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Mthokozisi Ncube
THEY say what happens behind closed doors often stays hidden — but for a Zimbabwean man based in South Africa, the truth has finally come out.
More Mugwagwa, who recently made headlines accusing his mother-in-law of “kidnapping” his two daughters and taking them to Zimbabwe, has now revealed shocking claims of long-term abuse by his wife.
Mugwagwa, who lives in KwaThema, Gauteng, says he suffered physical, emotional, verbal, and financial abuse for years — often in front of their children — at the hands of his wife, Privilege Ndoro Mugwagwa.
His claims add a dramatic twist to the ongoing dispute in which he is also accusing his mother-in-law, Shelly Munoma Ndoro, of taking his daughters to Zimbabwe without his consent on 23 January 2026.
“My marriage was not what people saw from the outside,” said Mugwagwa. “I was in a verbal, emotional, financial and physical abusive marriage, and I endured it for years without retaliating.”
He said he chose to stay because of his commitment to the marriage.
“I decided to honour what I had said in front of God — that no matter what, I would stand with her. But the abuse had already started, and each incident was different from the other,” he said.
Mugwagwa claims arguments often turned violent.
“Each time we had a dispute, it would end with objects flying in the house. If not, I would be the punching bag. Most of the time, I would just walk away to avoid further damage,” he said.
He alleges some incidents left him injured.
“At one point, she threw hot water at me and my arms were burnt. On another occasion, she hit me with a stainless steel electric kettle,” he said.
He added that many of these incidents happened in front of their children.
“Most of these incidents happened in front of my kids, and they are my witnesses,” he said.
Mugwagwa also claimed his mother-in-law was aware of the situation but failed to stop it.
“I would report to her mother, but nothing helped. It continued for years,” he said.
In another incident, he alleged that his mother-in-law brought family planning tablets from Zimbabwe and gave them to his wife without his knowledge.
“When I discovered the tablets, both my wife and her mother told me they were for sale. But when I contacted the sender, who is a nurse, I was told the pills were for my wife,” he said. “That triggered another violent incident. I questioned her, and the next thing she hit me with a clay cup on the head.”
He said the situation escalated to the point where community members had to intervene.
“I took my kids and went outside. The landlord’s daughter called community members who came and heard everything that had happened,” he said.
Mugwagwa said he later reported the matter to their church pastor.
“The pastor even asked her if I had ever retaliated, and she said no. He then referred her for psychiatric help and counselling,” he said.
According to Mugwagwa, his wife travelled to Zimbabwe in August 2025 to renew her passport but never returned.
“She promised to come back in three weeks, but she didn’t. She blocked me, and I had to rely on communication through her mother,” he said.
He claims communication later became inconsistent until January this year, when his children were taken.
“My mother-in-law came and took my kids without telling me — without my permission, knowledge or consent,” he said.
However, Ndoro dismissed the allegations.
“Have you ever seen a mother kidnap her children? Where did you see such nonsense?” she asked before declining further comment.
Efforts to get a comment from Mugwagwa’s wife were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered and WhatsApp messages were not responded to.
Mugwagwa insists that beyond the dispute over his children, he wants his story of abuse to be heard.
“I kept quiet for years and did not fight back, but the truth is, I was suffering,” he said.
Online Reporter