01 Apr 2026

Men’s Conference Botswana patron Mr Kgosietsile Ngakaagae has acknowledged that men in Botswana experience various forms of violence from their female counterparts.

Responding to comments and questions from participants at the Pitso ya Borre held at Moshupa kgotla on Saturday, Mr Ngakaagae who is also Director of Public Prosecution explained that violence against men was multifaceted.

“This included financial exploitation, where some women take full control of their partners’ monthly income, as well as damaging social media posts intended to humiliate men.”

He further disclosed that some men endure physical abuse, while others were denied access to their children.

In certain cases, he said former partners unilaterally change a child’s surname to that of a new partner without the biological father’s consent.

Mr Ngakaagae also pointed out that community leadership sometimes contributed to the perpetuation of gender-based violence (GBV).

He noted that nearly 95 per cent of such cases were withdrawn before reaching trial, as victims and offenders often claimed they had reconciled.

In addition, Mr Ngakaagae warned young boys against engaging in criminal activities, emphasising that criminal convictions remained on record unless one successfully applied for a presidential pardon.

Responding to a question on efforts by Botswana Prison Service (BPS) to discourage young boys from crime, Assistant Superintendent Onkemetse Sabata of Moshupa Boys Prison said the service conducted public education campaigns to highlight the dangers of criminal conduct that could lead to imprisonment.

He added that BPS had a Psycho-Social Support Unit, which provided mental health, emotional and social assistance to inmates.

The unit aimed to support their rehabilitation, character development and successful reintegration into society.

Meanwhile, Moshupa District AIDS Coordinator, Mr Kebonyemodisa Watota raised concern over teenage pregnancy in the district, revealing that 96 cases had been recorded from April 2025 to date.

Of these, 28 occurred in Moshupa, with the youngest girl being only 15 years old.

Mr Watota described the figures as alarming, especially alongside 1 362 cases of sexually transmitted infections recorded in the district, the majority among women.

He added that 4 219 people are currently on antiretroviral treatment, with 78 new enrolment between April and November 2025.

However, he expressed worry that 674 people had defaulted on their treatment and urged the public to encourage them to resume.

In her remarks, Moshupa Senior Secondary School headteacher Ms Banabotlhe Chimbombi praised Kgosi Oscar Mosielele of Moshupa for partnering with Men’s Conference Botswana to empower the boy child.

She noted that since the Men’s Conference boot camp held earlier this year at the school, incidents of learner indiscipline had dropped sharply, with fewer than 10 cases recorded, all involving learners who did not participate in the boot camp. ENDS