Man snatches youthful neighbour’s wife

 

Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter

IN a shocking tale of love, betrayal, and punishment, a Mutasa man’s insatiable appetite for romance landed him in hot water.

After being caught sneaking into his youthful neighbour’s house under the cover of darkness, Patrick Nyandiya was slapped with a hefty fine of four beasts by a traditional court.

The scorned husband, Kenneth Timburwa revealed the sordid details of his wife’s illicit affair with Nyandiya during a dramatic court session at Chief Mutasa’s community court last Saturday.

The truth began to unravel when a lurid text message from Nyandiya popped up on Timburwa’s wife’s phone, exposing the secret tryst that would change their lives forever.

“I started communicating with Nyandiya using my wife’s phone, disguising as her, and invited him to pay a visit as usual. He agreed to come. He arrived at my homestead around 11pm. He texted that he had arrived. That is when I instructed him to open the door and come in. As he got in, I quickly grabbed him, called the village head and reported the matter,” he said.

Timburwa said he reported the matter to Headman Mtwetwa, who ordered the adulterer to pay three beasts as compensation.

However, Timburwa claimed the compensation was never paid, prompting him to escalate the matter to Chief Mutasa’s community court.

“He defiled my matrimonial bed, and I had to throw away all the blankets and sheets because they slept there together. He also broke my marriage because my wife deserted our matrimonial home soon after the incident.

“I tried to talk with her, but her parents stated that she is no longer interested in our relationship. I do not know whether my wife is safe or if she is still dating Nyandiya who could be hiding her somewhere,” he said.

In his defence, Nyandiya denied the affair, claiming he had only gone to his neighbour’s homestead to collect a US$50 debt from his wife.

“When he messaged me pretending to be his wife, I thought she wanted me to collect my money. I gave her US$50 sometime back, and it was long overdue. I was also not at home that night as I was attending a funeral when she texted me. I thought the money was ready for collection,” he argued.

Nyandiya said he never suspected that he was communicating with Timburwa and not his wife.

“Besides, I am somehow related to his wife, there was no way I could have an affair with her. That is the reason I gave her the money knowing that as a relative, she would return my money,” he said.

Nyandiya further claimed he was assaulted during the confrontation and was also sprayed with a harmful substance on his face, causing his eyesight to deteriorate.

“I am losing my eyesight. I want damages, and that is why I did not give him the said three beasts. They teamed up against me with his friends and assaulted me. Besides the issue with my eyes, I sustained injuries all over my body. I had to seek medical assistance because of the degree of the injuries I sustained after the assault,” he said.

Chief Mutasa had no kind words for Nyandiya, whom he dubbed a homewrecker.

“If you had any issues on how the matter was dealt with by the headman, you should have appealed to my court, but you remained quiet, meaning you knew what you did was wrong. Instead, the complainant is the one who brought the issue to this court after you refused to pay the penalty for cheating with his wife. You wrecked a young couple’s marriage, and I do not take that lightly in my area of jurisdiction,” said the chief.

Chief Mutasa increased the fine to four beasts, up from three, setting the end of March as deadline for the payment.

The additional beast was punishment for Nyandiya’s dishonesty in court.

Both men were ordered to bring their wives to court, with Chief Mutasa ruling that Nyandiya’s wife should claim damages from Timburwa’s wife, as both women broke their marriage vows.

“We are a court of equal rights, so Nyandiya’s wife should also claim damages from Timburwa’s wife because she also broke her marriage. They are both at fault because they got into a relationship knowing that they were both married,” he ruled.

The case was adjourned to March 8.