution to healing the wounds of violence among the youth and developing solutions to social conflict in this sector. These experiences need to be shared, documented and analyzed more effectively so as to engender comprehensive strategies for dealing with issues of violence and reconciliation among the youth.
Education, training, course design and educative materials development clearly underpin the implementation of any new policies, transformation processes or reconstruction strategies. Over the last year this trend has become more and more evident in the work of all of the Departments in the CSVR. Each and every Department has developed a need to create the capacity to design educational programmes, to implement them and to develop materials to support these interventions. The Centre is therefore grappling with how best to address this need. While much of the educational expertise lies within the Education and Training Department, the content expertise obviously lies within the specific Departments. The Centre needs to develop a way of making sure that both these areas of expertise are fully utilised.
1994 witnessed significant developments in police reform as a result of the process of political transition. The Policing Project has been closely involved in this process in a variety of ways.
Prior to the elections, as in previous years, our work on police policy has been done in close conjunction with the Police Policy Group (PPG) and with the South African Police. The Policing Project contributed to the debates around, and management of, policing in the transitional period in the following ways:
Research support for, and participation in the ANC Police Policy Group. This culminated in the drafting of a PPG policy document which formed the basis of negotiations between the ANC and the SAP, and which has subsequently been adopted as the policy of the new Ministry of Safety and Security.
Preparations for the establishment of the Transitional Executive Council (TEC) sub-council on law and order. Our researchers assisted in drafting the section of the TEC Act concerned with policing. The researchers also produced detailed background information on relevant sections of the Act and distributed this information to members of the TEC sub-council concerned with policing.
Support to the TEC Sub-Council on Law and Order. The coordinator of the Policing Project, Janine Rauch, was seconded to work for the ANC as an advisor to their representative on this sub-council. One of the researchers, Melanie Lue, was seconded to work in the Managing Secretariat of the Sub-Council. While these secondments did have costs for the Policing Project, it was felt that the advantages of this arrangement for the Project by far outweighed the disadvantages. These benefits included exposure and contact with a wide range of police officials and individuals in government and in the legal system, as well as access to information and an opportunity to influence the policy-making process in the transition period.
In the post-election period, the demand for our services increased considerably and significant pressure was put on the Project and its staff. Amongst other things, the incumbency of a new government created both the space (and considerable pressure) to become more involved in implementation strategies. We continued to work on policy proposals at the national level, attended and fed into bilateral discussions between the ANC and the SAP, and began to develop a relationship with the ANC members of the Gauteng Provincial government concerned with policing.
The secondment of two staff members during the TEC period caused some disruption to the activities of the Policing Project, but the remaining staff members, Nadia Levin and Kindiza Ngubeni were able to sustain the Project and significantly advanced the Project's work in the spheres of policing policy and strategy for the elections and in community policing.
In mid-May, Janine Rauch, the coordinator of the Policing Project since its inception, resigned to take up a post in the national Ministry of Safety and Security. Although this was a substantial loss, it is also a testimony to the success of the Policing Project. Janine is currently Policy Advisor to the national Minister of Safety and Security. Her contribution to the Policing Research Project and indeed to transformation in South Africa has been inestimable.
Melanie Lue took over the coordinator role, and another researcher Sylvester Rakgoadi was employed. Lyndsey Smith replaced Lindi Nxumalo in August as Administrative Assistant in the Policing Research Project. Particular effort has been put into skills development for staff in the Project in order to build capacity. Various members of the team went on courses on mediation and negotiation, IEC courses on elections monitoring, research skills development and facilitation skills development courses.
The Policing Project was extensively involved in research and support work for - and participation in - the Provincial Strategic Management Team on Safety and Security in Gauteng (formerly the PWV). The constitutional creation of specific provincial responsibilities in relation to policing necessitated the development and definition of the functions of these regional structures. The Project's expertise and involvement in policy development placed us well to render such support. In addition to this work in Gauteng, Project staff networked with, and provided expertise on a variety of policing issues to the new structures of Government and its officer bearers at national and provincial level, as well as the parliamentary standing committees responsible for safety and security.
The drafting of a new Police Act to facilitate reform in the police institution proved a tremendous challenge to the new Ministry. The Policing Project made comment and submissions at both a Provincial and National level. The Project also facilitated a seminar on proposals for an Independent Complaints Mechanism contained within the Act. This legislative process and the policy intervention work of the CSVR's Policing Project will continue into 1995 when the legislation is likely to be finalised.
This project was a collaborative effort between the Policing Project and the Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) based at the Wits University Business School. Nadia Levin was engaged full time in this project until the end of February 1994. The Police Management in Transition Programme was an intensive three week course offered to middle level managers from within the SAP as well as future police managers from within the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) and the ANC Police Policy Group. Much of the preparation for the project was completed in the course of 1993. However, the first two weeks of January 1994 was spent on organisational and logistical tasks necessary to ensure the smooth running of the course, the accommodation of the "students", the development of course packs, etc.
