Rape, defilement rampant in Mookane
Pini Bothoko | Monday March 13, 2023 06:00
Rape and defilement cases might not be new in the country but their manner and frequency at this tiny and sleepy village are worrisome, which prompted Mmegi team to visit the village leadership and appreciate the nature and extent of the problem.
Dibete police frequently record rape and defilement cases, something that has resulted in the village being described as a haven for defilement and rape cases. Rapists here continue to rouse women from their sleep to rape them. Rape cases in the village are on the rise despite efforts made by law enforcement officers to fight the scourge.
Recently, MmegiOnline carried an article in which a 73-year-old man from Borotsi ward was arrested for allegedly defiling a 16-year-old girl. Moreover, there was also an article in which a 67-year-old woman was roused from her sleep, attacked and was raped by a 21-year-old man in Letswere ward. Both cases occurred right in Mookane.
Women and girls suffer from sexual violence at the hands of their male counterparts as rapists continue to wreak havoc, something that has resulted in Botswana being ranked amongst countries with the highest number of rape cases. In 2021, Mookane recorded three rape cases, four cases in 2022 and this year already it recorded two rape cases.
As for defilement in 2021, Mookane police recorded five cases, one in 2022 and five cases in 2023. Speaking on behalf of the village leadership, Kgosi Gaselemogwe Molefi noted with great concern the increase in rape and defilement cases in the area, especially as it seems the police interventions are falling on deaf ears.
“Yes, it is true we are overwhelmed by rape and defilement cases in our village. These social ills are a societal problem that calls for the proper upbringing of children and teaching the boy-child to respect the girl-child right from a young age as this clearly shows that men do not respect women.
Last month, we hosted ‘Pitso ya Borre’ event in our village kgotla in which we even invited male students to sensitise them on issues that affect them as men including rape and defilement,” he said.
Molefi said it appeared that most perpetrators were not informed about defilement and rape, the respect for women and their rights hence resolved to hold the ‘Pitso ya Borre’ and plead with men and the boy-child to respect women and girls and to know that when they say no they mean it.
Furthermore, the village kgosi revealed that for years, the police in the village have been battling rape incidents that occur when people are from drinking spots and defilement cases that occur in the cattle posts with most of the perpetrators being herdsmen.
Additionally, Molefi further disclosed to have since established a new trend in which women are roused from their sleep in an attack and raped within the village.
He stated that usually, the perpetrators are the people they had spent the night with at entertainment places. “Alcohol abuse, especially amongst the youth who are usually the victims and perpetrators remains a concern but we are doing everything we can with the help of the police to monitor the sale of alcohol in shebeens and other entertainment places.
We have been also pleading with parents through kgotla meetings to instill discipline amongst their children as some girls were sexually abused by men after they meet at entertainment places,” he said. Molefi went on to plead with men to learn to communicate with women of their age than inflicting pain on minors. He stated that the recent incident in which a 73-year-old man was arrested for defilement left the whole village reeling in shock, even though the matter is still under investigation.
He called on men to respect women and stop violating their dignity adding that rape and defilement have devastating consequences on victims, that it is a major public health problem and also a violation of women’s human rights.
Reached for comment, Dibete Police Station Commander, Superintendent Meshack Ranku shared similar sentiments that rape and defilement cases at Mookane are worrisome but the police are doing everything they can to curb the scourge. Ranku said in some cases of defilement, the girls fall victim when attacked and raped while out at home at night. He pleaded with parents to instill discipline in their children.
He, however, noted that these remarks do not mean they condone rape hence pleading with men who are always perpetrators to know that ‘no means no’.