New sexual offences court to ease the trauma on survivors

The opening of the new sexual offences court at Sibasa was hailed as a great step in the fight against gender-based violence and sexual offences in Limpopo.

During an event held at the Sibasa Regional Court last Friday, the Minister of Justice, Mr Ronald Lamola, opened a sexual offences court. The court is a specialized court that deals with offences such as rape and sexual assault. 

Speaking during the event, Lamola said statistics on gender-based violence cases were shocking and called for all to join hands in the fight to end the scourge. He said the new court would make it easy for victims to find justice right on their doorstep.

He further indicated that 94 such courts now existed countrywide and that this showed how committed the government was to ending the scourge of gender-based violence.

On behalf of the community, senior traditional leader Chief Gole Mphaphuli thanked the government for bringing the much-needed court closer to the people. “There are so many cases that are gender based, and sometimes these cases take too long to complete. With this court here, it means more and more will utilize it and I urge all to take the fight against gender-based violence very seriously. Women and children need to be protected and it is through this court that transgressors will pay for their evil deeds,” he said.

Munna Ndi Nyi Men’s Forum chairperson Bardwell Mufunwaini thanked the government for bringing the court closer to the people. “The prevalence of gender-based violence has reached alarming proportions, and we hope with the opening of such a court here, the scourge will decrease,” he said.

News in brief - Date: 21 September 2019

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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