On New Year’s Eve, Thulani Ginindza travelled approximately 80 kilometres to his home.
During that journey, he did nothing but premeditate the murder of his wife, with whom he shared three children.
On January 2, 2026, Ginindza succeeded in carrying out his wicked plan. He brutally murdered his wife by stabbing her 16 times and slitting her throat. Even describing this tragedy makes my heart bleed.
Princess Nunu Johnson, may her soul rest in peace, was laid to rest on Sunday at Kamfishane, her parental home. Subsequent to the funeral, on Monday, this publication reported on the muddy road conditions that made it extremely difficult for mourners to reach Nunu’s homestead. Several vehicles, including the hearse carrying Nunu’s body, became stuck and had to be pulled out by a tractor. Her body reportedly arrived home at around 1am following a prolonged struggle through the mud.
THE MUD AS A NATIONAL METAPHOR
As I reflected on these events, I found myself agreeing with this publication’s observation regarding how Nunu received such a muddy send-off. However, upon deeper reflection, this was not merely a muddy farewell for Nunu; it was a shameful symbol of how muddy the gender-based violence (GBV) landscape has become in our country.
Siseludzakeni bekunene.
Excuse me for believing that this moment was nothing short of Nunu’s spirit crying out to us — revealing a nation stuck in a quagmire of GBV, desperately in need of mechanisms designed for muddy conditions to pull us out and guide us to a place where this violence can be buried permanently.
It is frightening to admit that we have become a society where we are each other’s potential killers. We have downgraded ourselves to a level far below what God created us to be. We are increasingly driven by emotion rather than reason, judgement and moral responsibility.
There is absolutely no justification — none whatsoever — for Thulani Ginindza to have reached a point where it felt acceptable to murder the mother of his children and, most importantly, another human being.
THE DANGEROUS NORMALISATION OF VIOLENCE
What raises my temperature even further is what followed Nunu’s murder. When the news broke, some men — whom I immediately classified as potential killers of women — attempted to rationalise why she “had to be killed”.
I could name them one by one, exposing how pathetic and dangerous their thinking is. These individuals sought attention and relevance through vain commentary on a senseless and brutal murder. This is where I take serious issue with faceless and unregulated social media accounts. There is far too much liberty to publish content that is unethical, senseless and deeply inhumane, with absolutely no shame, accountability or consequence.
night vigil at kaMfishane.
However, the real problem is not the platforms themselves; it is people who have lost their moral fibre, their humanity and their values — people who have traded human dignity for popularity and online applause.
For such men, GBV is reduced to a dramatic relationship dispute between two people until it hits home. Only when it is their own daughter or sister facing abuse do they suddenly understand how primitive and unnecessary this violent behaviour truly is.
Those who have lost loved ones to GBV know this pain intimately. Ask Nunu’s children. They heard their mother scream and plead for mercy. There was none. There was no thinking, no empathy — only a man who convinced himself that he was more monster than human.
For this reason, it is not only reckless and irresponsible, but utterly heartless to publicly justify or minimise the killing of a woman. This behaviour must be called out for what it is — barbaric and primitive.
The purpose of speaking so strongly about this is not emotional outrage for its own sake, but to expose how dangerously complacent we have become towards those who condone GBV.
AMEND THE SODV ACT OF 2018
I will not merely lament the current situation. I hereby submit that Eswatini must urgently move to amend both the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018 and the Cybercrime Act of 2022.
These laws should explicitly prohibit the public endorsement, defence, ridicule or minimisation of gender-based violence. When such conduct goes unchecked, it does more than offend conscience — it normalises cruelty and fosters a dangerous environment in which acts of violence are glorified, justified and amplified through social media.
Secondly, where evidence proves beyond reasonable doubt that a GBV-related death was premeditated, such a crime should attract a life sentence in solitary confinement, ineligible for parole. My rationale is simple: individuals who demonstrate a complete disregard for human life already exist in a world detached from society. Solitary confinement merely formalises that separation — granting them the isolation they have effectively chosen through their actions.
I am fully aware of the heavy tone of this piece. Yet I do not wish for this heaviness to define my entire discourse. Earlier, I referred to the tractor that had to pull Nunu’s body out of the mud. That image reminds us that we need properly designed machinery — strong systems, laws and interventions — to pull this nation out of the muddy situation that GBV has become.
PREVENTION THROUGH EDUCATION AND SYSTEMIC REFORM
I strongly believe that intervention must begin at grassroots level. From pre-school through primary and high school, we should introduce curriculum-based GBV interventions that include both reward and corrective systems.
Learners should be assessed not only academically, but also on social conduct, emotional regulation, respect, rational behaviour and law-abiding values. We must intentionally shape emotionally balanced, confident and responsible citizens from an early age.
The Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act of 2018 provides for a Sexual Offences Register. This register must be fully implemented, widely publicised and meaningfully linked to social consequences.
These may include limitations or removal of access to driving licences, employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors, and eligibility for scholarships or public benefits.
Eswatini requires an intentional, multi-layered and urgent approach to confronting GBV. A GBV murder on the very first day of the year sends a chilling message about who we are as a society — and what our 2026 trajectory looks like.
A CALL FOR URGENT, DECISIVE NATIONAL ACTION
Let me conclude with three important points.
Firstly, if you are reading this and you — or someone close to you — regularly feels unsafe, uncomfortable or fearful in a relationship, leave immediately or help them leave. There is often no warning, no time to prepare and no second chance. GBV murders are frequently premeditated, and families are left without closure, particularly when perpetrators take their own lives.
Secondly, I appeal to the prime minister, as the political authority responsible for the Royal Eswatini Police Service, to establish a fully functional and adequately resourced Domestic Violence Unit. While the police response to Nunu’s murder was commendable, it reflected a reactionary approach rather than a sustainable solution. If the police can deploy significant resources to track a murderer, they can certainly allocate resources to prevent GBV before lives are lost.
Thirdly, to men who feel wronged in relationships and believe violence is the solution, I urge you to reconsider. Taking a life is never the answer. The Royal Eswatini Police Service has professional psychologists who offer free counselling. Reaching out can transform the way you view your situation and save lives. Had either Thulani or Nunu accessed such support, this tragedy might have been avoided.
To the church community, I acknowledge the biblical call to pursue peace. However, when domestic abuse is reported, it must be addressed not only spiritually, but also through referrals to psychologists and law enforcement. There is nothing more heartbreaking than learning that a congregant who reported abuse to the church was later killed — a tragedy that could have been avoided through proper escalation.
FINAL WORDS
Finally, to the Johnson family, friends, loved ones and associates — my deepest condolences. To the most heartbroken and devastated, Nunu’s children, words cannot capture the sorrow I feel. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of your mother, and for the trauma and pain you have been forced to endure.
I am also sorry about your father — I know you loved and trusted him. My thoughts also extend to the family and parents of the young man who committed this horrific act. No parent gives life to a child in anticipation that one day he will take the life of another human being, let alone meet his own end in such a dishonourable and tragic manner.
To all who have ever lost a daughter at the hands of a senseless man, ncesini kakhulu. May the memory and sacrifice of your daughters serve as a call to redeem this nation from this quagmire.
To the nation at large, I depart with this question:
How many more women and children must suffer this way before we act decisively?
Until next week,
God bless.
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