Straatwerk began in the late 1960s when a small group of young believers in Cape Town felt called to reach people lost in the city’s nightlife. They took a borrowed van, a few sandwiches, and a primus stove, and went out to share Christ’s love with those trapped in pain and addiction.
They met people in clubs, alleyways, and police cells. They sat with them, listened to them, prayed with them, and showed them the hope that can only be found in Jesus. It was difficult and often frightening work, but it was real. From those humble beginnings grew a ministry that has been walking the streets for more than six decades.
Today, Straatwerk is a registered Non-Profit Organisation and a Public Benefit Organisation. We serve a diverse city with a diverse team that reflects South Africa’s rich mix of people and church backgrounds. Our work continues to grow, but our calling stays the same: to bring the love of Christ to the streets.
Afrikaans:
Die naglewe het ons aan die ‘nag’ van die sondigheid in die lewe van die naglopers – soos ons hulle genoem het – voorgestel. ‘n Leefwyse waaraan die jeug van ons land al hoe meer blootgestel sou word en waarby sommige onskuldig en ander met oop oe betrek sou word. Baie van hulle sou ons pad kruis. Sommige sou ons vind in smerige, stinkende hole, ander in destydse verbeteringskole, in polisie selle, tronke, inrigtings vir dwelm verslaafdes en alkoholiste, gesellinklubs en talle op die bote in die hawe. Daar was ook van hulle wie se lyke ons in die staats lykhuis sou moes gaan uitken. In die vertrek waar ons bymekaar gekom het om saam te gesels en te bid, het dit nog goed gegaan, daar tussen ons vriende in die Here. Maar wanneer ons daar uitgestap het, die donker en onbekende in, waar die onrustige, polsende musiek oorverdowend die onsekerheid en rebelsheid van die vasgevangde naglopers gevoed en meegesleur het, dan het dit skielik koud geword buite en was ‘n mens so bewus van jou eie onvermoe en onbeholpenheid. Ons het uit ons plek gevoel. Ja, soms bang in die vreemde wereld van oorverdowende musiek, die reuk van dwelms in die lug en die kruheid van vuil taal in ons ore.
(Geneem uit, “Met Christus op Straat, geskryf deur ds. Pietie Victor, stigter van Straatwerk in die sestigerjare.)
English:
The nightlife of Cape Town introduced us to the darkness of sinfulness in the lives of people roaming the night. This was the lifestyle that many of our young people would be introduced to – some innocently and others with open eyes. Many of them would cross our path. Some we would find in filthy, smelly dens, others in former reformatories, police cells, jails, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres, and escort agencies. And some we even had to identify in the state mortuary. It was so peaceful in the room where we gathered to chat and pray as friends in Christ. It wasn’t easy to leave safety behind and step into the dark unknown. Deafening music was playing everywhere, which fed the uncertainty and rebelliousness of those trapped in the clubbing culture. Late at night, conscious of our own inability and clumsiness to reach these people, we felt out of place. Yes, sometimes even scared in this weird world of pumping music, the smell of drugs around us, and the sound of curse words in our ears.
(Taken from “Met Christus op Straat”, written by the late Rev. Pietie Victor, founder of Straatwerk in the mid 1960s.)
Our ministry focuses on three main areas of service.
We believe the Gospel is word and deed working together. Our night outreaches give believers a way to serve the city with humility and grace.
Teams go into the nightlife of Cape Town wearing vests that say “Here to Serve.” They hand out small gifts, pray with people, and create a sense of peace in dark and restless spaces. These outreaches show the heart of Christ to people who might never set foot in a church.
OPHELP is our “School of Life.” It gives people from the streets and other desperate situations the chance to rebuild their lives through faith, community, and honest work.
Participants earn income by cleaning streets, maintaining public areas, and helping with technical services in the city.
As they work, they learn teamwork, discipline, and responsibility. Many move on to lead teams, manage operations, and even start their own small businesses.
OPHELP is not about creating jobs. It’s about restoring dignity, purpose, and hope through work that matters.
Since the 1980s, Straatwerk has reached out to women caught in prostitution. Today, our focus includes prevention, outreach, and restoration.
Through the Valuable to Jesus campaign, we raise awareness in schools and communities about the realities of sexual exploitation.
Our outreach teams meet women in the streets, in clubs, and in safe spaces, offering friendship, prayer, and practical help.
For those who choose to leave prostitution, we walk alongside them in a Journey of Hope—a process of faith, counseling, skills development, and job rehabilitation.
We believe transformation happens through relationships, not programs. Every outreach, every conversation, every act of service is personal.
We do not fix people. We walk with them.
We believe in giving people opportunities to live responsible, faith-filled, and productive lives.
We define homelessness as the absence of a home where there is love and care. Our Beth Shalom communal house gives people a place to belong again—a real home where they can grow, share, and rebuild together.
Across every project, we aim to see lives restored and communities renewed. People once caught in addiction, crime, and homelessness are now part of the very teams helping others find hope.
Our vision is to serve the city by showing Christ’s love in action.
We believe every person is made in God’s image and has a purpose.
We believe faith without works is dead.
We believe the Gospel calls us to serve, to speak up, and to act.
“The love of Christ compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14)
This truth drives everything we do. It is why we walk the streets. It is why we stay.
Straatwerk’s work takes us into the heart of Cape Town’s nightlife and the lives of those the city often overlooks.
Our ministry is not glamorous, but it is vital.
It brings the hope of Christ to the streets, the shelters and the hearts of people who thought they were beyond reach.
We have seen what love can do.
Love can restore what is broken.
Love can turn despair into purpose.
Love can change a city, one life at a time.
That is Straatwerk.
Walking the streets to serve the down-and-outers.
Living proof that the love of Christ still compels us.
