Mbabane – A 23-year-old man from Makholokholo has been arrested and charged after allegedly physically abusing and threatening his mother following a night of drinking.
Gcina Dlamini appeared before the Mbabane Magistrates Court facing a charge of contravening Section 77 subsection one paragraph a of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018. The offence was said to have occurred on January 17 2026 at Makholokholo.
The court was told that Dlamini unlawfully grabbed his mother Siphiwe Mamba by the arms and threatened to assault her, conduct that placed her safety health and wellbeing at risk.
When responding to the charge, Dlamini said he had returned home drunk and was falling, which led him to hold onto his mother’s arm. He claimed he could not explain why threats were made.
Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi questioned his explanation and urged him to be open about any underlying problems. Dlamini then told the court that the man he believed to be his father had rejected him throughout his life despite assurances from relatives that he belonged to the family.
He said the rejection resulted in financial hardship which forced him to drop out of school as his mother could not support him alone. Dlamini further told the court that he once asked the man for a DNA test. Although the man reportedly agreed and paid for the test, Dlamini said it was done without their knowledge or presence and later returned a negative result, leading him to suspect wrongdoing.
Dlamini said the uncertainty around his identity caused deep emotional pain as he longed for a father figure.
Magistrate Nhlabatsi advised him to stop consuming alcohol, saying it would only worsen his situation. She encouraged him to seek employment and save money if he wished to pursue a second DNA test, cautioning that regardless of the outcome it could never justify abusing his mother.
The magistrate also referred to Exodus chapter 20 verse 12 which calls for honouring one’s parents, stating that respect for parents is both a moral and legal duty. She warned him that alcohol often leads to poor judgement and unacceptable conduct.
In mitigation, Dlamini apologised to the court and to his mother and assured the court that the incident would not be repeated.
When passing sentence, the court took into account that Dlamini was not inherently violent and that the incident occurred while he was under the influence of alcohol. He was fined E5000 or five years imprisonment in default of payment. The sentence was wholly suspended for three years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence during the period of suspension.
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