Victor Mulangisi

KURUMAN
The executive mayor of the John Taolo Gaetsewe district Councillor Queen Mokgatle-Thoane is unsettled by the increased gender-based violence (GBV) towards women and girl children in the district.

This comes after a series of murders and rape cases where men, young and old, resorted to violence when the relationship had soured. The regional courts are inundated with either rape or murder or attempts to those effects.

As a result, the mayor met with the GBV Interfaith Engagement Collaboration stakeholders in the past two weeks to address the matter. This is part of the national advocacy initiated by the state president to tackle the elephant in the room.

In an interview with the Kathu Gazette, the executive mayor said that the upsurge in violence had reached a point where authorities could not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear, which was why there was a need for both divine and pragmatic intervention.

“The gathering brought together diverse stakeholders, including municipalities, sector departments, NGOs, CBOs, religious leaders and community organisations. As the Executive Mayor, I expressed heartfelt gratitude to the organisers of the recent picketing and march at the Mothibistad Magistrate Court, held during the appearance of one of the alleged perpetrators in the murder case of a young woman. The purpose of the engagement was to solicit inputs from stakeholders and to collectively design effective strategies to combat GBV. These strategies will be implemented across all sectors of society, with the involvement of political principals. Key concerns raised included funding, community support, legislative gaps, patriarchal norms and the need for stronger advocacy campaigns”.

The mayor appreciated the valuable contributions received from all sectors and a working group will now convene to begin developing a comprehensive district-wide plan to move forward in the fight against GBV consisting of representatives from the Departments of COGHSTA, Social Development, Sport, Arts & Culture, Home Affairs and Education, the SAPS, all the municipalities in the region, the Office of the Premier, the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, SUDI, Soul City, Marang Career & Information Centre, Fortunate Foundation, Majita Monday, JTG Interfaith Organisation and the JTG civil society.