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Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Correspondent
A BUHERA woman is accusing her husband of causing a mysterious illness that has seen their family members’ tummies swelling.
The family’s eight-year-old son has since succumbed to the ailment.
Wadzanai Mhuka suspects that her husband of nine years, Misheck Marenga, dabbled with black magic which is now terribly backfiring on their family.
She said after the death of the couple’s son, the mysterious ailment attacked her and their two-year-old child. Mhuka revealed the matter before Chief Makumbe of Buhera last week on Friday.
She appeared before the traditional leader with her father, Victor Mhuka.
The two were also demanding five cattle as ‘bridal damage’ from Marenga.
However, Marenga defaulted the court hearing. In narrating her ordeal, Wadzanai said she suspected that Marenga had a hand in their family’s misfortunes as he never hands her money directly.
Instead, she said he puts money under the pillow and leaves for work, only to send her a text message informing her about it.
“He is in the habit of placing US$50 and US$20 notes under the pillow. He does not mention it until he leaves the house. After leaving he then texts or calls to inform me where he would have put the money. Even when I was bedridden due to the swollen tummy, he left US$50 under the pillow and texted me 10 minutes later telling me to use the money for transportation to my parents’ home in Chimanimani to seek treatment.
“I ignored it at first and used the money for something else. He came back a week later and placed US$20 under the pillow. He then sent a text message after leaving. After that I had to leave as my condition was not improving,” she said.
She also said when she was bedridden, Marenga cheated on her with a neighbour, whom he later married.
“When I left for Chimanimani, he quickly married another woman. I only got to know about this from the grapevine and when I came back home, he gave me a cold shoulder,” she said.
Wadzanai claimed that she and her child only got better after her parents intervened.
Wadzanai’s father, Mhuka, described his son-in-law as stubborn.
He said he had to beg Marenga to give Wadzanai a divorce token.
“I had to plead with him to give my daughter a divorce token, but he refused, saying we would use the divorce token to fix him, yet he was the one who caused my daughter’s illness. He reluctantly gave my daughter the divorce token after we took the matter to the village head.
“The man is just stubborn. I doubt he will ever avail himself before this court, hence my plea for you to deal with this matter in his absence,” begged Mhuka. The matter was, however, adjourned to March 25 to allow Marenga to attend the court session.
Online Reporter