Picture: Deputy Minister of COGTA, Obed Bapela
By REGINALD KANYANE
Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Obed Bapela said they will implement strategic measures to deal with Gender-Based Violence (GBV) once and for all in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District.
Bapela said his visit to the Thuthuzela Centre at the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital was as the result of the report by the Provincial Command Council which dictated that Mahikeng, in particular, is leading in the number of GBV in the whole province since the declaration of the State of Disaster on COVID-19.
“The visit has given impetus to the province and district’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, whilst maintaining a delicate balance of saving lives and protecting livelihoods of communities.
“The initiative was part of building social compacts with clear developmental commitments and participation in the District Command Council meeting to leverage opportunities and mitigate challenges in district,” he said.
He said they interacted with those who are dealing with GBV at the centre. Bapela added that the government will partner with various NGOs and civil organizations in quest to bring the end to the GBV.
“Our women and children are very important in our lives, but they turn to be victims of GBV. The difficult question I’ll ask was what is the cause of all this. Why after COVID-19 the number of GBV in the country has risen?
“There are many factors that describe that couples not tolerating each other, unemployment was also another contributor. Men were no more able to provide for the family and the demand became unbearable,” he said.
Bapela further said men should engage in various forums to talk about their challenges. He said corruption also played a vital role in affecting the livelihoods of many.
“We declare that corruption is the enemy of the people. Corruption has also affected our healthcare workers because they were provided with inferior quality of PPEs, sanitisers that were not even above 75% of alcohol.
“We have seen a number of doctors and nurses being infected and dying from the coronavirus across the country because they were not highly protected. So, corruption has caused all those deaths, and those who cut corners sold those inferior materials with an overpriced set by the treasury,” said Bapela.
However, Bapela said they were happy that the treasury has called on all departments to give the lists of all companies that were appointed during the procurement of the goods. He said the Premiers were also requested to submit the list of companies that were appointed during the procurement.
“The SIU has also received financial backing to ensure that their investigations run smoothly to ensure that there was no maladministration and corruption during the procurements of PPEs.
“If the wrongdoings are detected, the consequences management will be implemented despite your position in society. We are having the ANC National Executive Committee meeting this weekend and the president will announce major decisions,” he said.
The Guardian 