TLHABANE — The Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM) in the North West has condemned a sharp rise in gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), following the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Rethabile Hariet Mosime in Tlhabane, near Rustenburg.
The suspect, her boyfriend, was arrested after allegedly attacking her with three knives when she attempted to end their relationship. The tragic incident unfolded on Thursday afternoon at the couple’s rental premises along Mabalane Street in the GG Section.
According to authorities, the boyfriend became violently enraged by Mosime’s decision to break up with him.
MRM Provincial Convenor, Pastor Lesiba Kgwele, strongly denounced the killing.
“There is no justification for this level of persistent senseless violence targeted at women who happen to be the most vulnerable in society,” Kgwele stated, pointing to toxic masculinity as a primary driver of the unacceptable prevalence of GBVF.
Expressing deep concern that GBVF victims are becoming progressively younger, Kgwele warned that this trend perpetuates generational trauma. He offered condolences to the grieving Mosime family and welcomed the swift apprehension of the alleged perpetrator.
“Men must realise that they do not own women that they are involved with,” Kgwele emphasized.
He urged individuals struggling with relationship breakups to seek professional help rather than resorting to violence.
Furthermore, the MRM has called on the criminal justice system to deny bail to GBVF suspects, arguing that stiffer sentences will act as a necessary deterrent and restore public faith in the judiciary.
The Tlhabane tragedy comes amid an alarming wave of violence against women in the North West Province.
In a separate, unrelated incident, 39-year-old assistant teacher and mother of two, Masego Mosweu, was also reported to have been brutally killed.