This course was the first of its kind in South Africa and broke new ground for both the SAP and the University of the Witwatersrand who, up to this point, had enjoyed at best a slightly hostile relationship rooted in police activities on the campus in the previous years. This breakthrough was symbolically indicated by the fact that the SAP financially sponsored the participation of its members in the course. Participants in the course were also jointly selected by the SAP's Brigadier Ferreira, the P&DM and the Policing Project, with the latter two making the final decision in selection.
Before and during the course, the Policing Project hosted Colonel Hansen of the Danish Police and consultant to the Police Management in Transition programme. Colonel Hansen was an enormously valuable source of input on the course content and he ensured the relevance of the lecture material. The course included a field trip to Cape Town to network and share ideas with experts on police reform based in the Western Cape. Participants met with members of the Community Peace Foundation (UWC) and the Criminology Department of the University of Cape Town (UCT), as well as of the Centre for Intergroup Studies (UCT), Lawyers for Human Rights and Stellenbosch University.
Once the course was completed, Nadia Levin conducted a full scale evaluation of the course content and the strengths and weakness of the lecturers who participated in the programme. An analysis of the peer evaluation exercise completed by the course participants was also conducted. This formal evaluation of the course revealed agreement from both the organisers and the participants that the course was a great success, not only for the development of individual participants, but also in terms of its impact on the dominant paradigm of management training in the SAP.
Kindiza Ngubeni, the Policing Project's community policing fieldworker/researcher has primarily been involved in community work and, along with Janine Rauch, in developing the Policing Project's pioneering work in the community policing sphere.
Vaal
Work in the Vaal area primarily focused on the township of Evaton. Work in Evaton included networking and facilitating meetings with all the stake-holders, including such diverse interest groups as shop-owners, health-workers, the Evaton Civic Association, Red Cross, all the political parties, SAPS representatives, trade unionists, youth groups, NICRO and others. Residents and police officers raised a wide range of controversial issues for discussion, including: allegations of torture and other forms of misconduct by police, problems of under-resourcing of the SAPS in the area, the role of the Internal Stability Unit, gang activity, attacks on the police, as well as a range of other problems plaguing police community relations. Unfortunately, because of the complex political dynamics in the local community in Evaton, the facilitation process was repeatedly delayed and eventually stalled indefinitely due to the elections.
East Rand
The Policing Project was also involved with IDASA in a joint enterprise running a series of police-community workshops in the East Rand. An initial workshop was held for the Kathorus area and took place towards the end of a particularly volatile period, and was closely monitored by the TEC task team on the East Rand. In large part due to careful pre-planning and networking with the stake-holders to explain the process, the workshop was a resounding success. This was followed up by local workshops in each of the three townships: Thokoza, Katlehong and Vosloorus. Kindiza Ngubeni was responsible for facilitating the process in Vosloorus where a Steering Committee was subsequently elected to sustain the process.
The work on the East Rand was also significant in that it provided a model for inter-NGO cooperation in this joint venture. Other participants on the "facilitation team" consisted of people from the Wits-Vaal Peace Secretariat, Wilgespruit Fellowship Centre, the Police Board, the Centre for Intergroup Studies, the Institute for Multi-Party Democracy, the Independent Board of Inquiry into Informal Repression and Peace Action.
Follow-up Work
As a follow-up to the East Rand project, the Policing Project and IDASA were requested to run similar workshops in the West Rand, the Far East Rand and Soweto. A mixed facilitation team was again put together for each large workshop. This process has served to build capacity and sustainability through developing a number of skilled facilitators who can be called on to assist in ongoing work in the future. In each area, more localised follow-up workshops have been held as well. This "top-down" approach has proved most successful as it ensures the commitment of the political and community leadership to the process from the outset. This in turn encourages participation at the local level.
In the course of the second half of the year the work in all these areas was consolidated and further workshops were run in Evaton, Bekkersdal, Greater Soweto and Kathorus. During this period the process was also documented in the form of written research consolidated into a report which evaluated the difficulties encountered in establishing community-police forums in these areas. This report also examines the impact of the election and transition process on police community relations and identifies problems inhibiting progress of the forums along with recommendations on how these can be overcome.
Gauteng (PWV) Community Policing Project
In the Gauteng Province, the establishment of new provincial structures of government impacted significantly on the focus of the Policing Project through demands for concrete assistance at this level. In practice the Project's work involved the consolidation of our programmes through the actual implementation of our policy research and the translation of this policy into practical product delivery in the realm of police community relations and institutional policing reform.
The Policing Research Project in conjunction with IDASA approached the Gauteng MEC on Safety and Security, Ms Jessie Duarte, with a proposal to manage and facilitate the community policing project in the province. As a result, in June 1994 the Gauteng Community Policing Project was established under the joint management of the Policing Research Project and IDASA, bringing together a large group of non-governmental organisations from the region, the SAPS and representatives from the MEC's office. The CSVR's Policing Project played a central role in the development and design of this programme which sought to facilitate the formation of Community Police Forums at every police station in the Gauteng Province, ensuring that these forums were in line with the Constitution and other legal guidelines issued by the National Minister of Safety and Security. In the process it was intended to:
build community police relationships, particularly in those spheres detrimentally affected during the apartheid era;
promote debate around the issue of community policing and contribute to building community policing through a democratic, transparent and consultative process;
gather information and develop policy for further use by policy makers within the Ministry of Safety and Security; and
in the longer term, contribute to empowering and strengthening communities through facilitating their active involvement in policing in their areas.
