27 Feb 2019

The escalating cases of gender-based violence (GBV) are disturbing, says Kgatleng District commissioner, Mr Mompoloki Mochanang
Speaking at a workshop organised by Re A Nyalana and Men Sector, Mr Mochanang  said everyone had a role to play in addressing issues that affect women and children.
He said gender-based violence was a multi-sectoral issue and even though it was mostly perpetrated by men against women and children, stakeholders had a role to play.
Mr Mochanang said it was also worrying that  judges had come out to raise concerns about the alarming rate at which people were getting divorced.
“Family is the cornerstone of society and we need to take pre-marital counselling very seriously,” he said, adding that in most cases the worrying state of the society was a reflection of what went on in families.
He noted that in the past, there was a leadership forum in Kgatleng that addressed issues of youth delinquency and called for the resuscitation of the forum because youth had gone back to bad behaviour.
Mr Mochanang further said it was also worrying that in this day and age women were still being sidelined in leadership positions, even though they had proved to be capable as their male counterparts.
“I remember a male councillor once told me that in Kgatleng, they would never vote for a woman member of parliament because culturally a woman cannot lead men. The country needs to raise better men than this,” he said.
He also called on the nation to continue respecting the institution of bogosi because it was still relevant and important.
For her part, Re A Nyalana programme coordinator, Ms Annah Morwaagole, said the workshop aimed at bringing government initiatives and programmes closer to people and addressing issues of child abuse, gender based violence, gender and sex, marriage, culture and inheritance.
She said it was clear that the boy child had been left behind in terms of having platforms to engage, interact and teach them about issues of gender based violence.
Ms Morwaagole said the workshop would also help people acknowledge the existing referral systems when they came across some of these issues.
“It is very important to know where one goes seeking redress or help when faced with challenges, be it marriage or youth delinquency,” she said. ends