Lovemore Gore,
a polygamous man in his 40s, of Matazwe Village, under Chief Marange is
claiming that his second wife, Emilia Nemaramba (34), conceived the child while
he was working in Harare.
In an
interview, Gore said the couple was separated by distance since November 14,
2023, with Gore saying his wife never visited him, nor did he return home
throughout the year.
“I left for
Harare on November 14, 2023, and she never came to see me, despite my requests.
Then in March, she told me that she was pregnant. I initially believed her and
assumed the baby would be delivered around August or September, but when she
gave birth in November, exactly a year after I left, I knew something was off,”
said Gore, visibly emotional as he spoke.
Now back in
Marange, Gore is on a desperate mission to raise US$300 for a DNA test to prove
whether the child is truly his.
He said this is
not about pride, but about clarity and justice for himself and his extended
family.
“I have 20
children. I know what it feels like to be a father. I have raised them. But
something in my spirit tells me this one is not mine.
“I need proof,
and I am asking for anyone out there who can help me raise the money for this
test,” he pleaded.
He said
Nemaramba was having an affair with Gwinyai Karushanga and it was an open
secret in the village.
He further
stated that he once sent Nemaramba packing after he caught her red-handed with
Karushanga in 2018.
However, they
got back together that same year.
Gore also
accused the village head’s court of siding with Nemaramba by insisting that she
continue staying with him even though the child is not his.
“My wife’s
lover, whom I suspect is the father of the child, Gwinyaui Karushanga is a
clerk for that court and as a result, the court is biased. They all know that I
left in November 2023. I only came back in November 2024. A person cannot be
pregnant for a whole year but they ordered me to continue staying with her.
“Yes, I want
more children but not someone else’s children,” said the bitter man.
The matter was
brought before village head Rizwe Matazwa, who confirmed to The Weekender that
both parties had appeared before his traditional court, but the issue could not
be resolved due to the disputed paternity.
“We listened to
both sides. Nemaramba strongly insisted that the baby is Gore’s. Given that, we
referred the case for DNA testing. However, the tests are still to be done as
Gore is still looking for the money. Karushanga also insists that he was never
in a relationship with Nemaramba,” explained the village head.
Interestingly,
the proceedings took an unexpected turn when Gore attempted to give Nemaramba a
divorce token during the court session, an act that the court firmly rejected.
“We told him
that traditional divorce must involve the woman’s family. He cannot just hand
over a token and walk away like that. Also, our courts do not exist to separate
families. We want to build, not destroy,” said village head Matazwa.
However, the
village head admitted that Gore’s past behaviour had cast a long shadow on the
matter.
He accused Gore
of being an absent father and claimed that many in the village, including
himself, were not surprised that Nemaramba might have sought companionship
elsewhere.
“He does not
look after his wives or children. This is not the first time that one of his
wives has complained of being deprived of their conjugal rights. As a village,
we cannot be shocked hearing that any of his wives have boyfriends,” he added.
The village
head also confessed to physically assaulting Gore in a separate incident, after
the latter allegedly stole his official date stamp and used it to forge a
letter meant to formalise his divorce with Nemaramba.
“He
impersonated me. He stole my stamp and used it to write a letter to Nemaramba’s
family claiming it was from my court. Yes, we beat him. I know that was wrong,
but what he did was worse,” said village head Matazwa unapologetically.
Efforts to get
comment from Nemaramba were fruitless as her mobile phone was unreachable.
However, Gore’s
first wife, Loveness Karushanga who is also an aunt to the man accused of being
the potential father, offered more explosive allegations.
“It is not a
secret, they were in a relationship. The entire village knows that. They would
walk together like a couple, buy groceries for each other. Gwinyai has a
reputation of being involved with other men’s wives.
He once tried
to flirt with me, his own aunt over the phone,” said Karushanga, her voice
laced with a mix of disgust and disbelief.
“I blocked his
number. I told him I am not that kind of woman,” she added. Manica Post
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