Times Of Swaziland: GBV NOW A NATIONAL EMERGENCY - PASTOR

GBV NOW A NATIONAL EMERGENCY - PASTOR
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Nhlanganiso Mkhonta on 16/02/2022 08:33:00


NHLANGANO - Apostle Jethro Malindzisa, who was the late Sharon Neves’ pastor,
lamented on the manner in which Neves died.
“GBV is now a national emergency, it is a pandemic,” the pastor said.
Speaking during the memorial service held yesterday, Malindzisa said Neves did
not deserve to die in the manner she did, neither else did. “We all know that
one day we will die but not in such a cruel manner. Sharon did not deserve to
die like this, nor any other human being,” said Malindzisa. The apostle
condemned any form of gender-based violence (GBV). Malindzisa stated that it was
a pity that they did not know about her relationship with Simelane but they
learnt about it on the day she died.  Malindzisa went on to share the light
moments he had with Neves one of which was when he was stressed over something
and Neves stood up and helped him solve the problem.
Lamented
When sharing that story the mourners were in stitches as clearly they all could
relate to how Neves was. Another speaker who also lamented about the manner
Neves died was her friend and cousin Mahloni Mkhwanazi who spoke strong about
GBV. Mkhwanazi said it was high time the Shiselweni Region stood up against GBV
as a lot of people had died because of it.
He said as Neves’ friends they will continue seeking justice for her and would
not allow men to be animals over women. Mkhwanazi said all people were created
equally so men should not take advantage of having stronger muscles and harm
women. Mkhwanazi also shared his good memories with Neves saying she was someone
who could see when he was not okay and made sure that she assisted him whenever
something bordered him. He said she did not do that to him alone but everyone
she encountered. He stated that no one had ever sought for help from Neves and
did not get it.
Neves’ sister Nozipho stated that her sister was so beautiful and decried the
manner in which she was assaulted and disfigured as her leg was also broken.
Nozipho also shared her good memories she had with her sister. She stated that
in as much as she was older that her (Sharon), whenever there was something or
event at home, Sharon would step up and make decisions for that particular
event.
Children
She stated that her sister was taking care of children in their family such that
she was even paying school fees for the children of their late sister.  Nozipho
said it was now upon her to step up and do all the work that was done by her now
late sister. NERCHA National Executive Director Khanyakwezwe Mabuza highlighted
that Neves served the organisation for 17 years with dedication and love. Mabuza
urged the church to pray for NERCHA staff members as for the past few days after
hearing the news about the death of Neves; they struggled to cope at work.
The director said the dark cloud hit them where their pride was as Neves was a
trailblazer, motivator, soul guider and joker. “Today we are saying all that
is gone,” said Mabuza. He highlighted that he was Neves’ only employer as he
started hiring her when he was still with the United Nations Eswatini. He stated
that he called Neves after he heard that she was doing some social work at the
National Psychiatric Centre. He said when he joined NERCHA he recalled her to
leave the UN and join him as she was a hard worker. He stated that besides being
her boss, Neves would call him by his name.  In a nutshell, he described Neves
as a person who loved cracking jokes. He also stated Neves started the
initiative of donating sanitary towels to school children after she discovered
the dire need of the towels in some schools in the Shiselweni Region.