It all began in 1986 when Mr Shorty
Raubenheimer travelled to Carletonville to
participate in their Lifeline activities. Several
people heard about this and felt that the
KOSH area needed its own group of trained
counsellors and that is how the branch of
Lifeline was initiated in Stilfontein.
On January 1, 1987, a centre was opened in
Stilfontein where telephone counselling was
offered to the public from 18h00 to 22h00
every day.
In 1991, Lifeline South Africa established
an AIDS Help Line with the help of the
Department of Health and Welfare. Until
1999, this help line was manned 24 hours a
day by 17 centres throughout the country,
including Lifeline Klerksdorp.
In 2001 we piloted home community based
care and psycho-social support for orphans
and vulnerable children. A Crisis centre was
opened from the Park street offices in
Klerksdorp, with 24 hour a day, care for
survivors of rape, domestic violence and
abuse. In 2004, this became a standalone
project and has expanded since. From 2004
when KOSH crisis centre was opened in
Tshepong Hospital, Jouberton. Kgakala crisis
centre followed in 2009 in Leeudoringstad. In
2011, Lifeline Klerksdorp opened another
crisis centre in Vryburg called Khuseleka one
stop centre. Tlokwe crisis centre followed in
2013 within Potchefstroom Hospital.
Today Lifeline Klerksdorp is mending four
crisis centres in the North West Province and
it continues to render counselling services and
training for the last 30 years.