Fight against GBV also taken to soccer field

The village of Maniini outside Thohoyandou, has been identified as one of the regions crime hotspots, particularly regarding gender based violence. But this troubling issue could soon be curbed, following a well attended awareness campaign that was held in the area last weekend.

On Saturday 28 January 2023, a soccer tournament, attended by local youths and senior teams, was held at the Maniini soccer grounds, next to the local cemetery. This initiative was the brainchild of a non-profit youth organisation, called Litshani Vhana Vha-de-Foundation, in partnership with the local traditional leader, vha-musanda vho-Muonyolosi Mmbi.

The participating local soccer teams drew a huge crowd of onlookers who enjoyed a day of very entertaining games. The final was played between Maniini Real Madrid and Maniini Rovers, who became the champs when they beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the final. For their effort, Rovers took home a cash prize of R1000, while Real Madrid received R500 as runner-up. 

Litshani Vhana Vhade-De-Foundations director, Ms Bridgette Mamugudubi, said they were concerned about the ever increasing crime in the area. "As an organisation, we are part and parcel of the fight against gender-based violence and we felt we were not reaching our intended audience, who are mostly men. We have workshops and dialogues, but the men are nowhere to be found. That is where the idea of a soccer tournament came into being and we are very excited that it worked. We managed to bring many of them together and we had the chance to speak out. Our plan is to visit many villages and stage similar tournaments and, at a later stage, find a suitable venue where the winners from the different villages can fight it out for bigger prizes. We would like to have more sponsors to come on board for this to become a reality, as we are not financially stable," she said.

Vhamusanda Vho- Muonyolosi Mmbi hailed the initiative, saying it would go a long way in addressing issues of crime and gender-based violence in his community. "We are overwhelmed by crime here, and gender-based violence is one of the most disturbing issues. Our wish is that this is done on a continuous basis," he said.