Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A LATE-LIFE pregnancy that ended in miscarriage has left a Nyanga couple’s marriage on the brink of collapse, with the husband furiously accusing his wife of making decisions without his consent.
The couple appeared before Chief Mutasa’s community court last Saturday, where 49-year-old Norah Mwaturura admitted her pregnancy had been risky and “a mistake.”
She told the court her husband, Peter Chimunda (50), refused to accept the situation, worsening the psychological trauma that led to her miscarriage.
Chimunda dragged his wife to court, accusing her of bringing charms and traditional medicine into their home without his approval.
Mwaturura defended herself, saying the herbs were meant to cleanse her womb after the miscarriage.
Chimunda recounted how his wife was first treated at Nyanga District Hospital, before being referred to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, amid fears she might have cancer — tests later ruled this out.
But tensions escalated when Mwaturura failed to return home immediately after her discharge.
“She spent a night at a relative’s place in Mutare. The next day, instead of coming home, she phoned me saying she had gone to Honde Valley to visit her parents because she was still not feeling well,” said Chimunda.
When she eventually returned a week later, she carried herbs and items allegedly prescribed by a traditional healer.
“She told me the medicine would cleanse her womb. I did not agree because I don’t believe in those practices. I threw the items away,” he said, adding that his decision sparked a storm with his in-laws.
“My wife’s mother phoned asking why I had done that. Later her father also called, demanding US$100 they claimed to have paid the healer,” Chimunda told the court, saying he felt disrespected and sidelined.
Mwaturura, however, painted a different picture.
She argued the real issue was not charms, but her husband’s refusal to support her during a frightening pregnancy and miscarriage.
“I was not using family planning tablets when I unexpectedly became pregnant. I started feeling unwell and asked my husband for money to go to hospital. When I told him that I was pregnant, he was angry, and said the pregnancy could not be his because we are now old,” she said.
Mwaturura said the pregnancy became complicated at four months when she bled profusely.
“I bled every day for three months. I was in pain and worried, but he did not help me. He said it was my pregnancy and not his responsibility,” she said, revealing that she later learnt that the pregnancy had not developed normally.
“At that point I feared for my life. I thought maybe it was cancer because there was talk of further tests. My mother took me to a traditional healer while we waited for the results,” she said, dismissing claims that she had brought dangerous charms into the family home without her husband’s consent.
“The items he is talking about were herbs, eggs and some household things I had requested from my mother. There was nothing sinister about them,” said Mwaturura, further alleging that their marriage had been on the rocks for years.
“For the past three years, things have not been well. There has been abuse and unfaithfulness,” she said.
Health experts warn that pregnancies in the late 40s carry heightened risks, including miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, chromosomal abnormalities and stillbirth, often requiring close specialist monitoring to safeguard both mother and baby.
However, despite the bitterness aired in court, both husband and wife admitted they still loved each other when asked by Chief Mutasa.
Chief Mutasa questioned why a couple, who still cared for each other, kept dragging their private affairs before the courts.
“You are old enough to know that marriage requires patience, communication and respect. Instead of solving issues at home, you are turning every disagreement into a public battle,” said Chief Mutasa, adding that the dispute reflected a deeper problem of mistrust and poor communication rather than the herbs.
“The real issue here is not eggs, herbs or charms. It is that you no longer trust each other,” he said.
Chief Mutasa directed the couple to reconcile through family channels.
He also ruled that the disputed traditional items be returned to Mwaturura so that she could dispose them properly.
