Cheeky Neighbour Ordered to Pay Beast After Impregnating Friend’s Wife
A Makoni man’s hopes of a peaceful homecoming were shattered when he returned from Harare to find that his trusted neighbour had secretly fathered a child with his wife — a betrayal that led to a dramatic court ruling and a fine of one beast.
The betrayal triggered a bitter fallout that led Adam Majapura of Chiendambuya Village to seek justice at Chief Makoni’s community court.
After returning home and uncovering the affair, Majapura served his wife, Alice, a divorce token and asked the court to help evict her from his homestead.
He also accused her aunt, Grace Ngirazi, of helping conceal the relationship and misleading him about the source of gifts Alice had received.
Majapura’s suspicions began to grow after a heated phone call from Mawanhu’s wife, Mai Polite.
She accused Alice of wrecking her marriage and revealed that her husband had been secretly supporting Alice — buying her baby preparations, including a broiler chicken, and even taking her to Rusape for shopping.
“She told me that my wife had gone with her husband to Rusape to buy some goodies. She also said he was taking care of the pregnancy and had bought her the broiler chicken,” he said.
Alice initially told Majapura that the groceries and baby items had come from her aunt, Grace Ngirazi.
But when Majapura confronted Ngirazi directly, she admitted she had lied to protect Alice.
“She confessed that she had misled me.
She went on to say Alice ‘akundipinza muchihure chandisingaziwe, ingomuramba umudzose kumba’ — meaning Alice dragged her into an affair she knew nothing about and advised me to divorce and send her back home,” Majapura told the court.
Mai Polite later confirmed that her husband had confessed to buying the goods for Alice and was begging for forgiveness.
She also pleaded with Majapura to settle the matter privately, fearing her own cattle would be seized as compensation since she had bought them with her tobacco proceeds.
Majapura reported the matter to Headman Chiendambuya, who found Mawanhu guilty of adultery and ordered him to compensate Majapura with a beast.
Mawanhu has since paid US$100 as part of the fine.
Despite the divorce, Alice refused to leave the homestead, claiming their children were still minors.
Majapura also expressed doubts about the paternity of their third child. “I am convinced that I am not the child’s father,” he said.
Alice denied the affair, telling the court that Majapura had abandoned her for six months without support.
“When I fell pregnant with our third child, my husband was not taking care of me. He sent me to borrow US$40 from Mai Polite.
“Instead, I borrowed US$100, which was enough for the preparations. I did not go with Mawanhu to Rusape.
“My husband dumped me and went to Harare, leaving me struggling with the family,” she said.
The ManicaPost reported that the court ordered paternity tests to determine the truth.
When the hearing resumed a month later, the results confirmed that Majapura was not the biological father of the child.
Chief Makoni upheld the earlier ruling, stating:
“The decision to find Mawanhu guilty of adultery by Headman Chiendambuya was correct. Mawanhu is most likely the father of the child. This is why he was buying preparations for the baby, including accompanying Alice to Rusape.
“Alice is a stupid woman — her promiscuous behaviour led to the collapse of her marriage.”
Majapura broke down in court, saying he had suspected foul play from the beginning.
“Alice used to be difficult to be intimate with, to the extent that I once returned her to her parents over the issue. But suddenly she changed and became so interested in intimacy.
“When she told me she was pregnant, I asked her who the father was. I saw that as a trap and marked the dates,”he said.
He added that Mawanhu had even predicted the exact date Alice would deliver and it came to pass.
“It pained me that for three years, I took care of someone else’s child. Her relatives are now demanding a bride price for divorcing her,” he said.
When asked to name the father of the child, Alice insisted it was Majapura.
“Majapura is the father — I never slept with another man. This man was not taking care of me. He used to send groceries from Harare, which would be received by his young brother, and I would only get a few items,” she said.
Despite her claims, the court ruled that Majapura could not be forced to pay bride price or damages.
“It would be a gross miscarriage of tradition to force a man to marry a promiscuous woman who had caused him a lot of pain,” the court ruled.
Alice was advised to apply for maintenance for the two children whose paternity Majapura did not dispute.
The matter was closed with Majapura cleared of any further obligations.
