Africa-Press – Eswatini. Another day, another case of gender-based violence (GBV) leading to loss of life!
Barely seven days after the shooting of five women, leaving four of them dead, a family was grieving following the death of one of their own in the same manner. Another family is also grieving as their member, the perpetrator, then turned the gun on himself and died and this happened in the presence of two children. The woman, Nosipho Dube (34), lost her life on Friday night after being shot allegedly by her husband. The husband has been identified as Mandiso Khanyile, a 32-year-old who was well-known in the social circles of Manzini. The incident is said to have happened at Ngwane Park in Manzini and after shooting his wife twice, Khanyile then pointed the gun at himself. According to sources, the two have been having challenges in their marriage, but would now and again work things out. On the fateful Friday night, the couple is alleged to have had an argument whose details cannot be shared for ethical reasons.
It was claimed that as they argued, the wife threatened to take their two children and leave, something which angered the husband who is said to have told her that she was not going to leave with them. A fight allegedly ensued, with the wife trying to take the children away to ensure their safety and it was at that moment that the husband allegedly shot her and later turned the gun on himself. For the better part of yesterday, friends of the couple were sharing their grief on social media platform Facebook, describing how they could not come to terms with what had happened. Some posted that they could not believe that Khanyile could do such, as he was known as a fun loving calm person. The couple, some of the friends said, was well-known around Ngwane Park as they would be seen looking happy together. It was also gathered that they recently had a beautiful traditional wedding ceremony and also loved their children.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. Vilakati pleaded with members of the public to refrain from gun violence and said a person who felt they could not handle their guns anymore should feel free to take them to the nearest police station. Efforts to get comments from family members were not successful, as they said they could not say anything regarding the incident. On Monday, the nation woke up to the news that a married deputy sheriff had allegedly shot dead his girlfriend and three other females in her flat at Goje Township in Ezulwini. The incident occurred last Saturday night and a fifth woman survived the shooting and is recuperating at one of the hospitals in the country. Among the killed women was a sister to the deputy sheriff’s girlfriend.Two of the women were buried yesterday while one was cremated. The other one is expected to be buried today. For quite some time, activists and organisatiosn such as the Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) have called for the country’s authorities to declare GBV a national emergency.
disturbed
At the memorial service of one of the four women allegedly shot by the deputy sheriff, SWAGAA Programmes Officer Hlobsile Dlamini was at pains describing how she was disturbed by the two incidents. “It is painful that I stand here at this memorial when earlier today we received the news of yet another death of a woman at the hands of a man who is supposed to protect her,” she said referring to the incident of the socialite and his wife. The organisation has always argued that there was a need to revamp the justice system in the country even if it means setting up specialised courts that will just deal with sexual and GBV cases. Another argument has been that while the country now has the comprehensive Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018, its implementation has not been widespread. The argument has been that there have been cases where perpetrators have received suspended sentences for serious GBV crimes. Meanwhile, results of a study published by the Cambridge University Press in July this year reflected that GBV incidents overwhelmingly involved overkill, with the assailant using inordinately high levels of aggression against the victim.
It was stated that male sexual jealousy, rage over the female partner’s abrogation of the relationship, and interpersonal disputes of variable origin were the major precipitants. A recommendation was made that deterrent sentences should be used to teach assaulters and would-be assaulters that society does not tolerate assaultive behaviour within intimate relationships. “More resources should be provided for women who are victims of domestic violence. This should include legal aid, financial resources and refuges for women in danger and their children. Measures should be taken to control the proliferation of firearms in society,” it was mentioned in the recommendations.
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