15 Jun 2025

Faith-based organisations have been called to take their position as intercessors of their communities.

Speaking during the launch of the National Week of Prayer Against gender-based violence (GBV) in Lentsweletau on June 13, Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Ms Lesego Chombo asked the church to play the role of the gate keeper to the souls and minds of people so that through prayer, the human mind could be aligned to the Will of God. She said the burden of GBV needed the church to pray to God for him to change the hearts of people so they did what the society expected of them.

Minister Chombo said the most prevalent forms of GBV targeting women and girls included emotional, psychological, economic and sexual abuse. She said as the church began the national prayer week in their respective places of worship, they should ask God to heal and comfort victims of GBV to comfort sexually violated women and girls.

She further asked the church to pray for God to change the hearts of the GBV perpetrators and strengthen as well as comfort families who lost loved ones due to GBV. Ms Chombo said government decided that the nation should engage in prayer because if the human spirit, which is connected to the emotional and psychological state of mind, is down, then God’s intervention is crucial.

‘According to Botswana Population Census 2022, the majority of the population of Botswana are Christians, hence why we need to pray while other faith-based organisation also do the needful,” she said. 

She commended Rev. Bonolo Mmereki-Burns, who brought together different faith-based organisations to pray together, saying such paved a way for unity and peace among different beliefs. She implored the church to preach about GBV, build better families, comfort those who are hurt and in pain because of GBV, and bring peace among perpetrators and victims.

In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Morulaganyi Makgasane said GBV was among the prominent causes of death in the Kweneng District. He said he was therefore happy that the government saw it fit to start national prayers on the vice, which had destroyed the lives of many.

Kgosi Makgasane cautioned people against ignoring minor conflicts as they had a tendency to explode into uncontrollable feuds that let to GBV and at times, murder. He expressed concern that death penalty seemed not to deter people from committing heinous crimes.

Member of Parliament for Lentsweletau/ Lephepe, Mr Tshenolo Bogatsu said the cultural practices that encouraged authoritative patriarchal norms and values had to changed so that GBV cases could subside. He said men were authoritative by nature and once they let go of that and discuss issues with a calm mind, the war on GBV could be won. Mr Bogatsu said government was for human rights and therefore it was important for all to follow suit for the betterment of life in general. ENDS