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POSTMASBURG POLICE FLAG RAPE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE

A Call For Divine Intervention: SAPS Postmasburg organised a prayer session against gender-based violence.
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Postmasburg – Sunday, 08 September 2019 – Whilst efforts are being undertaken to heighten awareness and curb gender-based violence in Postmasburg, the town’s police have pinpointed an increase in the incidents of the raping of young women.

Postmasburg’s station commander colonel Dries Witbooi told NCNN.Live that the perpetrators are quite often men that are known to the victims and that the incidents are mainly linked to an assumed love relationship after a night of drinking.

“Men must know that if you buy someone beer it does not give you permission to have intercourse with her. My plea is that men must talk around this. They must support our campaign #NotInMyName.

“Women are not slaves, they not sex objects, they also have the right to visit taverns and enjoy themselves. We as men must come together and oppose the behaviour of other men that continue to abuse our women,” said colonel Witbooi on the sidelines of a police organised prayer session aimed at highlighting gender-based violence held at the Boichoko Park.

17 year-old teenager Machai Leboto who had addressed the prayer session cited men’s intolerance to rejection as the source of the town’s rape scourge.

“There are certain men when being told no, they become violent. But they should know that no can be next one. If a girl says no it simply means try your luck elsewhere and do not force yourself on her,” he said in bemoaning toxic masculinity which men use in the violation of women.

With the prayer session having also concerned itself with crimes against children, a passerby Thabiso Mabilo decried the negligence of minors by their parents.

“If there could be weekly or monthly conferences aimed at consistently raising issues of child abuse, maybe it could help. There is no use in the filing of child abuse cases only to have the charges withdrawn against the suspect after three to four hours. It means this thing will not stop,” lamented Mabilo.

The prayer session was conducted as a build-up to a community March Against Gender-Based Violence to be held on 20th of this month. Iron ore mining companies, Assmang Iron Ore Beeshoek Mine and Anglo American’s Kolomela Mine are in support of the initiative.

*NCNN.Live covered the prayer session courtesy of Mohlakoane Mokhesi Mining Solutions.

By Thabo Mothibi 

A Call For Divine Intervention: SAPS Postmasburg organised a prayer session against gender-based violence.

 

 

 

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Thabo Mothibi is a former broadcast journalist (TV and Radio) – with specialist reporting experience; SABC Political/Parliamentary and TRC Teams over a period of five years (1995 to 2000).

One key foreign assignment - is the 11-nation African Connection Rally – overland journey from Africa’s northern-most pole in the coastal Tunisian city of Bizerte to the southern-most pole in South Africa’s Cape Agulhas. From the journalistic years, Thabo then delved into Government media liaison and serving two former Ministers and three MECs. He became the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s first department based Communications Director at Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development - 2008-2010 – where he also served as Head of Ministry from 2003 – 2008.

As a former anti-apartheid activist, his political background and professional training aided him in spearheading the Northern Cape ANC’s 2004 National Elections media and publicity campaign and that of the 2006 Local Government Elections.

Whilst based in Waterkloof in Pretoria -2010 to end 2011, he consulted for Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence, then returned to the Northern Cape in 2012 to date, to consult independently and pursue other entrepreneurial interests in media and communications through KwaVuko Communications and Marketing.

Thabo Mothibi obtained his NQF7 through Wits University’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) in Johannesburg, a Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Marketing and Communications Academy (UMRA). The goal of the NQF7 programme was to educate and train public and private sector professional communicators and marketers in government communications..