The 46-year-old woman who was arrested for sexually violating a 15-year-old minor has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment without an option of a fine.
Nontokozo Sakhile Dludlu of Luve was sentenced by Principal Magistrate Florence Msibi at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Dludlu initially pleaded not guilty to the offence and denied being at the homestead on August 19 at the time the offence was allegedly committed.
During the trial, she gave an account of events which differed significantly from the evidence presented by the Crown. Dludlu told the court that on Monday, August 17, 2026, she was at the homestead where the offence is alleged to have taken place at around 8pm and she was seated on a water container outside a makeshift structure, where members of the family normally prepared meals. She said she was using her cellphone to read a novel on TikTok when the 15-year-old complainant approached her, leaned on her shoulder and read the novel along with her. According to Dludlu, she later left and went to one of the family members within the homestead.
She claimed that when she returned, she found him sitting on the water container and asked where she was supposed to sit. She said she eventually sat on his lap because it appeared he had decided to act as a ‘sofa’ for her.
She alleged that while seated on him, the minor was sexually aroused and she quickly jumped away from him out of shock.
Dludlu further told the court that electricity units subsequently ran out at the homestead and she accompanied the minor to his grandmother’s house to assist him in purchasing the electricity by providing light for him, since the phone he was using to load the electricity units was not a smartphone (bhompompo) and had limited functionality, including the non-availability of a torch.
She alleged that upon entering the house, the boy pushed her onto a sofa before standing next to her and asking whether she wanted to see or feel what had frightened or shocked her earlier on. Dludlu said she eventually overpowered him, after which she picked up her cellphone, which had fallen to the floor and left the house.
She said she then went to another house within the family compound, known as ephalamende, because she was still shocked by what had happened.
Crown Prosecutor Mlindi Mthethwa questioned Dludlu on why she had not reported the alleged attempted sexual assault or confronted the complainant about it during cross-examination.
Dludlu said she did not tell anyone because she was shocked and wanted to protect the minor. Mthethwa further questioned why she had failed to dispute the complainant’s evidence when he testified that she had sexually violated him.
Dludlu responded that the matter had “slipped her mind”, saying she did not know she was expected to ask such questions during cross-examination and believed she would later be given an opportunity to tell the court her side of the story.
Mthethwa further put it to her that she had never disputed the allegation that she lured the minor to the back of a beehive hut, where she allegedly sexually assaulted him for the second time.
Again, Dludlu maintained that she believed she would eventually be given an opportunity to explain her version of events.
