From a safe haven for children to a derelict building ripped apart by vandals

Once a beacon of hope for vulnerable children, the Child Welfare Temporary Safe Care Centre in Thaba Nchu, outside Bloemfontein in the Free State, now stands in ruins.

Opened through a partnership between Child Welfare SA and the Department of Social Development, the center once provided safety and support for abused, neglected, and abandoned children.

However, years of neglect and vandalism have left it abandoned, forcing children to be relocated to another facility sustained by the NGO.

As the property caretaker pleads for assistance to restore the center, the question remains: Will this once-thriving refuge be given a second chance?

“I wish that after they cut the ribbon at the opening ceremonies, they would continue to support us,” the caretaker said.

The property’s caretaker, who once helped make the environment conducive for children, now spends his days chasing vandals and looters from stripping the site of what is left of it.

Since 2005, the Centre has been operating as a shelter for abused women and children through donor funding.

In 2014, the Department of Social Development entered into an agreement with Child Welfare SA to revive the center due to the increasing need for shelters.

A location was earmarked by the Botshelo Community Centre, and on 5 June 2015, the Child Welfare Temporary Safe Care Centre in Thaba Nchu officially opened its doors to accommodate abused, neglected, exploited and abandoned children.

The ceremony was officiated by Sisi Ntombela, the then MEC for Social Development, who ultimately became the province’s premier.

“The center operates 24 hours to service communities around Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo,” said the Free State Department of Social Development in a statement shortly before the opening.

“The SAPS are also allowed to remove and place children in need of care by means of a form 36 in terms of the Children’s Act.”

“Children are only allowed to stay at the center for a period not more than 90 days pending the finalization of their cases where they will be receiving psychosocial support and reunification services.”

Portia Malgas-Maphalala, regional director of Child Welfare South Africa in the Free State, said at the opening in 2015 that they were privileged to have a facility like this.

“As an organisation that is responsible to protect children, we feel that sometimes we don’t have places where we can put children who are in need of care and protection.”

“A place like this says to the community that, if they meet a child who is in need and there is no place to keep the child, this facility will offer the child a safe environment where they can stay,” she added.

She said that the facility would accommodate 23 children and 12 babies.

The Child Welfare Temporary Safe Care Centre today

Upon visiting the area in 2025, the once-safe haven for children is nothing more than a derelict building stripped bare by vandals. The metal roof and other metal items are gone.

The inside of the buildings have also been stripped of everything – from doors to most windows.

Grass and weeds sprout through the cracks of the decade-old building, which, given its lack of roofing, would need to be watered when it rains. The play areas are also derelict, with many items stripped.

The children have been moved to a new location, with its pricy rent and all other costs funded by the NGO through donations.

“We really need help to get the place operational again. We need to help the children. Yes, there is another location that they are at now, but it is nothing like what this used to be,” said the caretaker.

“It felt like we were totally forgotten about after they opened it in a big ceremony.”

The Free State Department of Social Development was contacted for comment but did not respond to BusinessTech’s requests for comment.

Video of the Child Welfare Temporary Safe Care Centre in Thaba Nchu

Photos of the Child Welfare Temporary Safe Care Centre in Thaba Nchu