A 32-year-old man has been remanded in custody for allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face twice after seeing her kissing a woman at a bar in Nkoyoyo.
Mlondi Kunene appeared before Mbabane Magistrate Chazile Thwala, facing charges under Sections 77(1)(a) and 77(1)(c) of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act, 2018.
The complainant, Bongiwe Langa (29) told the court that the incident occurred at around 10pm while she and Kunene were consuming alcohol beverages at Nkoyoyo.
Langa testified that she went to the toilet with a female friend, who told her that she still loved her and asked for a hug.
She said the friend then kissed her, prompting Langa to tell her that she was not a lesbian.
According to Langa, Kunene saw them kissing and confronted them, asking what they were doing.
She told the court that her friend ran away while she returned to the bar. Kunene allegedly became angry and punched her twice on the mouth. Langa said her cousin intervened and helped her to the park. She alleged that Kunene followed them there, demanded the house keys and assaulted her again, this time punching her on the right eye.
She told the court that she collapsed and was later admitted to hospital. She said her mouth was bleeding and swollen following the alleged assault. When asked by the court how the incident had affected her, Langa said it had affected her, but ‘not much’.
A medical report was produced in court as an exhibit, confirming that Langa sustained injuries to her right eye and mouth. Kunene elected to conduct his defence during the court proceedings. He told the court that Langa had forgiven him.
Magistrate Thwala granted Kunene 2 years imprisonment or pay a fine of E4 000.
