20 Nov 2021

 Nurturing the spirit of Botho by men will help minimise gender disparity and help communities promote their own culture and identity.

This was said by Gamalete deputy paramount, Kgosi Tsimane Mokgosi in his keynote address to celebrate the international men’s day in Mogobane on November 19.

Kgosi Mokgosi said should keep gender equality in check as they celebrated the internationally recognised day whose purpose was to also improve gender relations and highlight men’s positive contribution to society, family, marriage, child care and environment.

He said men should strike a socio-economic balance in order to have peace of mind and further focus on their mental health, wellbeing, highlight discrimination against males and create a safer better world.

Giving an overview of the objectives of the event, men’s sector chairperson, Senior Superintendent Lameck Gabakgorwe shared Kgosi’s sentiments, saying the event offered men a chance to reflect on their positive contribution and mitigate other social ills such as passion killings.

He said gender equality was top priority and thus urged the community to support them in their endeavour to fulfil their wish.

Sergeant Victor Leburu of Mogobane police said their office was inundated with disturbing reports of gender based violence (GBV).

Sgt Leburu said GBV was multifaceted in its nature and required a proper approach to deal with it. He said there were several issues that could lead to GBV such as misunderstanding in families due to diverse factors including alcohol abuse.

Between January and November this year, he said they had recorded over 28 cases of GBV related incidents ranging from rape, assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault, defilement and child molestation.

He said they had received reports that some perpetrators were not reported to the police and another worrying factor was the number of withdrawn cases.

Meanwhile, the international men’s day is celebrated annually on November 19 to recognise and celebrate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of men.

This year it was celebrated under the theme ‘To promote healthy relations between men and women amidst COVID-19 and beyond’. BOPA/201121tsk