23 Jun 2025

As residents of Molepolole, let us get on our knees and pray against rising gender-based violence (GBV) incidents. This was said by Bakwena deputy kgosi, Kgosi Lawrence Mhaladi in his welcome remarks during a gender-based violence (GBV) prayer session in Molepolole recently.

“As a village, already we are victims of this menace. Why are we an angry nation that we can kill one another? Let us stand in one accord in prayer to fight GBV because with God nothing is impossible,” said Kgosi Mhaladi.

Mr Mhaladi, who has in several gatherings voiced out how he was being haunted by a stereotype that posed Molepolole as the most dangerous village in Botswana, wondered why GBV cases were rising despite government efforts to end.

When sharing the gospel, the chairperson of the Molepolole Ministers’ Fraternal, Pastor Diane Mogome of St.John Apostolic Church in Lephaleng ward, said the law had been enacted, programmes and policies made to curb the GBV problem, but it seemed such made matters worse. He said the current situation of GBV was a total opposite of the message portrayed by the National Anthem, which entailed that this country was a gift from God that deserved to be reserved through love, peace and tranquility. Pastor Mogome also emphasised a Setswana proverb, Ntwakgolo ke ya molomo, which directly translates to the best solution for a discordance was to negotiate rather than resort to violence.

Inspector Lita Bagayi of District 11, under the Gender and Child Protection Unit at Molepolole Police Station reported that defilement cases were skyrocketing in his policing area. Inspector Bagayi made an appeal to the public to partake in deterring GBV by ensuring they camouflage no GBV culprit and to assist the victims with all their might to set them free from the abuse.

“We are worried about GBV in our policing area, despite a slight decline in GBV cases numbers, we should strive to end this within our communities. A strong family builds a strong community and everything becomes easier in life,” said Inspector Bagayi.

She also said in 2023 statistics indicated that 113 cases of defilement occurred in Molepolole and its outskirts with a big decrease in 2024 where only 44 cases were registered. However, at the apex of the statistics, Inspector Bagayi revealed that 216 cases of common assault were filed, whereas in 2024 about 103 cases of this kind were recorded. 

“In 2023, we received 95 cases of threat to kill and 63 cases of the same manner in 2024, while for the murder cases we registered five in 2023 and three in 2024. Eighty-nine cases of rape were reported in 2023 while in 2024 we registered 88, whereas in the offence of assault occasioning bodily harm 92 cases were reported in 2023 and in 2024 about 51 cases we reported. In the malicious damage to property, statistics scored up to 59 cases while in 2024 the statistics tallied up to 22 cases. Thirty-one cases were recorded under the use of insulting language in 2023 while we wrapped the year 2024 with only 14 cases of this kind,” reported Inspector Bagayi.

She advised people to report GBV cases, adding that currently all police stations had a special units dedicated to addressing such cases. Member of Parliament for Molepolole South, Mr Shima Monageng decried a lower turn up of residents.

“Churches should have been here with all members. We cannot be dominant only in bad things. People have to change according to the Word of God. We as the church let us pray to kill the spirit of the devil making people sin or opt to perform wicked deeds,” said Mr Monageng. ENDS