The Policing Project identified the need for a strong research component integrated within this project. It was anticipated that this would facilitate a unique practical learning experience and the development of policy recommendations of both provincial and national significance. Much time was invested in the design of research material, collating of information, supervision of interviews and writing of reports. The Gauteng Community Policing Project therefore consisted of both a facilitation and a research component, and the CSVR's Policing Research Project was integrally involved in both.
The research component was designed to incorporate several key and distinct elements:
A preliminary audit of the status of Community Police Forums in the Gauteng Province. This was elicited primarily from information provided by the SAPS and was critical to assist in the conceptualisation of community liaison mechanisms in the province, as well as to identify gaps and outstanding needs.
An assessment of police resources at each police station, coupled with basic information on the community served by the particular police station. This information was gathered by means of a questionnaire which was sent to all the Station Commanders in Gauteng. The questionnaire elicited information on available resources, crime profiles and demographic data. It also included a section on the type of community liaison mechanisms in place at each police station. It was envisaged that this information would assist in the formulation of recommendations regarding internal policing matters and more effective policing practices.
An audit of existing community-police relations. This involved a detailed assessment of police needs, organisational problems and perceptions of the community, as well as community views, needs and expectations in the policing context. This aspect of the research was conducted through an interviewing process.
An assessment of Community Police Forums. Information from the community was gathered through a workshop process which was specifically designed for this purpose.
The facilitation process was designed as follows:
Six area coordinators were recruited to facilitate the networking process in their areas and to coordinate the workshops and related activities both before and subsequent to the workshops.
These facilitators were then trained to facilitate the workshops which were to be held in an area covered by each police station.
The significance of the Gauteng Community Policing Project for the CSVR's Policing Research Project is critical. This project provided us with the opportunity to formulate an implementation strategy for Community Police Forums (CPFs) whilst simultaneously doing research on the internal problems faced by police on the ground in this process. By the end of the year, the facilitation component of the project was still running and the research component was nearing completion, although several written papers have already been completed. The information from the reports will be submitted to the Provincial and National Ministries in the form of policy recommendations and will also be utilised in developing new areas of independent research for the forthcoming year.
During the early phase of this project the main activity was networking and interacting with the police and other key role-players in preparation for developing policy on a policing approach to the April election. Amongst others, foreign observers were identified as an important interest group, and a number of briefings were provided to incoming international observer and monitor groups, both by the staff of the Policing Project as well as other members of the CSVR staff. These briefings provided an understanding of political and criminal violence in South Africa and an introduction to policing policy and priorities in the electoral phase. Briefings were provided to a wide range of groupings including: a Dutch delegation, European Union electoral monitors, Commonwealth monitors, visiting observers hosted by the National Democratic Institute, as well as EMPSA monitors, to mention just a few.
Early in March, the Policing Project organised a public seminar at the CSVR on the Police plan for security of the elections. A member of the SAP presented the draft plan and Nadia Levin (CSVR) and Mike Brogden (from the EU) acted as discussants. The seminar was well attended and extremely successful in opening up public debate in this area. The police security plan for the election became a substantial focus of our work, and the Policing Project's critical evaluation impacted significantly on later drafts of the plan and on policing practice during the election.
During March and April much of the "Policing of the Elections" work was directed specifically at servicing the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). A number of briefings on security matters were given to the IEC specialist monitors on security. A document was also prepared for the IEC on Joint Operational Centres and how to monitor them during the election itself.
Two full weeks of April (including the election period itself) were spent monitoring the Security Forces at the National Joint Operations Centre in Pretoria and the regional Joint Operations Centre (JOC) in Silverton. During the period spent at the National JOC, Nadia Levin attended the daily national intelligence briefings on the security situation. She also observed all the national security planning meetings at the National JOC and accompanied the SAP and SADF Brigadiers in charge of the National JOC to Pietersburg and Durban. The aim of these latter visits was to check on the Regional JOCs in these areas. Pietersburg was chosen because of the right-wing activity in the area, and Durban because of the potential conflict in the Natal/Kwazulu region. In both regions we visited the JOCs and the various polling stations, and flew over parts of the region to view these polling sites and scrutinise security force activities. The other members of the Policing Project also worked as IEC Specialist Monitors on Security during the election period. Kindiza Ngubeni was stationed at the Baragwanath JOC in Soweto, and Janine Rauch was deployed as a roving field monitor in the East Rand townships, with the brief of monitoring security force actions in the area.
This project only completed its work at the end of 1994 once a range of papers was written up consolidating the research component of the programme and capitalising on our unique access to and involvement in the policing process during the election. These papers are included in the publications section this Annual Report.
The Policing Project's strategic anticipation of this issue enabled us to be well placed both before and during the election and this in turn provided invaluable insight into the limitations of both the politicians and the police in shaping the policing institution to effectively meet the needs of the new South Africa. The information gained will also prove extremely useful for the continued work of the Policing Project and will service our ongoing involvement at the level of research-based policy formation and transformation strategy within the policing institution. Furthermore, the work will prove invaluable during impending local government elections later in 1995, which will reflect similar challenges for policing.
