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ANALYSTS, social commentators and marriage counsellors say the explosion of divorce cases in the country is a cause for concern.
They have blamed the splits on moral decay.
The analysts concurred that the breakdown of the extended family system, which used to play an integral part in preserving marriages, was also a factor.
This comes after Bulawayo, alone, recorded 357 divorce applications from January to June this year.
Last year, the High Court in Harare released statistics showing that 1 351 couples had filed for divorce.
On one particular day, in May this year, the High Court in Harare recorded 47 divorce cases.
Musician and ordained preacher, Father Amos Mahendere, said the evolving of the world was contributing to the spike in divorce cases.
“The issue of the rise in divorce cases is a complex issue and what I believe is that the changing in the times that we are living now has contributed to high divorce cases,” he said.
“People have also shifted from the Biblical culture and even our general culture, as a people, right now religion is being presented in different ways and so you find that these things contribute to divorces.”
Mahendere said divorces in the past were there but on a smaller scale.
“For example, you find that nowadays people get a divorce because one doesn’t like the way their partners carry themselves around, or even on the basis that the other partner is now poor.
“Back in the day, it was taboo to just divorce without serious considerations.
“Mazuva ano unotoona na tete vachikurudzira kuti vanhu varambane asi kare kedu taiziva kuti ana tete ndivo vanoyananisa vanhu kana vakanganisirana.”
Mahendere added that people were getting married for the wrong reasons, in the first place.
“I believe that nowadays people are getting married for the wrong reasons.
“Some are getting married because their peers are getting married but don’t actually know what it means to be married.
“Societies and culture have evolved, this has also bought about a rise in divorce cases, you find that there are some advertisements on television, which actually advertise about divorce, back then, this wasn’t the case but now it has been normalised.”
Woman Action Group director, Ednah Masiiwa, attributed the issue in divorce cases to gender based violence (GBV).
“The issue of high divorce cases is quite difficult to give a straight answer but what I think is that, maybe, back in the day, people would divorce but we couldn’t hear much about it because it was done privately,” she said.
“In addition, most people who were married back then, their marriages where not registered so when they got divorced they didn’t go to the courts to do so.
“We are also living in different times where women can now recognise abuse if they are in abusive marriages.
“Kudhara vanhu vaigara vachiti vari kugarira vana vavo, now times have evolved and any sign of violence towards women, make them leave.
“Nowadays, women are empowered so, I think, this has also contributed to many divorce cases.
“Back then, men would do whatever they wanted, like I said, there isn’t one reason as to why divorce cases are on the rise.”
New United Apostolic Faith Church leader, Apostle Stephen Mangwanya, said financial challenges were a major cause of divorce nowadays.
“I think there are two reasons as to why people are getting divorced, the sources of income in the homes are shrinking, and disputes are on the increase,” he said.
“Most family disputes revolve around financial issues, if the couple is hungry, they tend to fight more, after such fights most couples fail to get proper counselling, leading to divorces.”
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter