MBABANE – A domestic dispute over hot water ended violently when a man struck his nephew on the neck with a burning log.
Majahonkhe Sonny Nhlabatsi appeared before Mbabane Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi this week after pleading guilty to assault under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act of 2018.
The incident occurred when Nhlabatsi asked his nephew for a pot of hot water to bathe. The nephew refused, claiming the water was his. According to Nhlabatsi’s court statement, the refusal led to a heated argument during which he grabbed a burning log from the fire and struck his nephew.
The victim, whose identity is withheld for ethical reasons, sustained serious neck injuries. The court convicted Nhlabatsi and fined him E5,000, with E2,000 of the amount suspended for three years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence. Failure to pay the remaining fine will result in a five-year prison sentence.
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