Woman (38) fined E5k for assaulting hubby
MBABANE – A 38-year-old woman was fined E5 000 for assaulting her husband at Mbabane Police Station.
Busisiwe Mabuza (38) of Macobolwane, Mbabane under Chief Zembe Dvuba, was sentenced for physically abusing her husband, Wandile Hlatshwayo by pushing him and hitting him on the head. She was charged under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act No.15 of 2018.
The assault is said to have happened on April 9, 2024, while the couple was at the Mbabane Police Station.
When appearing before Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati, her right to legal representation was explained to her by the Crown and she elected to conduct her defence. When responding to the court about why she assaulted her husband in front of police officers, she responded by saying she had been having unresolved issues with her husband for a long time.
“Among other issues, my husband has been trying several times to make sure I get fired from work after accusing me of stealing from my bosses. He reported me to them, which left me shocked,” she said. She further told the court that her husband also abused her daughter by giving her false information about what happened before the day she was born.
“She told my daughter that I tried to kill her by ingesting a poisonous substance when I was still pregnant, which is a lie,” she said. The accused person further told the court that her husband cheated on her, which triggered her emotions.
“Utsatse inhlitiyo yami wayigandza etjeni.” Loosely translated to ‘he broke my heart’. In mitigation, the accused pleaded for leniency and told the court that she was a cleaner, supporting her three children. In count one, she was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of a fine of E5 000. In the other count, she was sentenced to one year imprisonment with an option of a fine of E2 000.
However, the latter sentence was wholly suspended for three years on the condition that she did not commit a similar offence.