Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
A CHEEKY Makoni villager took advantage of his neighbour’s prolonged absence from his homestead, toiling for his family in Harare, to secretly date his wife until she fell pregnant, and gave birth to a baby girl.
This emerged during a hearing at Chief Makoni’s community court, where Adam Majapura had dragged his former wife, Alice and her aunt, Grace Ngirazi to officially hand them a divorce token, and seeking assistance to evict the disgraced wife from his homestead.
Majapura, of Chiendambuya Village, told the court that his neighbour and friend, only identified as Mawanhu, had fathered the baby girl with his wife.
He said he came to know of the illicit affair when Mawanhu’s wife (Mai Polite), informed him that Alice was carrying Mawanhu’s pregnancy, which he was taking care of, including buying her preparations and goodies, which included a broiler chicken.
The adultery was heard by Headman Chiendambuya’s court, which convicted Mawanhu, and ordered him to compensate Majapura with a beast, and has already made part payment of US$100.
“On May 14, 2022, I requested my wife’s best friend, Mai Polite, to lend her US$40, and she gave her the money. On May 16, 2022, around 11pm, Mai Polite called, complaining that my wife had destroyed her marriage. She told me that my wife had gone with her husband to Rusape to buy some goodies. She further revealed that earlier in the day, she had visited our homestead, demanding that my wife give her the goodies bought by her husband and the US$40.
“She further informed me that my wife later sent our child with the goods and the money. I questioned my wife about the issue, and she claimed that she got the goods from her aunt, Grace Ngirazi. I immediately called Ngirazi, who claimed that she was the one who bought a leather bag (monarch) and a plastic bucket, however, she did not say anything about what was inside the bag and bucket. She also did not mention the broiler chicken, which was brought by my wife home.
“I called back Mai Polite, who said she was with her husband, who had admitted buying the goods for my wife, and was begging for her forgiveness. She also informed me that when she was busy discussing the issue with her husband, my wife called him. I called Ngirazi, informing her that Mawanhu had admitted buying my wife the goods, and she confessed that she had lied to me. She went on to say Alice ‘akundipinza muchihure chandisingaziwe, ingomuramba umudzose kumba’. (Alice is dragging me into her illicit affairs, just divorce and return her home). Mai Polite later engaged me and requested that we resolve the matter amicably. She said if her husband was to be ordered to pay me compensation for adultery, it was her cattle that would be attached, claiming she was the one who bought them from her tobacco proceeds. I later reported the matter to Headman Chiendambuya, and Mawanhu was ordered to compensate me with a beast for dating and siring a baby with my wife. This happened when she gave birth.
“After the court, I divorced and gave her a divorce token, but my in-laws refused to accept her, saying I should pay the full bride price first. I raised some money and informed her that I should accompany her to Nyazura, where her relatives are, but she refused to leave my homestead, claiming that our children are still minors.
I want the court to assist me in evicting her from my homestead, since we are now divorced. I am also doubting the paternity of the third child. I am convinced that I am not the child’s father,” Majapura told the court.
Alice denied ever dating Mawanhu, but told the court that Majapura had once left her for six months without supporting her and the children.
“This case was resolved by Headman Chiendambuya, and Mawanhu was ordered to pay a beast as a fine. When I fell pregnant with our third child, my husband was not taking care of me. He did not buy the preparations. 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 for shopping in Rusape. My husband dumped me and went to Harare, leaving me struggling with the family,” Alice told the court.
Following lengthy deliberations, the court directed that paternity tests be conducted to determine the truth.
The court adjourned for a month, and when it resumed, the results showed that Majapura was not the father of the child.
“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,” said Chief Makoni.
Majapura broke down, and sweated profusely when the results were presented in court, revealing that he suspected foul play the moment Alice told him that she was pregnant.
“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, and when she told me that she was pregnant, I asked her who the father was. I saw that as a trap, and I marked the dates. My late father also used to advise me to make unannounced visits at my homestead.
“When Mai Polite repossessed goods bought by Mawanhu for my wife, he went on to steal them and hid them in the bush. I also heard that Mawanhu told other people the exact date that Alice was going to 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.
Asked by the court to name the father of the child, Alice stuck to her ground and insisted that Majapura was the one.
Her relatives also demanded that Majapura pay bride price.
“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 would give me very few things,” she said.
The court ruled that, under the circumstances, Majapura could not be made to pay any bride price or damages.
The court ruled that 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 advised Alice to apply for maintenance for the two children, whose paternity Majapura was not doubting.
