MP fined for beating wife

Mharadza (34), of Number 7027 Mangwandi Drive, Target Kopje, pleaded guilty to contravening the Domestic Violence Act when he appeared before Masvingo magistrate, Ms Dorothy Mwanyisa.

He had an additional imprisonment term of three months wholly suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.

In his mitigation, Mharadza, who was represented by Mr Johanes Ruvengo, said he committed the offence after missing $5 000 cash and some of his official documents at their house.

For the State, Ms Mukai Mutumhe said on 30 November at around 4:30 pm, Mharadza arrived at his matrimonial home from Chishere Clinic in Chivi where he is staying with an unnamed girlfriend and found his wife Ms Memory Chikava (36), in the bedroom.

The court heard that Ms Chikava was putting back her clothes into the wardrobe since she had been previously sleeping in a separate bedroom.

The court heard that the two were using separate bedrooms following a misunderstanding over Mharadza’s girlfriend.

When she tried to open the bedroom door she was annoyed to find out that her husband had locked the door and there were no keys, the court head.

The court heard that after finding the door locked, Ms Chikava visited her legal advisers, Chuma, Gurajena and Partners, who advised her to hire a locksmith to unlock the door.

She hired the locksmith who unlocked the door and she took her clothes from the spare bedroom into their matrimonial bedroom, the court heard.

Upon arriving at home, on the same day, Mharadza asked what Ms Chikava was doing in the bedroom, which he had locked, citing their differences, the court heard.

The court heard that Mharadza asked where she had got the keys to the bedroom door, to which Ms Chikava responded saying she had come back home for the sake of their two children.

The court heard that the response did not go down well with Mharadza, who assaulted her with fists several times on the back of the head and punched her on the upper part of her left arm.

The court heard that Mharadza assaulted and shoved her out of the house saying he would not allow her do what she wanted to anymore.

The complainant sustained a swollen hand and she felt pain all over her head due to the assault, the court was told.

Ms Chikava then made a report to the police the following day leading to Mharadza’s arrest.