Recent events have shown that the time is now for Batswana to condemn ‘passion killings’ and join hands in fighting any future occurrences of such nature, Gender Links Botswana has said.
Today, there are some who believe that the expression ‘passion killings’should be scraped of f the country’s terminology because it sounds as if excuses are being made for a cold-blooded killing of an innocent life.
In what was termed yet another blow for the university, the life of a young University of Botswana (UB) student, Keorapetse Manyiwa, was recently cut short when she was murdered by her alleged boyfriend in cold blood at the university premises.
At only 24 years of age, Manyiwa was a post graduate student at the UB.The University students are currently on long vacation. The first case of a young UB woman who was reportedly killed by her boyfriend was in 2005 and then the murders of two more ladies from the UB followed the following year.
“Manyiwa’s memorial service was organized by the Gender Policy Programme Committee at the University of Botswana today and you could see tears falling from young girls eyes, as they were wondering who is next,” said Keabonye Ntsabane, Co-coordinator of Gender Links Botswana.
On May 4th, another lady and her child were murdered in their sleep, choked to death with a metal rod by a man she called her partner. Ntsabane said that committing suicide after killing women is not the answer; she pointed out the fact that these women have families who love and care for them, and they are the ones left with the devastation of what has been done to their daughter.
“In these murders, innocent children become death victims. These women who have been murdered do not deserve these deaths. If relationships are not working, men should accept that the relationship is not working,” said Ntsabane.
Gender Links said that the UB should be applauded for its initiative of paying tribute to the Manyiwa family who have lost a loved one through an act so cruel.
The organization’s message to all families who have lost their loved ones through such killings was that it sympathized with them and that they should know that they are not alone.
“God will provide healing during this difficult time.”
