Bridget
Muchawira told Harare Civil Court magistrate, Ms Johanna Mukwesha, that she was
being sidelined by her husband Libert Tsingano, yet they were business
partners.
Muchawira
accused her husband of excluding her in key decisions and turning the shop into
his personal possession.
“He started
bringing in his relatives to help at the shop without even consulting me,”
Muchaiwa said.
“Then he began
refusing to give me access to the financial records, claiming he was better at
managing money.
“I started this
business to empower our family, not to be pushed aside like a helper.”
According to
her, they had operated a modest shop outside their home for over two years,
offering basics such as groceries, snacks, airtime, and home-use essentials.
She claimed
that she was the brains behind the idea to set up shop and that Tsingano only
came in later with capital from his informal trading activities, and also
helped with logistics and supplies.
“He must not
control how I use my money. He is abusive when it comes to finances,” she said.
“He gives his
girlfriend a lot of money and sometimes takes my share.”
In response,
Tsingano claimed that his wife was taking money from the shop without
accounting for it and failing to use it to buy new stock.
“I tried to
involve her, but she doesn’t understand basic bookkeeping. Whenever I bring up
accountability, she becomes defensive and emotional. I had to take charge to
protect the business,” he said.
Tsingano
explained that Muchawira locked the shop one morning and refused to hand over
the keys.
He then reacted
and allegedly forced the door open, removing some stock while claiming his
rightful share.
Tsingano
insisted that he invested more financially and has proof of transactions that
justify him taking control of the shop.
The magistrate
granted a reciprocal order, advised them to maintain peace at all times and to
resolve their dispute as adults. Herald
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