The Policing Research Project's future plans are largely shaped by the objective of further developing the work initiated during 1994. We therefore anticipate continuing our work at the Provincial level and further developing our independent policy research functions.
We anticipate giving continued assistance to the office of the MEC responsible for policing in the province as well as continuing our participation in the Gauteng Community Policing Project. Furthermore, the Project has recognised the need to develop further technical expertise in some key policy areas. It is imperative to further develop the focus on institutional reform within the SAPS, based on the information obtained through the PWV Community Policing Project. We also aim to further refine the facilitation work revolving around CPFs and the development of better police community relations.
Both the enterprises of institutional reform and community policing are critical to dealing with two new and exciting areas of policing policy work in South Africa. In this regard, the Policing Research Project aims to establish an involvement in the development of a human rights culture within the SAPS in the coming year. The second area of future concern will be a specific and targeted focus on the problem of burgeoning crime rates in South Africa, particularly violent crime, with a view to assisting in the development of a national crime prevention strategy to cope with the criminal dimensions intrinsic to this period of dramatic transition and transformation in South Africa.
In 1993 the Centre planned the establishment of a Prisons Research Project. South African Prisons have increasingly been in a state of crisis, with frequent eruptions of violence, escapes and demands for the release of political prisoners. The levels of violent crime in South Africa have escalated, impacting on the number of prisoners held in prisons. It was envisaged that the Project would investigate and develop mechanisms to deal with the many problems facing correctional services and the criminal justice system as a whole and that this work would dovetail perfectly with that being done in our Policing Research Project.
Like the South African Police, the Prisons Service was one of those inherited state institutions in need of fundamental transformation. Furthermore, like the policing institutions, the prisons were an historical site of excessive human rights abuse under apartheid, yet were tasked with a key role as guardians of the fundamental rights contained in the interim Constitution in the new South Africa. In both this respect, and because of their potential centrality as flashpoints of violence, the prisons are clearly a crucial sphere for the CSVR. Accordingly, once funding had been secured, two researchers, Mongezi Mnyani and Amanda Dissel were employed to initiate the Project in March 1994 and the Prisons Research Project was housed within the CSVR's Policing Research Project. The CSVR's strategic vision was soon to be vindicated by the Prisons unrest and violence which occurred both immediately prior to the election, as well as shortly thereafter.
The initial months of the project were spent networking, identifying problem areas in the prisons and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), and establishing a relationship with the DCS.
The inauguration of the Government of National Unity in May 1994, the Interim Constitution and the Fundamental Bill of Rights, promised opportunities for NGO participation in policy making. In correctional services the need for urgent policy initiatives was apparent. The Correctional Services legislation had to be redrafted or amended to comply with the constitutional principles, and the re-integration of the prisons of the former TBVC (bantustan) states into one Correctional Service provided a challenge for the management and structure of the DCS.
The Prisons Project consequently focused most of its energy on policy work during the year under review. Documents on the need for community participation in correctional services, and a critique of the Department's new release policy were submitted to the various policy-making sectors of the Department, Ministry, other relevant government institutions, as well as non-governmental organisations concerned with penal issues.
Through our collaboration with the Penal Reform Lobby Group, the Project drafted several policy documents dealing with the overall policy of the correctional services; service and personnel conditions; transparency of the Department, and these were also widely distributed. A proposal was also made for the establishment of a Lay Visitors scheme.
In October 1994, the DCS published a White paper on the policy of Correctional Services. Instead of merely offering a critique of the document, the Penal Reform Lobby Group began work on a comprehensive "Alternative White Paper" which seeks to identify areas requiring reform and to suggest mechanisms for effecting these initiatives. The White Paper is intended as a discussion document which will be circulated widely among the security institutions and interested NGOs.
During March and June 1994 large scale protest action occurred in various prisons around the country. Prisoners were demanding a right to vote during the elections and for amnesty or a reduction of sentences to be granted to them on the grounds that they were sentenced by an illegitimate apartheid government. A Commission of Inquiry headed by Judge Kriegler was appointed to investigate the causes, course and consequences of the prison riots from 26 April to 13 June 1994. The Prisons Project made oral and written submissions to the Commission of Inquiry and sustained a watching brief in regard to the public hearings in November 1994.
The need for civic involvement in correctional services presented itself as both a strategic and principled means for opening up the DCS and securing accountability of prison structures to the community and prisoners that it serves. The Prisons Project produced a preliminary discussion document detailing the need for community involvement and looking at various structures through which to introduce wider community participation. It was envisaged that civic involvement would take place at the levels of policy making, service delivery, and through the establishment of due process and structures of accountability, such as the lay visitor scheme. We also liaised with other civic structures in order to initiate discussion around this area.
Through our interaction with the Penal Reform Lobby Group we planned for a conference on civic involvement in Correctional Services which will be held in March 1995.
