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Government, Interfaith based organizations and communities at large need to work together towards the eradication of gender-based violence in Gauteng Province. This was uttered by the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, at the Provincial Interfaith Prayer session held at Morris Issacson’s Hall in Soweto today.
 
MEC Nkosi-Malobane engaged congregants from interfaith based organizations in a prayer session earlier today to seek divine intervention in the fight against gender based as part of 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children.
 
“It is critical that as a collective we highlight the impact of Gender Based Violence in society and the interfaith based organizations and communities have a role to play in raising the awareness on the impact of Gender Based Violence in Gauteng Province. We undertook an initiative to consult the leadership of various interfaith based organizations with a view to seek guidance and safety solutions in relation to addressing safety challenges faced by our most vulnerable groups, especially women and children,” she said.
 
MEC Nkosi-Malobane was accompanied by MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Faith Mazibuko and MEC for Social Development, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza. More than 1000 congregants from various interfaith based organizations comprising of women and children took part in the prayer session.  
 
“Gauteng has in the recent past been marred by high rate of femicide, sexual assault, rape and kidnapping incidents perpetrated against women and children. These challenges continue to erode the moral fibre of our society and degenerate human values.
 
“The senseless and cowardly killing of women and children must come to an end. We acknowledge that in society there are those who are in breach of our fundamental values of humanity, women and children’s rights hence we came to seek guidance, healing and lasting solutions from our creator. Violence perpetrated against women is an offence against the founding values of our democratic government and its constitution.
 
“Taking our interfaith prayer to Soweto was a very progressive decision since many incidents of violence against women and children took place here and Soweto is known for its influencing role in society. We hope that the prayer session will impact positively towards changing the mindset of perpetrators.
 
As Gauteng City Region, we will continue to walk the path with all victims and survivors of gender based violence, empower them with prevention strategies. We will also continue to support them with holistic services such as psycho-social services and medico-legal services provided by Ikhaya Lethemba victim empowerment centre which is a sanctuary for victims of abuse, " said MEC Nkosi-Malobane.
 

Issued by the Gauteng Department of Community Safety