ZAZI ambassador to lead 16 days of activism march

DELMAS – The plight of abused women and children in society will be carried out onto the streets of Botleng situated in Delmas, Victor Khanye Local Municipality on Wednesday, November 29, 2017.
Botleng, which is a Sotho name which means, a place of beauty, and its neighbouring township, Bothibelong, also meaning protection in Sotho, too, are the appropriate places, whereby ZAZI ambassador and current Miss Mpumalanga 2017, Geraldine Williams, will lead hundreds of young girls, women and children on a march to formerly launch the 16 Days of Activism against Women and Child Abuse in the province. Geraldine will also be accompanied by a contingent of representatives drawn from the House of Traditional Leaders, traditional healers association, women and children and the department of health who will form the procession of the march that will end up at the local community hall in Bothibelong where they will deliver a memorandum to the executive mayor of Victor Khanye Local Municipality, Cllr Evah Makhabane.

“The march will be jointly led by Geraldine Williams who will be accompanied by the provincial HIV/Aids co-ordinator, Beauty Hlakoane. The main thrust of this year’s dialogue with the people of the province will focus on alcohol abuse because Victor Khanye is one of the most affected places in the province where alcohol is rampantly abused. The outcomes of alcohol abuse results in menfolk abusing women and children, some to an extent of raping and using unprotected sex, thus leading to HIV/Aids infection spreading.

“It is thus very important that we deal with one of the main root causes of this abuse in society. What is also very interesting on the day, is that the dialogue that will follow after handing over the memorandum, will include different stratas of society which includes traditional healers, traditional leaders, health practitioners, educators and the general public in trying to quell it or find a solution,” said one of the co-ordinators, Mr Maswazi Maphanga from Jiordimix Marketing.

This is a follow-up march to another march that Geraldine led during the Youth Day commemoration on June 16 at the Kamhlushwa Stadium in Nkomazi Local Municipality. She presented a memorandum to the MEC for safety, security and community liaison, Mr Pat Ngomane.