Church leaders take stand against gender-based violence

Just a month ago, a popular singer and former member of the well-known Worship House Band was brutally killed while busy worshiping at a church. The incident that happened at Shadani Makonde shocked the country and served as yet another wake-up call to church groups to be active participants in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV).

In an effort to address the scourge, men of faith from different denominations around Vhembe, traditional leaders, and elders gathered at the Word of Faith Fellowship Church at Maniini. The conference, the first of its kind in the area and dubbed the Men of Faith Conference, was held on Saturday, 27 April.

Pastor Charity Tshikhudo, one of the conference organisers, said as men of faith they felt not enough was being done to stop the violence against women and children. “The scourge of violence against women and children is part of the agenda in most meetings, but this seems not to be working. More and more incidents are being reported on a daily basis. We felt the church is not doing enough. We would like to see men taking an active part and the church also being an active participant in this fight. As men, we cannot just sit and fold our arms as if nothing is happening. What is happening affects all of us, one way or another. We are here to talk as we have realised that talking about problems can lead to a lasting solution,” he said.

Pastor Mashudu Mutobvu, a coordinator of the conference, said they had come to realise that men often did not speak openly about their problems. “This conference is the right platform where us men can express ourselves freely. Men have problems but do not have people they can confide in and end up doing wrong things. We feel this should be an ongoing exercise where we meet from time to time and share experiences. All in all, we are satisfied with the attendance, even though many could not make it due to many activities taking place at the same time,” he said.

The conference was hailed as an eye-opener to many. “We are highly motivated and equipped with knowledge on how to deal with situations with our loved ones,” said Pastor Khathutshelo Maivha.

Date:05 May 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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