Mbabane – “You are a dog, I will kill you; it is better you die — I know where you work, I will find you.”
These were the words uttered by a 18-year old man of Sitibeni to his father (identities ethically withheld) after appearing at the Mbabane Magistrates Court on Wednesday facing multiple counts before Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati.
In vernacular he said, “Uyinja wena ngitokubulala siphetfo sakho kufa ncono ngiyati usebentaph ngitokufuna ngize ngikutfole.” The accused has been convicted and sentenced under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act of 2018 after he insulted, threatened, and damaged the property of his father.
On count one, the accused was charged with insulting and threatening his father while the second count was for malicious damage to property. He damaged his father’s windows valued at E2,800.
When questioned about his actions, he explained that his father had allegedly not been taking good care of them since their mother left when they were still young. He said their strained relationship worsened after his father married another woman.
The accused claimed that on the day of the incident, his father had assaulted him with a sjambok for failing to sleep at home, which triggered his anger. He further told the court that he had been working in a construction company to support his younger siblings and felt unfairly treated.
In response, Magistrate Vilakati sternly reprimanded the accused, stating that no circumstance justifies insulting or threatening a parent. He reminded him that the Bible commands children to respect their parents so that their days on earth may be multiplied. “A parent is a parent — you have no right to insult them or conduct yourself anyhow in their presence,” the magistrate said.
The court also noted that the accused could have reported his grievances to proper authorities, such as the Social Welfare office. The accused, however, mentioned that he had done so, but his father refused to attend when summoned.
Magistrate Vilakati sentenced the accused to pay a fine of E1,000 or serve one year imprisonment for both counts, which are to run consecutively. However, E1,500 of the sentence was suspended for one year, on condition that he does not commit a similar offence during the suspension period.
Discussion about this post