26 Mar 2018

Many mishaps and social ills in Okavango region such as road accidents, alcohol abuse, rape and all forms of abuse has prompted the community to intervene through prayer.

Ministers fraternal in collaboration with Gumare police, Botswana Christian AIDS  Intervention Programme (BOCAIP) held an interfaith church service at Gumare kgotla on Sunday to pray for the minimisation of such ills.

Speaking at the ceremony, Superintendent Dennis Zilawe said since the Easter holidays were around the corner, people, more especially churches, tend to travel long distances to far-off places, therefore it was vital to counsel them on safety measures.

He further noted that hiring motor vehicles that are not road worthy, overloading, driver’s errors, outside interference like domesticated animals and wildlife, speeding and alcohol abuse as factors contributing to road accidents in Gumare and surroundings.

He also mentioned that police have adopted a zero tolerance policy on the 18-40 years age group, up until they learn to abide by road regulations, this primarily because they are the most affected and involved in road accidents.

In addition, Superintendent Zilawe urged drivers to always be vigilant when driving to save lives.

He advised men to protect women and children from abuse since the numbers indicate a higher percentage increase of men abusing women in Okavango, citing 2016 with 15 cases of rape and 2017 with 27 in Gumare alone.

For his part, District AIDS Coordinator for Okavango region, Mr Samuel Kenaape said the youth, who make 70 per cent of the population of the region must be engaged in fighting the AIDS scourge since most issues pertaining to HIV/AIDS affect them.

He said the HIV prevalence rate is high amongst the youth aged 30-34 at 31.4 per cent with the females leading at 42.4 per cent.

He also mentioned risky sexual behaviours such as  inter-generational relationships as another concern.

Mr Kenaape also called upon parents and stakeholders to partake in parenting of children and encouraging youth to take up government initiatives to better their lives. Ends