By Delisa Thwala
A married couple engulfed in a bitter separation has been tasked by the court to find better ways to raise their six-year-old child and refrain from physical altercations.
This was after David Ngozo appeared before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi for two counts of contravening the SODV Act.
In the first count, the accused was charged and found guilty of contravening the protection order filed against him by his wife in June 2024.
RELATED: Husband (59) hits wife, charged with SODV
When mitigating this charge, Ngozo said he had to go to their marital home to check on their six-year-old child, who had been left alone by the mother.
“Our neighbours called to alert me that my baby had been left alone in the house. The time was around 6:15 pm which was late for a young child to be alone,” said Ngozo.
On the second count, he was charged with beating up his wife and leaving her with a broken nose, swollen eyes, and a disfigured face.
RELATED: Over E1.9m loss in six months due to cybercrime
Ngozo said he lost his temper when the wife told him she did not care about the child and further insulted him. Ngozo said the wife initiated the fight with insults and slaps towards him.
Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi warned the man to not resolve fighting and should never use losing his temper as an excuse to hit someone else. He was fined E7000 or 5 years imprisonment.
