Another GBV case: Man charged with murder of woman

IN another case of gender-based violence (GBV), another female has been allegedly brutally stabbed and killed by one Mcolisi Mbetse with a knife.

The 33-year-old Mcolisi Mbetse appeared at the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court where he is charged with murder.

The Times of Eswatini had previously reported that on Saturday Shabangu was stabbed at a bus station while she was trying to board a kombi going home which is Kwalini. While in full view of the occupants, Mbetse is said to have grabbed her and immediately stabbed her despite the deceased crying for help.

Speculations around the matter state that the deceased was being robbed as it is said she had E3000 on that day, however, some say both deceased and accused were romantically involved.

Mbetse’s charge sheet reads that on November 11, 2023, in Siphocosini the accused wrongfully and unlawfully assaulted the deceased by stabbing her several times with an okapi knife all over her body, inflicting fatal wounds from which Shabangu died.

In court, the accused legal rights were explained to him, and opted to conduct his legal presentation.

The prosecution moved an application that his blood specimen should be collected for further investigation.

Application

The moved application states that should the accused refuse or fail to permit the blood specimen taken for analysis in terms of Section 342(1) (2) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, the accused shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not exceeding E400 or face four months imprisonment.

The accused shall be remanded into custody pending November 24 2023 pending commital to the high court.

It is worth noting that last Thursday the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly, Political Party Assembly, Multi-Stakeholder Forum Swaziland, and Swaziland United Democratic Forum delivered a petition at the Deputy Prime Minister offices in Mbabane challenging the Eswatini government should declare Genderbased violence as a national disaster.

The march to deliver the petition to the DPM office came after the brutal shooting of six women that happened on October 28, 2023, at Goje Township in Zulwini and another accident that occurred in Ngwane Park where a Man shot his wife and also shot himself.