MAN CALLS MUM AFTER GIRLFRIEND’S BRUTAL MURDER

MANZINI – Tragedy struck, leaving yet another woman’s life brutally taken, purportedly by her boyfriend, in the wave of femicide that continues to plague the kingdom.

The lifeless body of 26-year-old Kwanele Mabuza was discovered on Sunday, at around midnight, inside a house at her boyfriend’s homestead, at Ndlinilembi. Ndlinilembi is under Ntontozi Constituency, in the Manzini Region and it is about 40 kilometres south-west of the hub of the country. According to sources, the deceased’s last moments were marred by the agonising pain of being scorched with a hot iron-rod, her body battered and broken, the acts of violence allegedly committed by a man she should have been able to trust—her boyfriend.  It was said the victim’s lifeless body was found sprawled on a mattress, with burn injuries from the iron-rod, and broken limbs. The reasons for this heinous act remain unknown. The sources stated that the young couple had been together for only a brief period and had no children together.

It was further revealed that the boyfriend, after allegedly killing Mabuza, reportedly contacted his mother to confess that he had killed a person. The sources revealed that, however, he did not specify who the person he allegedly killed was. “It is then that his (suspect) elder brother decided to go to his house, within the same compound, to personally verify what had really happened,” the sources stated.

In the aftermath of the gruesome discovery, the suspect’s brother reportedly found himself locked in a standoff with the accused. The elder sibling, driven by a growing sense of unease, is said to have forced his way into the house, only to be confronted with the gruesome sight of the victim’s lifeless body on the floor. The sources narrated that in a panic, the suspect fled. Faced with the sobering reality of the tragedy, the elder brother is said to have informed family members, who swiftly contacted the police.

Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, confirmed that a 26-year-old woman of Mphini was discovered dead in a homestead located at Ndlinilembi, at 10pm on July 14. Vilakati said the body of the woman was found on a bed inside a house, with injuries and bruises all over. Lwazi Mabuza, the deceased’s elder brother, confirmed the death of his sister. He said he received the news of his sister’s grim discovery through a phone call. “I did not know about my sister’s relationship with the suspect,” Lwazi said.

Sakhile Dlamini, Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Communications and Advocacy Officer, said they could not emphasise enough that gender-based violence (GBV) should be made a national emergency.  “These incidents of femicide are appalling and we don’t know what needs to be done to ensure that GBV is made an issue of national emergency, because daily, there are gruesome narrations of how a woman has been murdered by her partner,” she said.

Dlamini elaborated that it was unclear how swiftly the justice system was working in terms of addressing these issues. As a result, she said these encouraged perpetrators of violence to continue violating their partners. The advocacy officer said though the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act 6 of 2018 was enacted to fight GBV through its stiff sentences, once in a while did they get to see and appreciate its effectiveness. “We want to see the maximum sentencing when it comes to GBV cases, because the law is a deterrence for commission of crimes. If perpetrators see steep sentences being passed, they will fear committing crimes,” Dlamini said.

She further raised concerns on the rate of femicide, which was seemingly increasing in the country. Dlamini said the ones reported in the media were only a fraction of the reality. Meanwhile, she revealed that the organisation was in the process of applying for funding to conduct a study on the cost of GBV in Eswatini. Yesterday, this publication reported of a love triangle that was suspected to be the reason for the gruesome murder of a 22-year-old woman, whose body was found with her throat slit next to a road.

The horrific incident happened on Sunday at around 5am, leaving Mahlabatsini residents questioning if a romantic entanglement could be responsible for such a violent act. According to sources, the deceased allegedly had more than one boyfriend. One of her boyfriends reportedly learned that she was with her other boyfriend, and he allegedly started tracking them. On the day in question, the accused boyfriend is alleged to have caught up with the deceased and her other boyfriend, who were walking along one of the roads at Mahlabatsini.

  

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