My husband told me he would kill me

MBABANE—"I have no faith in the justice system of Swaziland, especially when it comes to crimes or violence against women."

These were the words of Nokuthula Mnisi, who was allegedly beaten to a pulp by her ex-husband, Stanley Mnisi, with a crow bar a month ago.

He is currently out on bail and has been charged with attempted murder. Mnisi (Nokuthula), who is a nurse by profession, said she had been having sleepless nights ever since the attack and says although she has a restraining order against her ex, she still felt unsafe.

Mnisi, in a no holds barred interview, said the trouble in her marriage began in January when she discovered that her ex had been having an affair with a woman employed by one of the country’s financial institutions.

"I would have coped with the affair but I also learnt that a child was born out of it," said Mnisi.

She said as a result she was admitted to the Medisun Clinic for a week for a depression related illness.

Nokuthula said on the night that her ex allegedly beat her up, he repeatedly told her she would kill her and still be free to roam the streets.

"No one is going to take my money from me and I would rather kill you than to give you a single cent," she said.

Nokuthula said she wanted no money from her husband’s trucking business, stating that she only wanted what was due to her when their marital home was eventually sold as per the agreement made during the divorce negotiations. Mnisi said she had been married to her husband for eight years and for the better part of the marriage everything was fine.

"He was a very good man and he had never even laid a finger on me, so this attack really shocked me," she said.

She said Stanley started being grumpy early last year and would complain that she was always away from the house and spending too much time with her friends. She said last June her car, a BMW, was hijacked at gunpoint whilst she was at work at Baylor Clinic.

"Instead of being sympathetic, he shouted at me and said he wanted his car," she said. She said the last three months of last year were the worst as her ex-husband would disappear for many days, especially on weekends.

"He also complained that I was never at the house myself as I liked to attend weddings, baby showers, and eat out with the girls," she said.

Nokuthula said she was just from jogging on January 8 when she received a call from a person telling her of the child.

She said she confronted her husband and felt the worst pain when he informed her that his mistress had begged him for a baby. "He said he loved me but liked the woman and that is why he gave in to the child request," said Nokuthula.

Nokuthula said her husband had many other children and she even stayed with two of his children in their marital home.

The pair have a five-year-old child, but Nokuthula revealed that he had another child aged four with another woman.

She said after she was released from hospital, she asked her ex to give her space and move out of the house for a while. "I would allow him to come at anytime to check the children and sometimes he would just come in the middle of the night and ask to just lay beside me.

She said, however, he started harassing her friends and threatening her, which is when she decided to apply for a divorce.

The divorce was granted by Mbabane Magistrate Xoliswa Hlatshwayo on February 25 and three weeks later her husband almost killed her.

She said he was hiding in the bathroom, which is ensuite with their bedroom. "He had a body bag, a gun and a crow bar and said he would fix me up for wanting to take his money.

According to Nokuthula, her ex-husband had a bus business which unfortunately collapsed and he owed the bank over E200 000. "I told him I wanted no money from him, especially from the trucking business but he insisted he would kill me," she said.

Fortunately for her, her maid heard the screams and was able to raise an alarm. Nokuthula said she became unconscious, but was told later that her husband was the one who had taken her to hospital.

"It will be a while before he goes to court and I just think he will try and kill me during this time," she said. She said she wished that justice would be done, but stressed that she had no faith in the justice system.

A doctor’s report states that her skull was fractured. "I am just telling my story so that if I die the world knows what happened to me," she said.

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