The court
granted the 34-year-old Cynthia Kadande a protection order against Whisper
Gumbo, who allegedly attempted to repossess the family house after a five-year
absence.
Kadande
appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Prisca Manhibi, seeking legal protection
from alleged abuse by her husband’s first wife.
She testified
that her husband had told her that he had divorced his first wife after five
years of marriage.
However, her
life took a dramatic turn when Gumbo returned from Harare and began making
claims on the family house.
“My husband’s
ex-wife came back after five years of separation, and has been verbally abusing
me, and threatening me to vacate the house,” she said.
Kadande told
the court that when she married her husband, she found another wife already in
his life.
She stated that
her husband informed her that she would stay with him at the urban house due to
her pregnancy.
“When I began
staying with my husband, there was already another woman claiming to be his
wife, but his relatives encouraged me to stay,” she said.
The court heard
that tensions arose when Kadande demanded that Gumbo disclose her HIV status,
as she had been away for an extended period.
“I told her
that if she wants to cohabit with our husband, we should both get tested for
HIV, since she was having affairs in Harare,” she said.
However, Gumbo
presented her own different side of the story, claiming she was never divorced.
She said when
she heard that her husband had moved in with another wife, she would go to
their rural home instead of the urban house where the husband was staying.
Gumbo claimed
that she recently spent two weeks sleeping on the couch, while her bedroom was
occupied by Kadande.
She said
although they were cohabiting, she was upset that her belongings were being
used by another woman.
Kadande said
after Gumbo’s return from Harare, a family meeting was convened, resulting in a
decision that the two women would be part of a polygamous marriage.
Gumbo was
reportedly ordered to stay at the rural home.
“Although my
husband’s relatives suggested that we coexist, my husband himself told me he is
starting the divorce proceedings, and wants me to stay in the house,” she said.
Following a
prolonged confrontation, and resultantly granting of the protection order, Ms
Manhibi denied both women sole rights to the house, as it is owned by the
husband’s late parents.
“I am not
granting either of you exclusive rights to the house, as it does not belong to
him.
“I advise you
both to resolve your issues amicably, as the man you are fighting over does not
own any property himself.
“All he has
done is impregnate you,” she ruled. Manica Post
0 comments:
Post a Comment