Mzilikazi DA dragged to court for assault

Raymond Jaravaza
BEING illiterate has proven to be a curse for a Bulawayo woman as her husband, a local Government official, is allegedly in the habit of beating her up for being uneducated.

Matthew Nkiwane, the district administrator (DA) for Mzilikazi, is accused of being a wife beater by his wife Thandi Ncube.

She alleged that whenever he beat her up, their two minor children would get a beating too for crying.

This was heard at the Bulawayo magistratesa�� court where Ncube sought a protection order, case number 172 /17.

The couple was customarily married in 2000 and lives in Cowdray Park suburb.

a�?Respondent has been physically abusive since we got married. He hits me with open hands and clenched fists. He also pushes and shoves me around and calls me ignorant, uneducated and poor,a�? said Ncube.

The wife also alleges that Nkiwane did not want her to get a job.

a�?He does not want me to get a job to sustain our family. He even went to the police to try and get them to stop me from accepting a job that I had been offered,a�? she said.

At one time the wife claimed Nkiwane struck her with a burning log that he pulled out of a fire.

In his defence Nkiwane disputed that he was in the habit of beating up his wife.

a�?I deny that I assault her, we do argue but I have never beaten her up,a�? said Nkiwane.

On denying his wife a chance to work Nkiwane said he only asked her to take the children with her for an out of town job she had been offered.

a�?I have never denied her a chance to work, at one time she was offered a job in Lupane and I asked her to go with the children as it was difficult for me to remain with them in Bulawayo,a�? he said.

Magistrate Sheunesu Matova ordered Nkiwane not to assault his wife, to keep their peace and referred them for counselling.

But the first counselling session was not successful, at least according to Nkiwane.

a�?My wifea��s attitude at the counselling session did not help matters as she refused to talk to the counsellor,a�? he claimed.

a�?I was the first to apply for a peace order against her under case number 169/ 17 but her application was heard first in court,a�? he added.