Violence doesn't solve anything!

The Monitor Editor | Tuesday August 11, 2026 10:44

Our weekly edition carries painful articles of people being murdered. Whilst some are classified as Gender Based Violence (GBV), there are still a large percentage of murder cases, which often happen at drinking spots, after people are heavily intoxicated. We have in the past carried articles where an individual was murdered because they refused to give someone a cigarette, and sadly this is where we are at now!

In this very edition, there is an article on three men who gang raped a woman the whole night and killed her thereafter! A soldier whose throat was slit by unknown assailant(s), a man who stabbed three men in a nightclub and ran away from the scene. Has life become that cheap, or has something changed in our values and traditions? There is a Setswana saying, ‘Ntwa kgolo ke ya molomo’, loosely translated as 'communication is the best way to resolve conflicts'.

Now, where did we as Batswana go wrong? Are some of our society members walking around with undiagnosed mental illnesses? Is alcohol and substance abuse the reason for the growing rate of violence?

These questions need to be answered urgently before it’s too late. We are already at a stage where one cannot walk the streets after dark without looking over their shoulders. Our country has become unsafe! There is the issue of intimate partner murder cases, thieves who use excessive violence on their victims, and then there is that one of murder following arguments over petty issues.

It’s high time that different stakeholders come together to answer the questions above and more. There is yet another saying, ‘lore le ojwa le sale metsi’; loosely translated, it means it is best to mould and guide a child in the right direction throughout their development stages. Young children need to be given proper guidance for them to grow up to become responsible adults, and it is equally important for parents to closely observe their children’s behavioural patterns so that, should there be a need for the child to undergo diagnosis and proper professional assistance, that can be done on time.

There is a need to tackle and end this ugly chapter immediately. Churches should also join the fight against violent crimes. ‘Kgetsi ya tsie e kgonwa ke go tshwaganelwa’. Let's come together and fight this monster!