Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A MAN from Mutasa was forced to confess to having an illicit affair with his nephew’s wife after Chief Mutasa’s community court produced incriminating WhatsApp messages that exposed their secret relationship.
The dramatic revelations emerged during a hearing in which Sydney Chagwedera was accused of bedding Ruth Chapinduka, the wife of his nephew, Provide Chikomba.
Before the messages were presented, Chagwedera had fiercely denied the allegations, claiming that Chapinduka and her husband were fabricating the claims in a bid to extort money from him.
However, his defence collapsed after the court produced extracts from WhatsApp conversations exchanged between the pair.
Faced with the evidence, Chagwedera admitted the affair.
“I confess, my Chief, we did it. I cannot deny that I was in a relationship with her and that I loved her,” he said.
Despite admitting the romance, Chagwedera disputed claims by Chapinduka that she had handed him US$1 500 to assist her in leaving her husband.
“What I want this court to understand is that the claim that she gave me money to help her dump her husband is not true. She never gave me the US$1 500 she is claiming,” he said.
He acknowledged that there had been discussions about Chapinduka leaving her marriage, but insisted he never received any money.
Chagwedera further alleged that the couple had been plotting to build a case against him.
“They were planning all of this, but I had someone feeding me information from their circle. I knew they were trying to build a case against me. They made it appear to be a family dispute, yet it was designed to extort money from me,” he claimed.
Nevertheless, he stood by his admission that his feelings for Chapinduka were genuine.
“I am not denying that I was in love with her,” he said.
His confession contradicted an earlier position taken by his wife, who had initially denied that he was romantically involved with Chapinduka.
The matter was brought before Chief Mutasa by Chikomba, who accused Chagwedera, whom he regarded as both an uncle and father figure, of having an affair with his wife.
According to testimonies heard in court, the relationship came to light after Chagwedera’s wife allegedly discovered romantic WhatsApp messages exchanged between the two and confronted Chapinduka.
Earlier in the proceedings, Chapinduka had already confessed to the affair, telling the court that the relationship lasted approximately six months. She claimed the affair began after she promised Chagwedera that she would bear him a son, as he had only fathered daughters.
“I told him that I would bear him a son because he only had daughters. That is how the relationship started. At first we communicated secretly, knowing what we were doing was wrong,” she said.
Chapinduka said their communication later developed into physical encounters.
“We would meet intimately near the toilet and around the banana plantation at my homestead. Those became our secret meeting places,” she told the court.
She further claimed that on several occasions she would leave her husband locked indoors while sneaking out to meet Chagwedera.
“I did this more than once because by then I was deeply involved in the relationship,” she said.
Chapinduka also alleged that Chagwedera once suggested that she give her husband sleeping tablets to make him sleep longer, but she refused because she feared the consequences.
She further accused him of encouraging her to steal money from her husband’s business.
Chapinduka said the affair unravelled after Chagwedera’s wife stumbled upon their WhatsApp conversations.
“His wife saw the messages and heavily assaulted me. I ran away and tried to stop communicating with him, but he continued contacting me. I eventually confessed everything to my husband,” she said.
In his ruling, Chief Mutasa described the affair as a serious taboo under customary law because of the close family relationship between the two.
As punishment, both Chagwedera and Chapinduka were ordered to pay one beast each to Chief Mutasa’s court for committing the taboo.
Chagwedera was further ordered to compensate Chikomba with five cattle for sleeping with his wife, while Chapinduka was ordered to pay two cattle to her mother-in-law for defiling the marriage.
The traditional court gave the pair until December 30, 2026, to settle the compensation.
With each beast valued at approximately US$400, Chagwedera faces a bill of US$3 200, while Chapinduka must pay US$1 200.
Steamy WhatsApp messages sink uncle
