Online Reporter
Spiwe Sarakunze
Herald Reporter
A Harare woman has taken her alcoholic husband to court for physically and verbally abusing her.
Ms Emma Samedi told the court that problems started when her husband, Mr Wellington Muzambe, started drinking.
“He changed completely. At first, it was just heavy drinking during weekends before he started drinking daily.
“He would come home drunk, shouting, banging doors, breaking windows and insulting everyone, including the children.”
She told the court that Mr Muzambe no longer lived in their home permanently but frequently returns often in the company of equally drunk friends.
These sporadic visits, she said, usually occurr late at night when the children are asleep.
According to her, the group shouts obscenities at the gate, bang on the doors and in some cases, force their way inside.
“One time, he came around 1 am with three friends, and they were all drunk. He broke the kitchen window trying to unlock the door from inside,” she said.
“My eldest son tried to stop him and was slapped so hard he had a nosebleed and my daughter started crying and he told her to shut up or he would burn the house down.”
Ms Samedi said her husband was also in the habit of shouting and telling their children that they were not his and accusing her of infidelity.
“I can’t sleep peacefully; I always panic when I hear a knock at the door. His friends have no respect for my family at all,” she explained.
Ms Samedi also accused her husband of bringing alcohol and even marijuana into the house. On one occasion, she said he and his friends were found smoking inside the sitting room while the children were doing their homework.
“He shouts, swears and has no problem starting fights on the street. We’ve had to call the police several times, but as soon as they are gone, he comes back more angry than before.”
Ms Samedi further stated that, despite multiple attempts to resolve the matter through family elders and counselling at church her husband has not changed.
She said her decision to bring him to court was not to fix him but out of desperation to protect her children and reclaim her life.
“I am not trying to destroy my husband, I just want peace. I want my children to grow up safe. I want to sleep without fearing that someone might break in and attack us.”
In his defence, Mr Muzambe denied the allegations saying they were exaggerations and accused his wife of turning the children against him.
Presiding magistrate Ms Johanna Mukwesha expressed concern over the welfare of the couple’s children and the repeated violent behaviour described in court.
She granted the protection order against Mr Muzambe, barring him from bringing strangers home at odd hours with the intention of causing violence.
