15 Jun 2023

De Beers Group of Companies in conjunction with Business Botswana has donated P100 000 to Botswana Gender Based Violence Prevention and Support Centre (BGBVC).

The two organisations also donated marimba musical equipment worth P43 000 to Lephoi Centre for the Blind in Francistown on Tuesday.

Debswana Group of Companies senior governance and compliance manager, Mr Christopher Mokgware said Botswana was not a safe place for women due to its high prevalence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases. 

He said GBV was one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world and Botswana was not spared.

Mr Mokgware said 70 per cent of women in Botswana had experienced abuse and due to those alarming statistics, there was a lot more to be done to create and promote a safe environment for all in the country.

“It knows no social, economic or national boundaries. 

Worldwide, an estimated one in three women will experience physical and sexual abuse in their lifetime,” he said, quoting statistics.

Mr Mokgware said there was need to address the social problem and look for categorical solutions for its eradication.

“Ending sexual and GBV in Botswana is imperative and cannot be postponed,” he emphasised. 

On other issues, Mr Mokgware explained that their relationship with Lephoi Centre and BGBVC came about in 2022, when De Beers Group and Business Botswana, in collaboration with the district commissioner’s office, worked together in identifying the needs of the Francistown community.

She said the donation to BGBVC would go a long way in assisting the organisation in its campaign against GBV and other related offences.

Mr Mokgware said working with Lephoi Centre and BGBVC had been fruitful as De Beers believed in working with like-minded people, whose main goal was to help the community.

Business Botswana vice president (north), Mr Humphrey Nawa commended the partnership between De Beers and his organisation in assisting the less privileged members of the society. 

He said the business community should not only focus on developing the economic sector, but should also lend a helping hand in developing communities and helping the less privileged.

Mr Nawa said the donation by the two entities was part of their Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Investment.

“We want to invest in the communities that we make business with,” he said, adding that the private sector must be seen to be taking part in community development.

Mr Nawa said the marimba instruments were also manufactured and bought from a young Motswana, thus promoting  local talent.

He explained that the initiative would help Lephoi Centre to produce quality music and content for publishing.

Mr Nawa commended the centre for embarking on training children to be business orientated. 

They are being taught to make ornaments such as beaded necklaces and knitted blankets which are sold for profit.

For her part, BGBVC, chief executive officer, Ms Lorato Moalosi said Botswana was one of the countries with high number of rape cases reported annually.

Ms Moalosi said BGBVC was established in Francistown in 2020, after realising that there was an increase in the number of sexual related offences, especially in Francistown.

She appealed to men to come on board in fighting the scourge and also to refrain from doing vile acts. 

Lephoi Centre board chairperson, Mr Kitso Ramahobo promised to put to good use the donation.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Francistown, Mr Godisang Radisigo commended the two organisations for assisting Lephoi centre, which is a non-profit making organisation. ends