Observing Human Rights Month and International Women’s Day on the 8th of March 2024, Chris Hani Crossing with its core mandate to better the livelihood of its customers and the community at large attended the Ekupholeni Mental Health and Trauma Centre’s GBV educational day. It gave out food parcels to the beneficiaries of the Ekupholeni Centre.
The marketing manager of Chris Hani Crossing mentioned that they want to educate people on surviving on basic food supplies hence the drive behind the food parcels.
“The food parcels that we give out is to use them over the long period to sustain themselves and not to succumb to being repeated victims of GBV,” she said.
Welcoming the guests, Brigadier Thethe expressed the importance of the gathering and welcomed all stakeholders and guests present.
“We know the pandemic that we are facing as a country, we fought a big pandemic that came in an unprecedented manner which was COVID-19 and it passed, however we were left with the extensive pandemic (GBV) which is now a national priority crime in our country that we are not proud of but we find ourselves in that predicament.”
Thethe further mentioned that it means we must take hands and make sure that we eradicate this pandemic and make sure that it is not our country being identified as having the highest numbers of GBV.
“Ekupholeni Mental Health and Trauma Centre is one of the stakeholders that is working with us. So when Portia Makhosi approached me that they have this initiative as one of the programmes they are running and they have invited this beautiful audience that is sitting in front of me to be part of this initiative I told myself that I want to be part of it.”
“My task today is to welcome you all in your space which is the police station, a place that is here to serve its people. I am welcoming you to your place, a place where you all come troubled and go out being empowered victims,
“This programme today it’s all about empowerment.”
By Simphiwe Nkosi
