Pretoria: Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Dr. Nomusa Dube-Ncube has called for the expansion of safe, accessible, and stigma-free support spaces across South Africa's post-school education and training sector (PSET). Dube-Ncube made the call at the national launch of Higher Health's first Comfort Room at Ekurhuleni East TVET College's Springs Campus.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Comfort Room is designed to provide students with a safe environment where they can speak openly, seek assistance, and access support for challenges including gender-based violence (GBV), mental health, HIV, and other psychosocial difficulties. Dube-Ncube highlighted the need for such spaces, underscored by the number of young people requiring psychosocial support.
Approximately 394,000 GBV self-risk assessments and about 458,000 mental health self-risk assessments have been completed, with close to 189,000 young people identified as needing or actively seeking psychosocial support. "Those are not statistics. Those are students," Dube-Ncube stated, emphasizing the individual stories behind the numbers.
The Comfort Room offers a simple yet powerful intervention by creating a physical space where students can find people trained to listen without judgment. It will host initiatives including Survivor Clubs for students who have experienced GBV, Transforming Mentalities Clubs aimed at promoting reflection and behavioral change, and peer forums for young people living with HIV. It will also provide mental health conversations, self-risk assessments, and referral pathways to appropriate support services.
The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of the peer-led model, noting that young people are often more willing to seek assistance from peers who have walked similar paths. However, Dube-Ncube clarified that the Comfort Room will not replace existing support structures but will complement the work of the South African Police Service, the Departments of Social Development and Health, and NGOs involved in supporting students.
For cases of sexual violence, the Comfort Room is designed to serve as a campus-based extension of the Thuthuzela Care Centre model, providing a space for students to find the courage to speak and be connected to appropriate services.
Dube-Ncube announced plans to establish Comfort Rooms across universities, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, and Community Education and Training (CET) colleges. She also called on NGOs and the private sector to support the initiative's expansion by contributing resources and expertise.
Linking the initiative to the broader national focus on skills development, Dube-Ncube stressed that student wellbeing and skills development should not be treated as separate priorities. She advocated for the introduction of confidential wellbeing screening during the first week of a student's academic journey to prevent future crises.
Addressing the growing challenges of social isolation in a digital world, Dube-Ncube emphasized the need for spaces where young people can engage face-to-face. She hopes that Comfort Rooms will become as common on South African campuses as libraries within five years.
The Deputy Minister also welcomed the participation of 150 Ekurhuleni East TVET College students in Higher Health's Civic Education and Voter Registration Programme ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections. She concluded by stating that the true success of the Comfort Room will be measured by whether students feel able to seek help within its walls.