Seshego: Lutheran Church demands prioritisation of GBV cases
A memorandum that was handed over relates to the handling of gender-based violence and femicide cases in the province, and the church demands that proper support be given to victims and training for detectives who handle sexual offences.
POLOKWANE – The Lutheran Church in Seshego demands that cases of gender-based violence be given priority.
This is one of the demands stated in the memorandum that was handed over to Community Safety MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe when congregants went to the Seshego police station on Sunday.
The memorandum that was handed over relates to the handling of gender-based violence and femicide cases in the province, and the church demands that proper support be given to victims and training for detectives who handle sexual offences.
During the handover, Lerule-Ramakhanya said the department would work with the church in a bid to end the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide against vulnerable groups in society.
Hadebe assured congregants that the implementation of their demands will be high on the priority list, and she urged the church to play a leading role to ensure that victims escalate their plight to the police for assistance, particularly in Seshego, Mankweng and Thohoyandou which are some of the areas where GBV and femicide cases are most prevalent.
According to the police’s crime statistics for the third quarter of 2021/22, there was a 4.2% increase in the murder of women in the country. The number rose from 866 in the third quarter of 2020 to 902 in the third quarter of 2021.
There was also an increase of 7.2% in attempted murders that increased the numbers from 1 157 in 2020 to 1 240 in 2021. Assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm decreased by 3.6%, from 16 274 in 2020 to 15 692 in 2021.
There has been a decrease in murders of children between the age of zero to 17 years old. It went down by 5.6%, from 373 to 352. Attempted murder cases increased by 30% taking the number from 303 to 394.
Sexual offences in Thohoyandou decreased from 70 to 66 cases, however, the station remains at number nine in the top 30 stations with the number of reported cases. Cases in Seshego increased from 55 to 63 cases and the station is 11th in the top 30.
Rape cases in the province has decreased by 5.7% with 60 fewer cases reported, however, Thohoyandou is seventh and Seshego 12th in the top 30 stations with the number of reported cases.
Sexual assault decreased by 9.2% from 109 to 99.
Mankweng is seventh of the top 30 stations with the number of reported cases.
