EDITORIAL: MARRIAGE IS UNDER SIEGE

A SURGE in divorce cases being heard at the country’s High Courts is quite shocking.

The once-sacred marriage institution has been shaken to the core.

Yesterday, the High Court in Harare heard, at least, 55 divorce cases.

It casts a sad picture of the marriage institution.

Of the 55 cases, 41 of them on the court roll were instituted by women.

Fourteen of the cases were instituted by men.

This translates into 55 unions where couples are no longer seeing eye-to-eye.

Court records show that 185 cases of divorce have been filed this month alone at the Harare High Court.

The whooping 185 cases of divorce, filed in one month, is quite scary.

At this rate, we could set a record for divorce cases as a capital city before the end of the year.

This is a clear sign that the marriage institution needs to be fixed.

The unwanted record has been fuelled by several factors, ranging from infidelity, domestic violence, financial challenges and emotional abuse.

The High Court in Bulawayo was set to hear 15 divorce cases with the High Court in Masvingo presiding over four cases yesterday.

The challenge that lies ahead now is how to fix this problem as the marriage institution is being put under a stern test.

The situation in Harare is worrisome as it shows that quite a substantial number of the capital city’s residents are not enjoying marital bliss.

Questions will, inevitably, be asked as to whether these feuding couples were ready before they entered the marriage institution.

Infidelity, which is rampant in Harare, should be avoided at all costs since it is a huge factor in the rise in divorce cases.

People should not enter the marriage institution under pressure if they are not yet ready to embrace the reality that they have chosen to be a partner of someone for life.

This comes with responsibility.

You can’t enter into a marriage and start believing that you can still go on with the life you had before this commitment.

If, as a bachelor, you had the tendency to come home very late because you were drinking with your friends, you have to change that.

You have to take into consideration the reality that you now have someone who is waiting for you at home and who needs you.

That responsibility even gets bigger when you are blessed with children.

The fact that more women in Harare are filing for divorce appears to suggest that it’s the men who are doing something which is pushing their partners against the wall and forcing them to believe their lives would be better off without the union.

Divorces are brutal for the kids.

That is why we believe that the best prescription is to ensure that we eliminate discord when it comes to this institution called marriage.

We have to find ways to live happily as couples.

We cannot continue on this trajectory where families are being broken apart.