11 Dec 2023

Lobatse residents have been urged to work with the police to fight gender based violence (GBV) and sale of illicit drugs in the town.

Officer Commanding for the Police District Number 4, Senior Superintendent Sarah Gabathuse made the appeal during a campaign against GBV and illicit substances abuse held in Peleng township on Friday. 

Ms Gabathuse said the high GBV and drug abuse statistics registered in Lobatse over the years caused concern. She said nine GBV related murder cases and four attempted murder cases were recorded in the town from 2021 to date. She also said the police registered 31 GBV related threat to kill cases, 129 rape cases, 104 defilement cases, and many assault and unlawful wounding cases related to GBV over the same three-year period. 

She further said child neglect cases were on the increase in the town, with 11 such cases recorded this year. Ms Gabathuse said gender based violence incidents were fuelled by drug and substance abuse.

“I encourage you to take action against any action of drug use in the community. We can only succeed in fighting the use of illicit substances through team work between members of the community and the police. You should inform the police about activities of drug use or sale of drugs you notice in the community,” she said.

She further urged them to report any incident of violence against children and minors to the relevant authorities. Ms Gabathuse said the objective of the event was to exchange ideas with members of the community on the fight against gender based violence and drug and substance abuse. A psychiatric nurse from Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital, Mr Tuelo Magodi said almost 30 per cent of patients admitted at the institution suffered from symptoms of disorders caused by drug abuse. 

Mr Magodi said some of the patients brought to Sbrana hospital were students and professionals on formal employment. He said they provided patients with professional advice on dangers of drug abuse in an effort to encourage patients to quit drug use. However, he said some patients ignored the advice. Peleng Customary Court president, Ms Tebogo Kemoabe, said drug and substance abuse was destroying lives of many young people in Lobatse.

“This situation is disturbing. Our community is drowning under drugs,” she said, urging residents to heed the call and join hands with the police and crime prevention committees in the town to fight drug and substance abuse. ends