Initiative to Support Gender-Based Violence Survivors Launches in Secunda
As part of Sasol’s Gender-Based Violence and Femicide response plan, a Psychosocial Support Programme was launched in Secunda at the end of November 2025.
The Psychosocial Support Programme, which will run for a period of four years, will provide trauma counselling, emotional support, mental wellness education and sensitisation sessions to local communities, in what is a multi-sectoral approach to tackling the scourge of gender-based violence.
The launch of the programme coincided with the observation of 16 Day of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, which runs from 25 November to 10 December every year.
The establishment of the Psychosocial Support Programme was informed by the outcome of a Sasol baseline study, which revealed a need for psychosocial support for communities around Secunda and Sasolburg. It also identified gaps in access to trauma counselling and coordinated referral systems.
Community organisations had reported being overstretched and inadequately resourced, highlighting the need for a coordinated intervention. The study was carried out through engagements with social workers, NPOs, Thuthuzela Care Centres, the South African Police Services (SAPS) Victim-Friendly Units and other stakeholders.
Programme launch
Sasol launched the programme on 28 November 2025 in eMbalenhle, outside Secunda, teaming up with various stakeholders that provide assistance to survivors of gender-based violence, such as SAPS, Department of Social Development, National Prosecuting Authority, Department of Justice and local Non-Profit Organisations. These organisations play a vital role in assisting those impacted by gender-based violence.
The Psychosocial Support Programme will be implemented in partnership with social welfare organisations across Secunda and Sasolburg and will operate through designated access points in both regions. To ensure the effectiveness of the initiative, ten unemployed youth graduate social workers, 5 from each town, have been enlisted to offer support to survivors, for a period of 2-years.
Another cohort of 10 unemployed youth graduate social workers will be deployed for further period of 2 years. Sasol will also continue with the upgrading of victim friendly rooms at police stations in the respective towns.
The social workers will deliver a suite of services that include:
– Trauma counselling and emotional support
– Crisis intervention and trauma debriefing
– Individual and family support sessions
– Referrals to: Department of Health, Department of Social Development, SAPS and local NPOs.
The launch demonstrates Sasol’s ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals and strengthening community-based response systems through psychosocial interventions.
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