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NKWENE – A woman was close to tears as she narrated her painful experiences in an abusive marriage before the Parliament Portfolio Committee at Nkwene Inkhundla Centre on Saturday.

The woman, *Thandi of Ebuseleni, in her speech, said she was talking from experience. Thandi said women in customary marriages suffered the most, particularly after the nullification of the marriage.

“There are valuable properties that are accumulated during the course of the marriage. In most cases, the woman puts more effort in the acquisition of the family properties than the man,” said Thandi. “Yet when the woman is told to go back home, she leaves empty-handed.” Adding, Thandi said couples should know the meaning of marriage, before they engage in such.

She said, for the reason that most couples entered into marriage without having done proper research, many marriages ended in divorces.

Brave

After Thandi had finished speaking, Member of Parliament (MP )Mabhanisi Dlamini (the Portfolio Committee Chairman) commended the woman for being brave enough to vent out her sufferings.

MP Dlamini said: “We may not leave Thandi’s case unattended. She was brave enough to cough out her feelings. If we ignore her plight, do we mean she must commit suicide?” The chairman added: “Her body language during her speech spoke volumes. We’ve been touched by the way she emotionally expressed her suffering. We feel we have to do something as a committee to assist her.”

The Kwaluseni MP asked Thandi to submit her mobile number and other contact details to Mlondi Sibandze, Senior State Reporting Officer in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.

Sibandze was also in attendance during the event. *Not her real name