Access to justice is a cornerstone of South Africa's fight against gender-based violence (GBV), shaping whether the promise of constitutional rights becomes a lived reality for survivors. In a country where women and gender diverse people face persistently high levels of violence, the justice system is often the first — and sometimes the only — pathway to protection, accountability, and healing. When survivors can report abuse safely, obtain protection orders, access survivor centred courts, and trust that cases are investigated and prosecuted with dignity, the law becomes a powerful tool for both individual redress and societal change. Ensuring meaningful, inclusive access to justice is therefore not only a legal obligation, but a moral imperative in dismantling the structures that allow gender-based violence to persist.
As an organisation whose core purpose is to empower access to justice and enable as many South Africans as possible to enforce and defend their rights, we are proud to partner with the Greater Rape Intervention Project (GRIP) in its mission to support survivors of gender-based violence in Mpumalanga.
In 2000, in the heart of Mpumalanga, one woman's determination lit a spark that would go on to change countless lives. Moved by the silence surrounding gender-based violence and the isolation faced by survivors navigating justice and health systems, Barbara Kenyon founded the Greater Rape Intervention Project. Her vision was simple yet radical for its time: no survivor should walk the road to justice and healing alone. What began as a small group of volunteers supporting survivors at a single hospital has grown into a vital lifeline of care and support across the province.
Aligned with our Asset Based and Community Led Development (ABCD) approach to Corporate Social Investment, and our commitment to partnering with likeminded community-based organisations, GRIP operates at the coalface of the GBV response through its comprehensive “Circle of Care” model. This fully integrated, survivor centred approach supports individuals from first disclosure through to long term independence.
Today, GRIP is recognised as one of Mpumalanga's most trusted GBV response organisations, with care rooms that operate at six hospitals, eight police stations, and three Magistrates' Courts, complemented by two long term shelters that provide safe spaces for survivors to heal, recover, and rebuild their lives. Throughout its growth, GRIP's work has remained survivor led, trauma informed, and deeply rooted in community partnerships.
Building partnerships with organisations such as GRIP enables LegalWise to better understand the realities faced by communities and to provide targeted support that strengthens, complements, and extends the reach of our partners' vital work.
Contact GRIP:
Facebook: GRIP – GBV Intervention Project
Instagram: GRIPNPO
Telephone: 013 752 4404 / 083 310 1321