Rusape Man Hauled to Chief’s Court Over Small House Drama
A Rusape man, Beyond Magwena, became the subject of a bizarre community court drama after a group of hired men allegedly descended on his home, confronting him and his wife over claims he had abandoned his “small house”.
The matter was heard at Chief Makoni’s court, where Phibion Mutombwa accused Magwena of secretly living as husband and wife with his sister, Prisca Mutombwa, without the family’s approval.
“He made her leave work, promising to look after her, then dumped her,” Mutombwa told the court, demanding three cattle, three goats and US$1,000 in compensation.
“Now she cannot even help our sick mother.”
Magwena flatly denied the charge, insisting the relationship was casual.
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“She was just my girlfriend. I told her from day one that I was married,” he said. “She agreed.”
He narrated how they met while he was repairing Damburamuchato Bar.
“She said she was pregnant. She later lost her job over a US$70 shortfall, which I paid for her,” he said.
“I even gave her US$30 for school fees after she moved to Mabvazuwa.”
But the story took a dramatic turn.
“She came to my house with hired thugs,” Magwena said.
“They caused chaos. I had to lock my wife inside the house to protect her.”
He added: “I thought of formalising things, but how do you marry someone who threatens your wife?”
Prisca dismissed his claims.
“It’s shocking to hear he wanted to marry me,” she said.
“He abandoned me for five months.”
She added: “Since I moved, he has never visited or checked how I am surviving. I only went to his house once. I still love him.”
Chief Makoni reserved judgment as murmurs rippled through the packed court.
–Pindula
