Lamola encourages students to protect women and children

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, called on the students of the University of Venda (Univen) and members of the community to join the fight in protecting the women and children of our country, and stop alcohol and drug abuse. Lamola addressed hundreds of Univen students, who packed the auditorium to the rafters on Monday morning, 1 August, in commemoration of Women’s Month.

The soft-spoken minister said that his department had partnered with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)’s regional office for Southern Africa and the University of Venda to address the issue of drugs and human trafficking in the country.

As Lamola was a former Univen student, a former leader of the South African Students Congress (SASCO) and the former president of the student representative council (SRC) at Univen, the students ululated and whistled with each valid point the minister made. He told his audience how former students used to be mugged and sometimes stabbed at Maungani village when they returned at night from drinking sprees at the nearby villages. He told them how the students decided to build their own bar on the campus, where they could safely sit and enjoy their favourite beverages, to avoid the notorious Maungani village at night.

“When we told the management that we wanted a bar on the campus, they wanted to know how they were going to convince our parents that the university wanted to build a bar on the campus for their children. The idea was rejected on the spot, but we came up with a masterplan and told the management to tell our parents that they wanted to build a Student Entertainment Centre, and before long, the bar was built next to the stadium.” In response to this, the students made a thunderous noise of appreciation. Lamola, however, made it very clear that he was not encouraging students to abuse alcohol; that he wanted them to be safe when they attended social gatherings.

He congratulated the current management on making sure that the university upheld its good reputation. “When the government wanted to merge it with the University of Limpopo, I was still the president of the SRC. We had to join hands with management and fight for this university to remain what it is for the benefit of the local community. Students should not always be at loggerheads with management. There are instances where you have to work together for the sake of education,” he said.

Meanwhile, the representative for UNODC’s regional office in South Africa, Ms JM Ongolo, said that partnering with the university in the fight against GBV, drugs and human trafficking was an honour. “Most women who are victims of human trafficking do not even leave the country. They are being trafficked around from one province to another. They are lured with the pretext of job opportunities, and end up being kept as sex slaves,” she said.

News - Date: 14 August 2022

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