Online ReporterSpiwe Sarakunze
Herald Reporter
A HARARE woman has applied for a peace order against her husband, accusing him of assaulting and insulting her after she served him with a divorce token.
Shiela Matare told the Harare Civil Court on Tuesday that her husband, Simbarashe Ziwoni, had turned abusive in response to her decision to end their five-year marriage.
“I applied for divorce because I am no longer interested in this marriage,” Ms Matare explained, her voice tinged with frustration.
“When I first told him about it, he refused to accept it, and now he is abusing me.
“I followed the proper process and sent a messenger to hand him the divorce token, but he still won’t respect my decision.”
She alleged that her husband had resorted to using obscene and hurtful language, which only strengthened her resolve to seek protection through the court.
However, in his defence, Ziwoni denied the allegations of abuse and instead claimed the issue stemmed from the way the divorce token was presented to him.
“I did not insult her over this matter,” he argued. “But she needs to handle it the proper way.”
Ziwoni told the court: “I came home drunk and fell asleep.
“When I woke up, there was a 100 bond note in my hand. I was confused and did not understand what was happening.
“That is when my wife informed me that the note was the divorce token she had given me.”
While he admitted feeling hurt, Ziwoni insisted the real issue was the future of their child.
“What pains me most is the wellbeing of our child after this divorce,” he lamented, attempting to shift the focus away from the alleged abuse.
After listening to both sides, the presiding magistrate, Ms Judith Taruvinga, found merit in Ms Matare’s application and granted her the peace order, ordering Ziwoni to refrain from verbally or physically abusing his wife.
