Man beats up wife in child visit fight

Plaxcedes Hove Court Reporter
A Bulawayo man violated a protection order that was granted against him in April and assaulted his wife demanding custody of his child. Shepherd Mativenga, 35, allegedly failed to comply with the terms of the protection order and appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Dube facing contempt of court charges. He was remanded out of custody to today for continuation of trial.

Prosecuting, Keneth Shava said Mativenga assaulted Sakhile Dube, his ex-wife, over their child. “Mativenga assaulted Dube after she refused to let him to see their child. The two are separated but they work together at United Bulawayo Hospitals,” he said.

The state alleged that on August 21 at around 9AM, Mativenga assaulted Dube claiming his child from her. He grabbed her handbag but she managed to escape and ran away to her neighbour’s house.