The Prisons Project was severely hampered in its research by the Department's lack of co-operation in allowing access to prisons, prisoners and to information. Bureaucratic delays resulted in the Project being unable to complete research projects which relied on information from the Department. Nonetheless, the Prisons Project did complete several papers identifying problem areas within correctional services and making policy proposals for their resolution.
Department of Correctional Services
The Prisons Project's initial superficial relationship with the Department developed though our work with the Kriegler Commission of Inquiry and the civic involvement conference, which have accorded us increased credibility with the Department. We have also developed more co-operative relationships with key individuals in the Department. We envisage that this relationship will improve granting us greater access to information, and greater ability to initiate projects in the prisons.
However, it should be noted that institutional resistance to civilian involvement in policy formation initially substantially retarded our access to quality information and this has in turn hampered our research functions. This is not a novel experience for the CSVR, however, and largely mimics the processes and experiences of the Policing Research Project as regards the South African Police approximately three years ago. Having developed a strategy for overcoming such "bureaucratic or official resistance", we are confident that we will be able to do so in this instance. We have already begun to win successes in this regard and the credibility of the Prisons Research Project in the eyes of the DCS is increasingly being founded on our quality products, rather than our NGO status.
Academics and Non-governmental Organisations
The Prisons Project has networked extensively with well placed academics and NGOs. Our collaboration with the Penal Reform Lobby Group which is a consortium of NGOs including Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR), NICRO and POPCRU, has been very successful in facilitating the drafting of policy, as well as in strengthening the lobbying and advocacy work of all the organisations involved.
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Correctional Services
The Prisons Research Project has consulted with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Correctional Services and has submitted several policy documents on prison issues to the Committee.
International Bodies
Networks have been established with international bodies concerned with penal reform, most notably: Penal Reform International, Amnesty International, The International Committee of the Red Cross, NACRO and NIACRO. The Project has also established links with foreign prison services, such as the UK Home Office, the Danish Prison Service and the Canadian Correctional Service. All these networks have facilitated an exchange of information concerning international penal practices, which has been necessary and invaluable for our own policy development. This international network ensures that our policy proposals are drawing from international comparisons and research and applying these lessons to the South African context where appropriate. There can be little doubt that this is significantly enhancing the quality and credibility of our research products.
Because the DCS has remained an essentially conservative and un-consultative body, the Prisons Research Project has had to rely on lobbying other state departments and organisations. A meeting was consequently held with the Minister of Justice concerning our representations for amnesty for common law prisoners. Policy documents were also sent to other relevant state departments and Ministries, such as the Minister Without Portfolio, The office of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, and the Minister of Safety and Security. It is crucial to involve these other agencies in dialogue and problem solving around penal issues, and to build pressure upon the DCS from other sectors of government. Representatives of all these other government structures should be attending the Civic Involvement Conference to be held in 1995.
Thus far, limited use has been made of the commercial press to strengthen the lobby of the Prisons Project, but it is intended to develop this approach in the coming year. This will also help to cement the profile of the Prisons Research Project as well as other fraternal interest groups and organisations.
The initial part of the new year will be spent finalising the Alternative White Paper on Correctional Services and working on the Civic Involvement in Correctional Services Conference, due to be held in March 1995.
Arising out of these two projects, is the need to develop more concrete proposals on a number of areas highlighted by the Alternative White paper. More thorough research will be required on such topics as the institution of a Prisons Inspectorate, proposals of a Lay Visitors Scheme, and lobbying for proper change management within the Correctional Services Department.
The Prisons Research Project also aims to increase its development of community links in correctional services. A pilot project aimed at linking a specific community in Gauteng with a prison in the area is anticipated.
Dissatisfaction with the management of the DCS has become an area of concern with the prisons personnel labour unions. Should these issues remain unresolved, personnel frustrations could have adverse implications for the management of prisons and prisoners. Therefore, in the new year we aim to investigate the causes of dissatisfaction and seek solutions to these problems.
Finally, as a matter of strategy, as well as principle, we intend to continue to work on building relationships with both the DCS and the Ministry of Correctional Services. This is imperative if we are to successfully translate our policy proposals and innovations into institutional change.
As much as 1994 heralded the changes hoped for by most South Africans, the very processes of change themselves induced high levels of uncertainty, insecurity and feelings of powerlessness amongst a wide range of South Africans. The political violence which preceded the April election was all but matched by increases in domestic and social violence and by the levels of criminal violence which followed it. In this context, the role of the CSVR's Trauma Clinic remained as important in 1994 as it was in the preceding years. Victim aid, a critical mechanism for intervening in the cycle of violence and an indispensable vehicle of individual rehabilitation and social reconciliation, remains one of the most important interventive dimensions of the Centre's work.
In 1994 the CSVR's Trauma Clinic continued to provide a service to both witnesses and direct victims of various violence related traumata. This included victims of sexual, political, domestic and criminal violence and any other experience which could be regarded as outside the realm of normal human experience. As in previous years, the Trauma Clinic's service was offered with the assistance of volunteer counsellors who were trained and supervised by the Clinic staff. In addition to the Clinic's counselling work, it has expanded its services to include training and education in trauma and trauma counselling. Towards the end of the year, the Clinic also initiated a new specialised service for children who had been either direct or indirect victims of violence. This was based on the high numbers of child victims - particularly of child abuse - who were presenting themselves, combined with a recognition of the limited services available to these children.
