Councillor embroiled in infidelity controversy

Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
THE Mutasa community court last week descended heavily on three villagers and ordered them to mould 30 000 bricks without compensation as punishment for allegedly defaming their local ward councillor.
The bricks are intended to construct a school in the area.
In his ruling, Chief Mutasa asked the Councillor, Allen Mutume, of Nyanga Rural District Council Ward 16, how he wanted his accusers, Mai Kadzere, Stanley Kuwenyu and Sylvia Nyapanza punished, to which he said each should mould 10 000 bricks for the construction of a school.
The court granted his wish.
This came out when Juliet Nyamhuka, also known as Mai Kadzere (Junior), was dragged to Chief Mutasa’s community court for inscribing the names of four villagers on a red cloth and leaving it at a crossroads.
When questioned about her actions, Nyamhuka revealed that she intended to “soften” the villagers who were accusing her of having a romantic relationship with Mutume.
This prompted the court to adjourn the matter to allow Mutume to respond to the adultery allegations, which added a new twist to the case.
Interestingly, Mutume’s wife, who was cited by the villagers as the source of the allegations, denied ever sharing information about her husband’s alleged infidelity.
Her denials are despite having allegedly coming across steamy love text messages between her husband and Nyamhuka.
For inscribing the names of the villagers on a cloth, Nyamhuka was ordered to pay each villager a goat.
“We want to end gossiping. People who destroy neighbours’ marriages while theirs are blossoming should be named and shamed. We are in the middle of the rainy season, and people must be busy working in the fields, not spreading gossips. They have failed to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Mutume and Nyamhuka were in love,” ruled Chief Mutasa.
Mai Mutume said: “I heard people talking about the issue, and later my uncle called, and repeated the same allegations, but I
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have never come across any love messages in my husband’s mobile phone.”
Mai Kadzere (Senior), whose husband is Nyamhuka’s husband’s brother (Tapiwa Kadzere), told the court that Mutume’s wife had confided in her, claiming she had come across some steamy love messages between her husband and Nyamhuka.
She further stated that Mai Mutume later backed down from pursuing the matter after Mutume threatened to divorce her.
According to her, Mai Mutume was now siding with her husband to save her marriage.
“Mai Ayimani (Mutume’s wife) is the one who spread the rumours,” she said.
“She told me how she fainted and nearly died after discovering explicit love messages in her husband’s phone. She said Nyamhuka would visit her homestead as a friend, teaching her about projects, assisting her with her projects, and they are also members of the Mukando savings group.
“She further told me that while they were in Mutare with her husband, selling their produce, she got hold of her husband’s mobile phone, and came across a message from Nyamhuka to Mutume, which read: ‘I love you Soko’.
“She said some of the messages were extremely explicit and intimate, to the extent that she could not disclose them. She also mentioned that Nyamhuka would assist her in dressing the wounds on Mutume’s father’s head, as Mai Mutume, being a daughter-in-law, could not do so. Additionally, they had purchased a car together in Mutare for US$3 000. I obtained all this information from Mai Mutume. Mai Mutume’s mother-in-law counselled and advised her not to make a fuss over the issue, as her husband would be fined for adultery,” said Mai Kadzere.
“Tapiwa Kadzere also approached me when he heard about the issue and said he was trying to set up a trap to expose the two lovebirds. I told him that Mai Mutume was the source of the information.”
Tapiwa Kadzere told the court that his brother’s wife had shared the allegations with him, claiming that the councillor’s wife was her source.
“She said she had obtained the information from the councillor’s wife,” said Kadzere.
“I was also approached by Mai Mujeyi, who initially professed ignorance over the matter. She later stated that the councillor’s wife had confided in her.”
Mutume denied ever dating Kadzere’s wife, and further argued that the allegations were being fabricated to tarnish his image.
“Everything said by Mai Kadzere are blatant lies,” said Mutume.
“My father never had wounds on his head, and it was my brother who went to Mutare to sell butternuts with my wife. I bought the car for US$2 700, not US$3 000. It is all lies and fabrications.”
Another villager, Stanley Kuwenyu, accused Mai Mutume of being the source of the gossip.
“The person who caused all these rumours is the councillor’s wife. She was the one who was spreading the rumours about the alleged love affair between the two, and the rumours went viral in Ruchera Village. I also heard it from Sylvia,” said Kuwenyu.
Sylvia Nyapanza revealed that Nyamhuka had approached her, seeking a solution from her husband, a traditional healer, after her intimate messages with Mutume were intercepted.
“Juliet Nyamhuka visited my tuck-shop and gave me some perfumes to sell. My husband is a traditional healer. She confided in me that she was emotionally drained after her love messages with the councillor were discovered by his wife.”
Nyapanza continued: “Nyamhuka told me that the councillor’s wife had called her, accusing her of betraying her trust by dating her husband. She claimed that the Mutume family had a meeting to discuss the matter, and had threatened to shun her if she leaked the information to anyone.”
However, Nyamhuka vehemently denied ever dating Mutume.
She attributed Nyapanza’s allegations to a long-standing feud between them, stemming from their mukando group.
Nyamhuka alleged that Nyapanza owed the group money and was attempting to create drama to avoid settling the debt.
“All that Nyapanza said are lies. There is bad blood between us. We are in the same mukando group, where we produce detergents. I joined the group at a later stage, despite her resisting my registration. I was immediately made the group supervisor, much to her chagrin, as she claimed I had some luck charms.
“She was reprimanded by the group members for her gossiping. I went to her house with the group facilitator to follow up on her US$500 debt.
“She defaulted on paying back the money. She then reported back to other group members and threatened to discredit me, claiming I was trying to cover up my alleged illicit affairs.
“She called my husband and told him she had an issue she wanted to share with him. However, she was unaware that he was with me at the time. She is not a good person at all. She is a talkative person, and has even been nicknamed ‘Diamond FM’ because she is so loudmouthed,” said Nyamhuka, leaving the court in stitches.
Nyamhuka’s father, Thomas Nyahwema, defended his daughter, and revealed that the councillor’s inner circle was comprised mainly of women, which might explain the gossiping.