The MEC for Safety Security and Liaison in Limpopo, Ms Dikeledi Magadzi, has urged members of the United African Apostolic Church to pray that there will be peace and an end to crime in the province.

Magadzi was speaking to hundreds of women from all branches under the banner of the United African Apostolic Church in Southern Africa who had converged at the Azwifarwi Secondary School at Tshisele village outside Thohoyandou from Friday to Sunday last week, for their annual women´s conference.

The conference was attended by the leader of the church, Archbishop Miriri, the deputy Speaker of the Provincial Legislature, Ms Meriam Ramadwa, Vho Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli, government officials and traditional leaders.

Addressing the women, MEC Mgadzi said that it was shocking that, many years into democracy, women were still perceived as sexual objects which men could do with as they wished, even to the extent of raping them.

She said many women had been raped, thus eroding their dignity and status as women and mothers of the nation.

She said she was excited that the church had come up with such a conference where women from all walks of life could meet and chart the way forward together. “It is through such gatherings that we as women can sit down and decide on ways that we could contribute to the fight against crime, and the church has offered us the right platform,” she said.

She urged the women and the church as a whole to pray for the leadership in government that they live up to their mandate form their constituencies. “Let us women stand up and do something about the crimes perpetuated against women. Criminals are our children and it is still us who could expose them, so that they face the might of the law. If we did that, we would see a decline in crime in our locality,” she said.

Vho Thovhele Gole Mphaphuli said he was shocked to learn of the high prevalence of rape on women in his locality. “I am here because of women and I would not be a traditional leader if I was not born of a woman. I respect them and will always preach to my subjects to do the same.” he said.