Shameless brother wrecks marriage

Lovemore Kadzura
Weekender Reporter
A COMMUNITY court came down heavily on a man accused of having an affair with his younger brother’s wife, ordering him to compensate with five cattle.
The court described the offence as grave, warning that such conduct could permanently damage relations within a clan.
The case was heard at Chief Makoni’s community court, where Obey Munyaradzi Mawanga accused his elder brother, Daniel Farai Mawanga, of secretly dating his wife, Precious.
Obey presented WhatsApp screenshots, allegedly forwarded to him by another brother, Gorden Mawanga, as evidence.
He initially demanded compensation of ten cattle. Obey told the court that the alleged affair began while he was still in Zimbabwe, though he lacked proof at the time.
He claimed the relationship continued after he left for South Africa in 2024.
“I was suspicious of my brother and wife’s movements, and rumours were circulating about their secret affair. At first, I had no evidence. But when I returned from South Africa, I discovered love messages on my wife’s phone. They even discussed who our baby resembled. My wife asked Daniel to delete the messages after reading, but I managed to see some, including audio recordings,” said Obey.
He added: “I want Daniel to compensate me with 10 cattle. I am also surrendering my wife to him. After all, we are Mawangas — Precious will move from being my wife to amaiguru. I am divorcing her today. She has even threatened to commit suicide if I leave her.”
Daniel, however, strongly denied the allegations.
“It is not true. It never happened. I have nothing to do with those messages,” he told the court.
Precious denied the allegations, insisting she had never been involved with her husband’s brother and was unaware of any incriminating messages.
“I never dated Daniel. Obey left for South Africa in 2024 when I was five months pregnant. He only returned this year, and I was staying alone. I do not know about the chats he claims to have,” she told the court curtly.
However, when the alleged conversations were read out, they revealed Daniel telling Precious that he missed her.
In one exchange, Precious asked Daniel whether she was still considered married since his wife had been away for a year.
She also urged him to delete the messages, warning that Obey was becoming suspicious, and suggested that their neighbour. Brian might have exposed them.
When the messages and audio recordings were played in court, Precious shifted her position, claiming she last stayed with Obey in June 2024.
She argued that her husband never accessed her phone and alleged that the messages had been forwarded to him by “enemies.”
“We are no longer staying together. He left for South Africa in June 2024. When he returned, he never touched my phone. He only got the messages from vanhu vakandimaka. We are not divorced,” she said.
Obey’s younger brother, Gorden, testified that he was the one who accessed Precious’ phone and forwarded the messages and audio clips to Obey.
He said he acted after Brian alerted him that Daniel’s car was frequently seen at Obey’s homestead.
Daniel challenged the admissibility of the evidence.
After deliberations, the court found Daniel guilty of adultery.
Chief Makoni condemned him as a “shameless brother” who had destroyed his younger brother’s marriage instead of protecting it.
“Daniel and Precious are hiding behind their fingers. Precious admitted the messages were hers, and Obey’s brother confirmed forwarding them. Daniel cannot dispute how the evidence was obtained—it was meant to expose an illicit affair. The two even asked each other who the baby resembled. Why would they do so if they were not intimate? Daniel committed a serious offence by being in love with his younger brother’s wife. His actions are dangerous given the nature of their relationship. His moral blameworthiness is very high, and he showed no remorse,” ruled Chief Makoni.
Daniel was fined five cattle and ordered to pay Obey US$124 in lawsuit costs.
The court emphasized that it was not its duty to facilitate divorce, noting that Obey could still remain with Precious.
Chief Makoni added that Obey’s prolonged stay in South Africa had left his wife vulnerable to temptation.
Daniel requested a month to settle the fine.