14 Nov 2023

 Re-A-Nyalana Society has been commended for formalising relationships and bringing stability to families. 

When giving a keynote address during Re-A-Nyalana Society mass wedding at Mmamoagi lands recently, the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Talita Monnakgotla, said the society assisted cohabiting couples formalise their relationships into marriages. 

She said the idea was to promote stable homes conducive for child development. 

Ms Monnakgotla added that her ministry had partnered with four civil organisations among them the Re-A-Nyalana Society to capacitate families with appropriate skills and build families’ resilience to be able to deal with social ills. 

The guest speaker, Ms Phondy Morwaeng, wife of the Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng, said the initiative by the society was of great virtue. 

She said the society was contributing to nation building as strong marriages played a pivotal role in the community. 

Ms Morwaeng encouraged couples to never doubt their marriages, noting that  some people cast doubt on marriages conducted by the society.

 “Marriage is marriage, and it does not matter where it has been done as long as the couple has a valid marriage certificate,” she noted. 

Ms Morwaeng encouraged the couples to continue loving each other. 

She said three things were important in a marriage; respect for one another, forgiveness and love. 

Ms Morwaeng pledged her support for the society, promising to work with them going forward.

 She donated 50 blankets to be distributed among the couples married through the initiative. 

The coordinator of Re-A-Nyalana Society, Ms Annah Morwaagole, said they were honoured to carry out the  initiative that helped cohabiting couples become husband and wife. 

She said they had planned to carry out the marriage ceremony for 10 couples but one of them pulled out at the last minute. 

Ms Morwaagole said they offered pre and post marital counseling to all couples, which she said  was why there  were no divorce cases among those that the society had assisted. 

The coordinator said so far  7 037 couples had married through the initiative including those married at Mmamoagi lands. 

She thanked the government for the support rendered to the society. 

However, she said  the society still needed more support to reach out to all the corners of the country. 

The organiser of the mass wedding, Councillor Onneetse Motanka, said when she became the councillor for Losilakgokong/Kotolaname ward, she took a decision to help build families and her target was 100 families. 

“And that is why when I heard about the Re-A-Nyalana Society, I looked for their contacts and liaised with them to come and help cohabiting couples in my ward,” she said. 

She said already 50 families had been assisted and she believed that she would reach her target even though it was not easy as some people discouraged others, labelling the marriages as ‘Ipelegeng’. 

Speaking on behalf of married couples, Mr Mokhai Kae, said they were overjoyed as they were now legally married. 

He said he had stayed with his partner for along time without being married, recalling a time  when he was asked to produce a marriage certificate and got stuck. 

Mr Kae said he then saw the need to legalise his relationship, adding ‘today, my dream has come true’. 

He thanked that Re-A-Nyalana Society and Councilor Motanka for the initiative. 

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Kegobonye Maruping of Moshaweng, thanked Re-A-Nyalana Society for the initiative to help couples get married. 

He said he had seen this happening twice at Kotolaname where many families had already benefited.

Kgosi Maruping applauded the coordinator for the ceremony and advised the couples to honour their marriages and respect one another. ENDS