Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
A CHEEKY Makoni villager was last year caught red-handed in bed with his friend’s second wife, barely weeks after being warned against proposing love to the first wife.
This came out during a hearing at Chief Makoni’s community court last Friday, where Titus Mulangani had yanked his friend, Evidence Muzungu, accusing him of dating his second wife, Definite.
Mulangani told the court that he got the shock of his life when he returned home from Harare, and found Muzungu being intimate with Definite in his own bedroom.
He sought compensation of five beasts.
“Muzungu had a habit of calling and texting my first wife, Patience. In November last year, Patience showed me evidence of his calls and text messages. Muzungu is my best friend. I reported him to the village’s committee of seven, but he denied the allegations, and threatened me with unspecified action. The matter was referred to the village head, who warned him about his behaviour.
“I subsequently moved Patience to Chitungwiza to prevent Muzungu from accessing her. However, Muzungu began visiting my homestead in my absence, and my second wife, Definite, informed me of his frequent visits. On December 26, 2024, I left for Harare, and returned unannounced on the 28th. Upon arriving at my homestead, I found it locked from the inside and heard male and female voices. I pipped through the window and found Muzungu and Definite being intimate. I rushed to inform my neighbour, Kudakwashe, who also pipped through the window, and saw Muzungu and my wife inside.
“We alerted other villagers, including Muzungu’s wife, and they broke down the door, finding Muzungu and my wife inside.
“Muzungu pleaded for forgiveness, and begged the villagers not to assault him. He offered to compensate me with two beasts. The villagers provided him with a towel to wrap himself, and he was accompanied to his kraal to collect the beasts. He then brought the beasts to my homestead, and begged me to return his clothes, but I refused.
“Several villagers, who were present, signed as witnesses to confirm that Muzungu had voluntarily given me the beasts. However, while they were signing, Muzungu slipped away. The village head advised me not to accept the beasts, and I returned them. The village head then advised me to take the matter to this court,” said Mulangani, producing Muzungu’s clothes in court as an exhibit.
Muzungu denied having an intimate relationship with Definite, and claimed that she and Mulangani had set him up.
He further claimed that he had visited Mulangani’s home that night to repair a damaged door.
According to him, Definite had locked him inside, before Mulangani and the villagers confronted him.
“On December 28, 2024, Definite saw me passing by her homestead, and asked me to repair her malfunctioning door. I was with my wife at the time. I returned to Mulangani’s homestead around 6.30pm to repair the door. Mulangani was not in Harare, but at Kudakwashe’s homestead. After completing the repairs, to my surprise, Definite refused to let me leave and blocked my way. As I argued with Definite, Mulangani and his friends were outside. They entered the house, ordered me to sit on the sofa, and Mulangani threatened to kill me with an axe.
“They forcibly undressed me. It was a premeditated act. The village head forced me to give him the two beasts that night. The following morning, Mulangani approached me, and said he now wanted a bag of fertiliser only to settle the matter. The village head was also present, and claimed he was drunk the previous night, asking what had really transpired.
“As someone who values peace, I offered Mulangani a small beast, which I had sourced from someone. However, he refused to accept it, saying he wanted a beast that I owned. I made two separate offers, which he declined. My intention was to maintain peace, given our friendship,” said Muzungu, leaving the court in stitches.
Definite, who has a suckling baby, implicated Muzungu, admitting to having an intimate relationship with him. She claimed it was their first encounter.
“Muzungu had been visiting my home for three days, but I ignored him. One day, he proposed to me, and I accepted. We dated for a week, and when my husband went to Harare, Muzungu came to my home around 6.30pm, saying he would leave by midnight.
“This was when we had sex. He removed all his clothes, while I only removed my pants, as I wanted to feed my baby. We were caught while being intimate,” said Definite.
Kudakwashe also confirmed in court that he saw Muzungu and Definite being intimate in Mulangani’s bedroom.
Muzungu’s wife, Mary Bhero, attempted to defend her husband, claiming that he had been set up by Mulangani and Definite.
“Definite asked my husband to repair her door, and I was present when she made the request. I reminded my husband to go and repair the door, as Definite was using a window to enter and leave the house. I was surprised when I was called to Mulangani’s homestead, where I found my husband naked, wearing only boxer shorts. My husband was set up — he never slept with Definite,” said Mary.
The court found Muzungu guilty of sleeping with a married woman, and also found out that Mary was only supporting her husband to safeguard their property.
“Muzungu was caught red-handed having intercourse with Definite. He is just denying, but has no evidence to support his claim. Twice he offered to compensate Mulangani. Why would he pay compensation for something he did not do? Muzungu is ordered to pay Mulangani a beast and further fined three goats. He will meet Mulangani’s cost of the lawsuit, which is US$90, and all must be paid on or before May 30, 2025,” ruled the court.
Online Reporter