14 Nov 2023

 The Body of Christ has been called upon to  take its rightful place in the fight against gender based violence (GBV) that has also reared its ugly head within the confines of the church.

Tati Town Deputy Customary Court President, Ms Tachenama Maphorisa made the clarion call during her welcome address to Adventists following the Seventh Day Adventists church walk against GBV dubbed Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, in Francistown on Saturday.

She said the church was duty-bound to complement efforts by the government and effect change as far as GBV was concerned.

“You have the power to influence and change the situation. Things are not the same anymore. We need to call upon the name of the Lord as Christians to arrest GBV and other social ills bedevilling the society,” she said adding that the level of violence had now reached a tipping point.

That being the case, Ms Maphorisa implored the church’s top brass to encourage members especially men to take advantage of interventions availed by the government to wage war on diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

“Mindset change is of essence if we are to achieve desired results,” she said.

Constable Lelani Wamundila of the Child-Friendly Centre gave Adventists that converged at Tatitown customary court startling statistics depicting the level of violent crimes occasioned by both the young and old in Francistown and the surrounding areas.

“Gender based violence is alive. Unfortunately, we choose to sweep it under the carpet as families and society,” she said.

She relayed that in the last three months, the centre recorded four cases of murder, 83 cases of rape, 53 cases of attempted rape, and six cases of defilement of imbeciles.

Also, she said young people under the age of 18 were among the perpetrators. Assistant Superintendent Mosetsana Ntlhabano also from Child Friendly Centre expounded on various laws and instruments that had been enacted to curb violence.

She mentioned among others the Children’s Act, the Domestic Violence Act, and the Penal Code as key in the fight against GBV and warned the general public about failure to report crimes, saying it was punishable by the law.

“The law gives people between 16 and 65 the right to report,” she stated.

Tatitown Police Tshegofatso Phalanyane shared other speakers’ sentiments and urged members of the public to utilise the psycho-social support services offered by the social support unit.

Sweeping things under the carpet, she said, would only make things worse.

Pastor Stephen Makuku was concerned that not many men turned out for the event although statistics indicated that they were the primary perpetrators of violent acts.

He suggested that the organisers should find another suitable date and invite men especially God-fearing men to attend in numbers.

Pastor Makuku also implored the powers that be to always consult with the church

His words were echoed by Pastor Otsetswe Lefoko who promised a better approach to the campaign next year.

The purpose of the event to raise awareness about GBV. ENDS