I find it hard to forgive accused, court told

MBABANE – “I still find it hard in my heart to forgive the man who assaulted me for no good reason.”

This was said by a 14-year-old boy, who was assaulted by 20-year-old Siyabonga Tembe of Nkwalini for failing to give him E2 he requested from him. Tembe was arrested and charged with common assault with an intention to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH). He is said to have committed the offence on September, 3, 2022 at Nkwalini. *Sipho, the minor, told the court on Tuesday that he found it hard to forgive the accused because he sustained injuries to his right eye and to his back. He said he felt humiliated by the accused who committed such act while in front of his friends, hence he rejected his apology as he was nursing the injuries he sustained.

“He came to me after punching me three times in the face with fists as well as kicking me, to apologise but I didn’t accept his apology.

“I sustained injuries to my right eye and to my back. I don’t know where to start before forgiving him,” explained the minor. Sipho said the accused shouted at them while they were heading to town to assist their father at his workshop. He said the accused asked them why they were having ice blocks and looking at him.

Occurred

Sipho said he was with his brother when the incident occurred.

In mitigation, the accused did not deny that he assaulted Sipho but said it was in retaliation. He said the complainant slapped him across the face after trying to talk to his brother. “I failed to control my anger after he assaulted me first. people of the Kingdom, the continent and the world. The political activist said after having interrogated the strategies necessary to defeat Tinkhundla System of Governmentand imperialism and to achieve unity and democracy in Eswatini through greater sectoral coordination of revolutionary struggles with specific focus on the working class, feminist, youth and student struggles and the integration of urban and rural struggles for better living standards, they had formed six declarations.

Dludlu said the NGC resulted in the Driekoppies Declaration, which resolved the following:

We shall double our efforts in building a mass movement to PUSH FOR fiNAL VICTORY.

WE SHALL FOCUS OUR ENERGIES TO unite our organisation and all DEMOCRATIC FORCES IN THE MASS DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT.

WE SHALL fiGHT GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND FEMICIDE IN ALL ITS FORMS AND MANIFESTATION. WE SHALL CONVENE OUR NATIONAL ELECTIVE CONGRESS AS STIPULATED BY OUR CONSTITUTION.

THE SECURITY OF OUR MEMBERS, leaders and organisation remain SACROSANCT

With renewed vigour and DETERMINATION WE DECLARE OUR COMMITMENT TO CONTINUING THE fiGHT TO PUT AN END TO THIS ROYAL MISRULE, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN. know that I was wrong for hitting him,” said the accused. When the charge was read to him by the court clerk, the accused pleaded guilty.

In mitigation of sentence, Tembe told the court that he was sorry for assaulting the complainant. He then pleaded for leniency and said he committed the offence after he took an intoxicating substance. “I am sorry for what happened on that day. My friends invited me to a party where we took alcoholic beverages. I ended up getting drunk,” the accused said.

The court president advised him to quit alcohol as his future was at stake.

“Stop drinking alcohol. You are still young to come and stand before this court. If you really like alcohol, dilute it with water so that you don’t get drunk,” said the court president.

The accused was sentenced to seven months imprisonment with an option to pay a E600 fine.