Times Of Swaziland: COP STABS WARDRESS WIFE ON DUTY

COP STABS WARDRESS WIFE ON DUTY
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Phiwase Phungwayo on 09/10/2023 08:40:00


MATSAPHA – A police officer is said to have stabbed his wardress wife twice in
the neck and chest while she was on duty at the HMCS canteen, in full view of
customers.
The reason for the violent act could not be established. However, it was
gathered that the police officer husband had previously seized two of his
wife’s cellphones. The incident happened at the His Majesty’s Correctional
Services (HMCS) canteen in Matsapha, where the wife is stationed on Saturday
afternoon. The names of the parties involved will not be mentioned as the
alleged perpetrator has not been arrested and charged, while the wife is a
victim of abuse. The wife was reportedly admitted to Raleigh Fitkin Memorial
(RFM) Hospital, where she was reportedly treated and discharged, while the
husband is said to be at large.
Cellphones
According to a source, the police officer first arrived at his wife’s place of
employment between 8-9am on Saturday, where he forcefully took two of her
cellphones and immediately left.
It was also revealed that later he arrived at the canteen carrying a gun and
knife, where he plunged it into his wife’s neck and chest. This, according to
the source, happened in the presence of the wife’s colleagues and customers.
“It was too busy so he took advantage of that and the fact that he was
carrying a gun, so he easily fled and disappeared. To this day, he hasn’t been
arrested as the police are not aware of his whereabouts,” the source
disclosed. It was further highlighted that while the husband has not been
apprehended, his wife was treated and discharged at RFM Hospital. The alleged
perpetrator is said to be one of the police officers who was shot during the
political unrest at the height of solidarity forces.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile
Vilakati confirmed the incident, but stated that no one has been arrested yet.
In a similar incident reported by this publication in 2020, a police officer
stationed at the Mbabane Police Station, was arrested for allegedly stabbing his
former girlfriend five times. The incident happened in full view of onlookers at
the Mbabane Government Hospital, where the woman was employed. The woman, who
was then 30 from northern Hhohho, and a TB Screening officer at the hospital,
worked under the HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Department. It
was reported that when he allegedly went to attack his ex-lover at the Mbabane
Government Hospital just before lunch, the law enforcer was said to have been
armed with a gun and two knives. Another incident happened in 2014, where a
Correctional Services officer killed his pregnant girlfriend and then hung
himself inside his flat at the Matsapha Maximum facility.
Trigger
When drawn for comment, Clinical Psychologist Ndo Mdlalose said: “Anger is
becoming a bigger trigger. EmaSwati lack emotional intelligence. So immediately
when overwhelmed by emotion, they respond to the first thought that comes.
It’s high time people applied emotional intelligence. Also, a lot of these
perpetrators are triggered by external factors which they then bring onto their
close relatives and loved ones,” she said. Mdlalose stated said they were
advocating that mental health should be made a human right now, which was
emphasised by this year’s theme of the International Mental Health Day, to be
commemorated on Tuesday. She said just like hunger and other pandemics, mental
health should be given urgent attention to avoid incidents such as these.