Due to an increase in the Clinic's referrals and staff complement, it became necessary for the Clinic to relocate to larger premises. This duly occurred and the Clinic moved onto another floor in the same building as the rest of the CSVR. This move was also necessitated by the establishment of the Child Clinic. The new premises include a waiting room, a communal room for the volunteer counsellors, a total of 6 counselling rooms and a large, fully equipped play room. The Clinic is comfortably furnished to create a warm and secure environment. In short, the larger space has enabled the staff to cater for a substantially increased client load as well as enabling them to embark on new projects such as group therapy.
During the course of 1994, the Clinic underwent a number of staff changes and expanded substantially to build capacity for increased service delivery. Grant McClean left the Clinic early in the year and was replaced by Naomi Hill as Clinical Supervisor. Naomi accepted another post in July and was duly replaced by Mary Robertson. In the meantime, Palesa Makhale-Mahlangu was appointed as the Clinic's new Coordinator. Merle Masinga was also appointed, initially as a part-time and later as a full-time receptionist. This was considered an indispensable function in a professionally run Clinic, especially since many of the clients were being seen by volunteers, and this demanded intensive telephone liaison between clients and these volunteers. A new position of Child Therapist was also created and filled by Michelle Whiteside. The Clinic's administrative assistant, Kim Rautenbach, left the Clinic at the end of 1994 to pursue her studies, and the Clinic's administrative needs were taken on by the Centre's newly centralised Administration Department.
In an effort to further enhance their skills, the Clinic staff have participated in various staff development programmes. These have included computer training, typing skills and telephone answering skills. Some staff members have also attended conferences and training seminars which have further upgraded their knowledge and skills. Despite the problems of high staff turnover in the Clinic during the first half of the year, the CSVR has ultimately managed to secure committed staff of the highest quality in all the key Clinic positions. In the short period that they have been operating the Clinic, the staff have more than doubled the output of the organisation and have made a contribution within a stressful and often thankless context, which cannot be valued highly enough.
During 1994, there were 432 new referrals to the Clinic for individual trauma counselling. The majority of these clients were seen for between 4 and 6 sessions. In addition to the individual counselling, a number of debriefings were conducted in various sectors, including in industry, as well as within clinics and schools. Towards the end of the year the Clinic also initiated the process of establishing therapy groups for rape survivors and for victims of other violent crimes.
During the week of the April elections, the Clinic provided two distinct services. Firstly, Clinic staff were on standby to provide counselling to trauma victims. Secondly, the Clinic's volunteers, in conjunction with the Peace Secretariat and staff from the Psychology Department at the University of the Witwatersrand, assisted with individual and group debriefings of election monitors.
Finally, as a consequence of having established a service for children, the Trauma Clinic has necessarily had to engage in more family counselling, as well as individual counselling for these children.
The Clinic has continued to use volunteer counsellors as an adjunct to its clinical service. Due to an increased referral rate, it was necessary to train another group of volunteer counsellors during 1994. This training was conducted over a period of 10 weeks during March, April and May. A total of 18 new volunteers were trained and deployed. These volunteers receive sustained supervision as well as ongoing training from the Trauma Clinic staff. The volunteers were selected on the basis of their willingness to provide one afternoon or morning of service to the Clinic per week, together with their ability to speak an African language, as well as some counselling or psychology background.
In the course of the year, attempts were made to include the volunteers in broader Centre and Clinic activities and to assist with other projects such as the development of information pamphlets and the updating of the Clinic's database. They also assisted the Clinic staff with debriefings and other outreach projects and networking. Despite this, by the end of the year a number of volunteers had moved on, while at the same time referral rates continued to increase. This meant that a new training process was planned for early in 1995 when another 15 volunteer counsellors will be trained.
The training function offered by the Trauma Clinic is indispensable to the long term sustainability of victim aid and counselling service delivery. This is clear in the case of the CSVR Trauma Clinic itself, through the training of volunteers who bear a considerable burden in subsequent service delivery. However, as a wider social service, the training offered by the Clinic is equally, if not more important. In 1994 the Trauma Clinic conducted a number of training workshops on trauma counselling in the Gauteng region. These workshops and training courses were provided for a wide range of interest groups including corporate clients, clients within the educational profession and state institutions. Some examples of these clients are: Pick 'n Pay, Spoornet, The Joint Education Board, The Midrand Crisis Centre and Sandton Emergency Services.
The number of training requests received by the Clinic increased substantially throughout the year. This was partly due to increased demand which was environmentally determined, and partly due to the positive publicity which was received by the Clinic in this capacity. At the end of 1994 the Clinic staff were in the process of preparing training programmes for 1995 for various organisations and interest groups including: the SAPS Child Protection Unit; a training course, developed in conjunction with POWA on handling rape for SAPS detectives; other state and municipal emergency service providers; and the Johannesburg College of Education, to name but a few.
