Tribal elders join in the fight against GBV.

The Hwange tribal chiefs have joined the rest of world in ending Gender based Violence in the mining
town of Hwange.
Cases of GBV continue to haunt small communities evidenced by the increased number of rape cases in
small communities.
Kinda Ndlovu a Tribal leader of the Lubale tribe said it is important to protect the girl child from harmful
traditional practices.
“Our goal is to reduce gender based violence in our communities. Since we are living in a multicultural
society, our role is also to understand values and educate the community members against domestic
violence.
“Many people hide behind cultural norms or tradition and start practicing domestic violence, but as
leaders we say no to domestic violence. Our role is to educate women and men about a healthy traditional
relationship,” he said.
Another Tribal leader Edward Phiri from Chewa tribe said the most important thing is to educate the
young girls about the value of marriage.
“We deal with child marriages by educating them, we have come to realise that children of today do not
know the difference between love, lust and marriage. And we teach them about marriage as an institution,
and that marriage is not a child’s play,” he said.
The traditional elders have indicated that culture is important in reducing crime if followed properly.
“If we say crime we will be saying crimes like domestic violence, child abuse, sexual offences and
contravention of the marriage act, those that are the crimes which can be reduced by following cultural
values well” said Kenneth Ngulube representing the Nsenga tribe.
Meanwhile, Hwange district has recorded an increase of rape cases in Hwange district from 2020 to 2021.