MBABANE: Women rights organisations are calling for the arrest of Chester Nxumalo, the Director of Solanis Shisanyama after a trending video where he is seen assaulting his girlfriend at the popular hangout spot in Msunduza, Mbabane.
Speaking to this Swaziland News on Sunday, Colani Hlatshwako, the One Billion Rising Africa Coordinator called for the arrest of the businessman and for Swazis to boycott his business.
“We call for the arrest of this man and for Swazis to boycott Solanis Shisanyama, as a nation we can’t be supporting businessmen who are abusers and have no regard for women rights. You will find that there are many women out there who are his victims, even his staff and patrons are not safe. We cannot keep quiet just because this was done by a businessman, as a women rights organisation we condemn all forms of violence. The police should take up this matter and we will follow through until justice is served”, said the Coordinator.
Efforts to reach the Solanis Director for comment proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
Cebile Dlamini, the Secretary General of the Swaziland Rural Women Assembly (SRWA) said government should make sure that sentences for domestic violence cases become harsher.
“This businessman showed that he has no regard for women rights by assaulting his girlfriend in full view of the public. This tells us that men still treat women as children or their objects, government should also make sure that sentences for Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence ( SODV )cases are harsher so they could act as a deterrence for would be offenders. As the situation stands, judges are now lenient when meting out judgements in SODV cases, you will find that this businessman will use his financial muscle to bail himself out and further continue with abusing women. Those men who watched and failed to rescue the woman should also be arrested, since by not reporting a crime you automatically become an accomplice”, she said.
Solanis