By Daniel Itai.
Mbabane, Eswatini. (News of The South) – The Eswatini government has made history by the inaugural arrest of a 34 year old man who was charged for having sexual intercourse without his wife’s consent.
The 34 year old spouse was charged with contravening the 2018 Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act, which criminalises non-consensual sex between a husband and wife.
“This law is against the indigenous values of our culture as Swazis, you cannot tell me that a wife I married and paid dowry for, following our customs and traditions, can say to her husband he has raped her.
What nonsense is that, even the Bible warns couples not to deny each other conjugal rights,” fumed Sabelo Mahlangu, a local businessperson.
However, Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse welcomed the arrest. First-time offenders of the SODV Act are likely to be sentenced up to 20 years in jail, while repeat rapists can get up to 30 years.
The 34 year old who is currently on US$3 500 bail is set to appear again in court over the next few weeks.
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