Online Reporter
Spiwe Sarakunze-Herald Reporter
In a harrowing testimony before Harare Civil Court, Dambudzo Kushesha broke her silence on years of abuse at the hands of her husband, Solomon Gwenzi, finally securing a protection order against him.
Kushesha recounted last week how Gwenzi’s escalating alcoholism turned their home into a nightmare.
“He would come home drunk, shouting insults, pushing me, hitting me, and throwing things,” she told Magistrate Johanna Mukwesha.
The abuse reached a breaking point when Gwenzi began locking her out of their home at night, leaving her to beg helplessly at the door while he mocked her.
“He would laugh and tell me to find somewhere else to sleep,” she said, fighting back tears.
With nowhere to go, Kushesha was forced to seek refuge with neighbours and even strangers.
The violence was not just physical—Gwenzi’s rages also led to the destruction of their household belongings, leaving Kushesha in a constant state of fear. “I tried for years to save our marriage, hoping he would change, but it only got worse,” she said.
In her plea to the court, Kushesha described the psychological toll of the abuse. “I am always afraid of what will happen when he comes home drunk. I fear for my life.”
Her application for a protection order was a final act of survival—a desperate bid to reclaim her safety and dignity.
Magistrate Mukwesha ruled in Kushesha’s favour, issuing the order to restrain Gwenzi from further abuse.
