‘ANTI’ ASSAULTS ‘MALUME’ FOR TAKING OWING CLIENTS

MBABANE – A man who is in the business of transporting pupils was assaulted by a female, who is in the same business.

The two had clashed over customers, which led to the man being assaulted and called names in public. The incident took place on September 28, 2022 at Mbabane city centre where Cebile Msibi assaulted Sibusiso Shabangu with fists for taking her customers. She said she had stopped transporting the children of certain customers who had failed to settle outstanding fees with her. The matter was before Mbabane Eswatini National Court President Chief Mgebiseni Dlamini yesterday.

In mitigation, the accused did not deny having assaulted Shabangu, but told the court that she acted out of anger after she felt betrayed. The 36-year-old woman of Siphocosini runs a school bus business, similar to that of her counterpart where they transport children to school and home. She said told the court that Shabangu knew about the parents who owed her money for transporting their children to school. “Since we are in the same business with Shabangu, he knew about the parents who owed me money for transport their children. I stopped taking their children to school to force them to pay me my money, but akazange wangibambisa,” said Msibi.

She said what triggered her emotions was the fact that the complainant went behind her back and entered into an agreement with those parents who owed her.  She said Shabangu’s act resulted in her retaliating after realising that she was not going to get her money.  “I got angry because of what he did to me. He betrayed me. I realised that there was no way I would get my money and that is why I confronted him. He should have backed me up but failed to do that,” said the accused.

Accused

Shabangu, while narrating his side of the story, told the court that he was approached by the accused on that fateful day and she started accusing him of something he knew nothing about. He said Msibi came and grabbed him by his clothes and started assaulted him with fists and went on to call him names. He further told the court that he did not take the accused’s customers, instead the parents requested for his service of transporting their children to school, which he said he offered to them. He also stated that after being humiliated by the accused, he reported the matter to the police where he opened an assault case. When the charge was read to the accused by the clerk, she pleaded not guilty. In mitigation of the sentence, Msibi told the court that the complainant should have assisted her by not rendering services to the people who owed her, but he failed to help her as a colleague.

The court president cautioned the accused to stop assaulting men, stating that if the man retaliated, the story would have changed and Shabangu  would be labelled a brutal person towards women. The accused was sentenced to five months imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E400.

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