In 1994 the Clinic continued to liaise with various organisations such as People Opposing Woman Abuse (POWA), the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of Offenders (NICRO), Lawyers for Human Rights, Wits Legal Aid Clinic and Child Line. This networking was sustained either by way of visits, speaking engagements or through mutual referrals. In addition, the Clinic participated in the Kathorus Mental Health Forum and the Gauteng Social Welfare Forum. The Clinic was also involved in a joint initiative with the South African Police and other organisations, investigating the establishment of additional victim aid support services in the Gauteng region.
In an effort to educate the public, whilst simultaneously advertising the Clinic's services, the staff have been extensively engaged in media work for radio, television and the printed media. An advertisement for the Clinic was also run in The Star newspaper which was very successful in obtaining more referrals.
The Clinic developed a large number of referral sources for clients requiring services beyond those ordinarily offered by the Clinic. These referrals formed part of our community outreach efforts (e.g. accompanying clients to the Aids Clinic or the Child and Family Unit at the Transvaal Memorial Institute). Another aspect of the Clinic's outreach work has been the talks and training given by Clinic staff in various sectors such as business, schools and community organisations. Having consolidated the services offered within the Clinic during the course of 1994, it is planned to substantially develop the Clinic's outreach work in the course of the coming year.
An extensive client database has been developed in the course of 1994. This assists the Clinic in keeping statistics on the clients we have seen, including client numbers, types of cases and the duration of treatment.
At the end of 1994, the Clinic was in the process of negotiating the establishment of a satellite clinic in Soweto. This arose out of an awareness that the Clinic is not adequately accessible to many township-based survivors of violence. It is therefore our intention to develop a service in Soweto, operating from one of the existing health clinics in the area. This will become part of the Clinic's community outreach programme. A similar pilot project is being planned for Orange Farm, in the Vaal.
In order to facilitate the smooth running of the satellite clinics and other community outreach work, the Clinic will need to consider the acquisition or lease of a motor vehicle which will be equipped with a mobile toy box (for outreach work with children) and a cellular phone. The Clinic is also hoping to recruit more staff to deal with the increasing client load and training requests. This would potentially include a sessional psychologist who could assist with counselling and supervision of volunteers; a full time community psychiatric nurse who could help with training, counselling and psychiatric assessments; and a sessional child psychiatrist, to assist with the children's clinic. Depending on the resources available, the advertising and recruitment for these posts is planned for the middle of 1995.
Having already significantly built the Clinic's capacity, it is now desirable to embark on an advertising and outreach campaign in order to access as many victims as possible and to maintain a good referral rate. One newspaper has already offered to run a regular free advertisement during 1995, to assist in this respect.
The Clinic staff are aware of the enormous potential for documentation and research emerging from the innovative practical work being conducted in the Clinic. They are also aware of the fact that little research has been forthcoming from the Trauma Clinic due to other pressing priorities during 1994. However, a commitment has been made to begin producing some research articles about the work that we are doing in the course of 1995.
Towards the end of 1993 it was recognised that although the Trauma Clinic was servicing many adult victims of violence, children were not adequately provided for. As a result a child therapist, Michelle Whiteside, was appointed to the Clinic. Services for child victims of violence commenced in September 1994. The initial task was to establish facilities for children in the new premises of the Trauma Clinic. A separate playroom was therefore created which was designed to enable children and families to relax and so begin the therapeutic process. The room can also be used for family and play therapy.
From the opening of the child therapy unit in September 1994, until December 1994, 57 individual clients were seen. Approximately half of these clients were children who have either witnessed violence directly, or experienced the loss of a parent through violence. The remaining children were mostly female rape victims. As the Trauma Clinic has taken a policy decision to refer cases of child sexual abuse within the family to other specialist agencies where this is possible, the clients seen at the unit are usually victims of rape by people other than family members. These figures indicate the depth of the problem of child rape in South Africa.
Apart from the individual work, the child therapist has been involved in therapeutic group intervention with eight victims who were gang raped. Talks have also been given at a number of schools and places of work regarding children and violence. Throughout these last months of 1994, training was a priority for a wide range of parties involved with children who may have been victims of violence. Links have been established with the SAPS Child Protection Unit and a training programme is being developed to facilitating the investigation of cases involving children. Training was also developed for a local teaching college to heighten the awareness of trauma in the teaching profession. Training is also planned for volunteers to enable them to work with children in trauma. However, due to the complexity of the work, selection will be limited to volunteers with specific skills in therapy with children. This will enable the services to be expanded to more children in a wider area and in their home languages.
It is planned to extend the services of the child clinic in 1995. There will be outreach services in Soweto and Orange Farm, thus increasing the availability of specialised therapeutic help to more children. Due to the enormity of the problem of child rape in South Africa, it is planned that the Clinic will facilitate policy research in this field, and will work with other agencies to pressurise for change in methods of dealing with this problem. The appointment and creative work of the child therapist, has demonstrated the desperate need for effective services for child victims of violence in the Gauteng area. It is envisaged that eventually this post will involve mainly a facilitative, training, educating and consulting role, assisting other agencies and volunteers in the provision of services for children, rather than exclusively operating as a direct service provider.
