CAPE TO CAIRO TRAVELLER STRANDED

 MANZINI – His plans of making it to Cairo have been slightly disturbed after he lost his passport while in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

This is the story of Thato Sengange Molosankwe (40) who started walking from Cape Town on July 18, 2018 and his goal is to reach Cairo and hopefully inspire men from all walks of life along the way. The entire journey of 49 African countries is expected to take Molosankwe a period of over a year to complete.

Molosankwe said when he reached Eswatini through Mahamba border Gate, he was from Lesotho.
He said while in the kingdom, he visited the Gables Shopping Centre in Ezulwini and decided to withdraw some money as he felt hungry.

“The bank cards were inside a wallet, which had the passport as well. I suspect that I mistakenly dropped it while withdrawing the money from the ATM. When I discovered that I had lost it, I immediately went to the police to report the incident. Losing the passport has not at all deterred me on my walk to Cairo. It is an unfortunate incident, however, I am hoping it will be found as soon as possible,” Molosankwe said.

Forced

He mentioned that if not found by Friday, he would be forced to fly back to South Africa to apply for a new one, which would take approximately three weeks. “I am currently on my way to Lobamba Police Station for an affidavit. A video footage could be played to see who took it. The affidavit will be used for the application of the new one, just in case the lost one is not found,” he said.

Meanwhile, Molosankwe said upon his arrival in Mahamba, he received a warm reception from the station commander and other officers from the police post.
Pointing at his camp tent, he said it was a very useful shelter, as he sought refuge in police stations, where he was provided with protection, especially during the night. He said he was roped in by the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) to discuss issues of gender-based Violence (GBV).
“During the walks, I try to engage men on violence, why they would abuse their partners and end up killing them.

“I have heard horrifying stories. We have the recent case of the pastor who is currently appearing in court for the alleged rape of young women in South Africa. I also read a story while I was in Eswatini on a similar case, which proves that this is a problem affecting all the countries.
“Gender-based violence has to end, we need to intervene, take action and find solutions,” Molosankwe said.

He also mentioned that he had enough of untold stories and wanted abuse to end. Molosankwe added that the 42 177 kilometres would not only challenge him, but also the opinions of men in Africa as a whole.

“Many women stay in abusive relationships and marriages for the wrong reasons, it could be because of culture and embarrassment, among others.”
Along his walk, Molosankwe also makes stops at schools to educate the pupils about abuse. He also speaks to men he meets along the roadside and explains how devastating abuse was to women and reasons with them about being the change.

privileged

Asked why he did not lose weight due to the walks, Molosankwe said he was privileged as the people he came across fed him all sorts of food.
Meanwhile, SWAGAA’s Communications and Advocacy Officer Slindele Nxumalo said Molosankwe’s walk had come at a time when every stakeholder in the fight against GBV was desperate for a solution towards ending this scourge.

“SWAGAA sincerely appreciates the courage and commitment exhibited by this man, as he has personally dedicated himself towards fighting GBV across Africa. With his experience, new and unknown drivers of violence will be uncovered, subsequently guiding activists such as SWAGAA on how best this scourge could be tackled,” Nxumalo said.

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