Online Reporter
Spiwe Sarakunze
Herald Reporter
HARARE Civil Court magistrate Ms Meenal Narotam has granted a protection order against a man who is in the habit of accusing his wife of witchcraft and damaging her property.
Ms Theresa Dyarare revealed that her husband, Lovemore Mataga, constantly assaults her using knives and a metal rod, accusing her of bewitching him.
“He told me that l use juju to bewitch him and that l am behind all his suffering,” Ms Dyarare said.
She testified that her husband is constantly telling her to return to her parents’ home.
Ms Dyarare claimed that Mataga assaulted her alleging she was the one causing all the calamities that have been happening in his family.
She explained that even his family supported him and now she does not have peace at their house.
Ms Dyarare said that Mataga had threatened to kill her and told their neighbours that she was a witch.
She said her husband also threw her clothes outside the house while shouting that he would not stay with a witch who is into prostitution.
“He started calling me a witch after he started to date another woman. He was planning to divorce me and destroy my life at the same time,” she said.
Besides physical abuse, Ms Dyarare accused Mataga of damaging her property including kitchen utensils and breaking house windows.
Ms Dyarare pleaded with the court to stop her husband from assaulting her using harmful weapons and to respect her.
Mataga denied all the allegations levelled against him and instead accused his wife of being the one who insulted his parents.
“I am not a violent man, she should stop fabricating lies about me and live her life,” he said.
After considering the testimonies from the two parties, the court granted the protection order in favour of Ms Dyarare and warned Mataga to refrain from physically abusing and destroying his wife’s property.
Peter Tanyanyiwa