QWAQWA — “Not in my name!” That was the battle cry from Maluti-A-Phofung Executive Mayor Tumelo Thebe as hundreds packed the Phuthaditjhaba Multipurpose Hall on Tuesday, 13 October, for a mass prayer and candlelight service against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF).
Thebe said the municipality cannot pray and then go back to business as usual. He announced the imminent launch of the Maluti-A-Phofung Safety Forum (MAPSF) — a united front of government departments, civil society, business, taxi industry, traditional councils and spiritual leaders to make towns and villages safe again.
The service was a collective stand to restore moral values, promote respect, and confront the scourge that is killing women and children.
“We cannot remain silent and pretend that this does not concern us. It concerns all of us,” Thebe said.
“I challenge everyone present here to stand up and declare: Enough is enough, enough is enough, not in my name.”
He said the move follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s direct call for municipalities to make communities safe.
“The President has instructed us that as much as we continue these mass prayers, there are other issues we must implement as municipalities,” Thebe said.
That means demolishing and securing abandoned and dilapidated buildings where women are dragged in, raped and killed, clearing bushy velds around residential areas, and fixing street lights.
“Abandoned buildings do contribute to people being taken into them, forcefully raped and killed,” he said.
Thebe blamed the rising evil on a society that has lost its fear of God and abandoned old moral practices.
“Today the number of those attending church on Sunday to those staying home is not balanced. People have resorted to things that do not help society in any way,” he said.
The message from Phuthaditjhaba was clear: QwaQwa will pray, but it will also act.
