Online Reporter
Latwell Nyangu
THEY first started dating 14 years ago, broke up, met other partners and had romantic flings with them before they reconnected last year.
They then dated for 14 months, as if each month represented the number of years which had passed since they first became lovers and, on n Sunday last week, they sealed their union.
About 110 guests watched as legal expert and preacher, Nyaradzo Advovo Wabantu, sealed her union with her true lover Leard Collin Francis at a roora ceremony.
Francis is an accounting consultant and church leader.
Advovo Wabantu chose not to disclose her age but said she had passed the age of 30 which, traditionally, starts to trigger questions when a woman isn’t married by then.
She is also the CEO of all-women gospel group, Breeze Music, and says wedding plans will be finalised later this year.
“I have never been married before and I am undoubtedly past the age when society typically expects a woman to get married, which is 30.
“I understood the significance of marriage, so I entrusted God with the task of choosing a husband for me.
“I pleaded with Him to mould me into a blessing for the man He was preparing for me.
“We began dating about 14 years ago, but sadly broke up.
“That first relationship was incredibly special for both of us. In the years that followed, we found ourselves in relationships that lacked substance.
“Last year, we reconnected and dated for 14 months before he proposed at the end of July 2025.
“From the outset, it felt more like courtship than simple dating, we knew that God had brought us back together for marriage.
“We spent time reconnecting and getting to know each other once more.
“The relationship is both divinely ordained and spiritually centered.”
She added:
“I specifically asked God to take His time in finding me a life partner. I was never under pressure to marry.
“In the meantime, I dedicated myself to my ministry as a preacher, musician, and legal expert.
“Whenever someone expressed interest in marrying me, I would seek God’s guidance.
“In very creative ways, He would say ‘no,’ until He finally said ‘yes’ to Leard.”
She shared her love tips.
“The secret to love is to keep God at the centre of everything.
“You cannot truly love if you do not involve God, who is Love and the very author of love.
“Choose your partner every day and make them your number one priority.
“Compete with each other to bring joy into one another’s lives and see who wins at the end of the day.”
She added:
“Many people do not understand what marriage is truly all about.
“They prepare for the roora day and the wedding day but neglect the essence of marriage itself.
“When challenges arise, they are ill-prepared to invest the necessary effort or to make adjustments, often opting for the easy way out.
“Furthermore, people frequently marry for the wrong reasons, harbouring unrealistic expectations of their partners.
“Disappointments abound, often stemming from selfishness.”
She added that both men and women sometimes deceive each other before marriage.
“Our Shona culture does not encourage honesty, with sayings like, ‘rinonyenga rinohwarara rinozosimudza musoro rawana’ and ‘rume risinganyepi hariroori.’
“Consequently, many individuals face shocking realities in marriage.
“Some African men carry a sense of entitlement, believing that because they pay roora, they possess the right to treat their wives as mere possessions and to cheat.
“Additionally, many financially independent women may overshadow their partners, leaving men unprepared to navigate a relationship with a woman who is not financially dependent on them.
“Ultimately, people have removed God from marriage, despite the fact that He is the very creator of this sacred union, established in the Garden of Eden.”
Advovo Wabantu has been appointed vice-chairperson of the ZIFA Licensing and Appeals Committee.
How Leard was charmed by Advovo Wabantu remains a captivating story of love.
“God literally brought her to me. She was attending a funeral where she was to share a sermon and Breeze Music, the group she sings with, was also set to perform.
“She struggled to find parking and the only available space was directly opposite my house.
“I was walking home from church with a friend when she stepped out of her car just as I reached my gate. The rest, as they say, is history.”
