Woman sent to 3-year jail term for spying on husband’s whatsApp chats

A woman identified as Dumsile Dludlu is facing up to three years in prison after being convicted of spying on her husband’s WhatsApp messages without his consent.

The case, which has sent the social media on frenzy, highlights the enforcement of Swaziland’s Computer Crime and Cybercrime Act of 2022.

Reports indicate that Dludlu accessed her husband, Samukeliso Matse’s WhatsApp chats without his permission, violating the strict provisions of the cybercrime law. The legislation criminalizes unauthorized access to any computer system, carrying severe penalties, including fines of up to E500,000 (approximately R500,000) or imprisonment of up to five years.

In court, Dludlu pleaded not guilty to the charge of unauthorized access but admitted to confronting and insulting her husband after reading the messages. “I did insult him, but it wasn’t as severe as what’s in the police statement,” she explained during her testimony.