Over the past year the Trauma Clinic has overcome a number of difficulties. These have included a period of orientation with the relocation to another floor, as well as a change in staff which has required a certain amount of adjustment. However, all of these developments quickly paid dividends and the result was that 1994 witnessed growth in capacity, profile, professionalism and competence which was unmatched in the previous years of the Clinic's existence.
One residual problem experienced was the issue of language. The Clinic offers counselling service in all 11 official languages. Unfortunately, the departure of a number of our trained volunteers who spoke African languages placed a heavy burden on the remaining volunteers and staff members to see all those clients who do not speak English. A similar problem has presented itself in the work with children. We have attempted to work around this by using remaining volunteers as interpreters and we are selecting future volunteers to be trained who are fluent in African languages.
Unfortunately the high turnover of trained volunteers appears to be a problem inherent in volunteer work, and this has depleted our counselling resources at various points and has placed excessive strain on the remaining staff members. There were periods, particularly towards the end of the year, when staff were dealing with heavy client loads as well as other Clinic activity. The levels of stress and dangers of burn-out were high. Hopefully, this will be ameliorated by the recruitment of new staff and new volunteers. However, proper acknowledgement, rewards and generous leave arrangements are critical to sustaining the levels of dedication and commitment from the Trauma Clinic staff. Their positions within the CSVR are unique.
Despite the above constraints and difficulties, the Clinic has succeeded in increasing its referral rate and has continued to offer a professional counselling service to growing numbers of people. In addition, the Clinic has also diversified its activities in response to the numerous training and educational requests which we have received. 1994 can therefore be described as a ground-breaking year for the Trauma Clinic.
As noted in the 1993 Annual Report, funding for The Save the Children Pilot Project was generously provided by Comic Relief via The Save the Children Fund (UK) in the course of that year. However, due to problems encountered in securing the appropriate staff for the Project, its launch was delayed until the beginning of 1994. At that time Dorothy Mdhluli, a qualified social worker, was employed as the Project coordinator. She was joined later in the year by a field-worker/assistant. The Pilot Project was specifically designed to engage with the increasingly pervasive problem of violence against children, but was initially named "The Save the Children Pilot Project" in recognition of the facilitation by the Save the Children Fund (UK). Due to its emphasis on trauma work, the Save the Children Project was located within the CSVR Trauma Clinic during 1994.
The investigative component of the Save the Children Project sought to develop an understanding of the nature and effects of violence on children and youth, both within the community as well as in the family context. This meant undertaking a field study where qualitative data was collected from a variety of sources engaged with this target constituency. The Project design entailed utilising this data to inform the intervention strategy within the service delivery component.
The establishment of a trauma counselling service entailed:
Developing a programme on how to reduce the negative impact of violence on children, together with those care-givers and policy-makers (including social workers, teachers, community activists and concerned politicians) working directly and indirectly with children and youth.
Facilitating the enhancement of various coping skills amongst both children and their teachers, including the ability to: identify the symptoms of trauma; deal with trauma; and develop conflict resolution skills. The acquisition of these skills is intended to help children, their families and, in the medium term, the targeted communities, to both prevent and cope better with the effects of social, political, criminal and domestic violence.
Offering treatment and services for victimised children through the CSVR's Trauma Clinic, as well as by referring them to other local organisations with which the Centre has established links, namely churches, welfare organisations, community organisations and youth structures.
Designing an educational manual providing information on how to deal with violence, trauma and different forms of conflict resolution. Such a manual is for use in workshops and for distribution to different community organisations.
Investigating and developing youth and children support structures which can offer therapeutic counselling, as well as legal and social advice for child victims of violence.
The first step in the implementation of the Save the Children Pilot Project was to establish the community base which offered access to the children and from which the programme could run effectively. The school environment was evaluated as providing the necessary sustainable access to this target constituency due to: the fact that children spend most of their day at school; the schools already boast some of the structures and infrastructure to sustain the project; and teachers, in addition to offering an important element of sustainability, were also viewed as being a vital constituent element of the Pilot Project programmes.
The Pilot Project was initially established in three schools. However, the Project was quickly inundated with requests from other schools in the area who wished to be included in the enterprise. However, due to a lack of capacity within the Save the Children Project, interventions in most of these other schools had to be postponed. However, there was one additional school (with a serious suicide problem averaging two suicides a year as well as numerous attempted suicides), to which, on the basis of urgency, it was decided to extend the services of the project.
All four schools chosen in which to run the pilot programme are in Soweto. Two of these schools are in particularly poverty stricken areas: Pimville (Nkholi Primary) and Naledi (Thabo High School) and they have approximately 800 and 1800 pupils respectively. The other two schools, Protea North High (1500 pupils) and Khuthala (approximately 1200 pupils) are in more middle class areas of Soweto. The original intention was to conduct the programme across such economic class lines, but it was quickly established that the "middle class" schools also had children from the surrounding poorer areas. However, the primary reason for selecting these particular schools for the pilot study was their relative stability compared to schools in other areas of Soweto. The absence of significant disruptions of the schooling system at these schools was considered important to the prospects of successfully initiating and completing the programme.
Nonetheless, some of the general problems inevitably encountered when working in the schooling environment must be highlighted here. Quite apart from the breakdown in authority and