‘Your baby is not yours’

Tendai Gukutikwa
Weekender Reporter
A WOMAN from Mutasa was hauled before Chief Mutasa’s community court after allegedly spreading claims that her nephew was tricked into raising another man’s child, accusations that have reportedly pushed his marriage to breaking point.
Charles Nyamubarwa accused his aunt, Catherine Samanga, of publicly humiliating him and causing turmoil in his home by repeatedly alleging that he was not the biological father of his child.
Nyamubarwa said the allegations were first made during a funeral gathering in June before being repeated in other public settings.
“My aunt stood up during a funeral and shouted that my child belongs to Moses Mangwanda. She said my wife deceived me into believing I was the child’s father. Her brother tried to stop her, but she refused to listen. To this day, she has never apologised,” said Nyamubarwa.
He said what began as a family dispute over land had escalated into a deeply personal matter that had shaken the foundations of his marriage.
“She also called me a thief and a killer. What started as a land dispute has now destroyed my marriage. My wife and I no longer have peace because of these accusations.
“I had never doubted that the child was mine, but after hearing these allegations repeated publicly, I now want to know the truth. I have no problem undergoing DNA tests because I also want to know where she got these claims from,” he said.
Nyamubarwa said several witnesses were prepared to testify about hearing Samanga making the allegations.
Samanga, however, denied ever questioning the child’s paternity and accused her nephew of using the matter to settle scores after losing a land dispute against her.
“He is making all this up because he lost the land case. I never said the child was not his. He is lying. He simply wants money from me. He believes that if he brings this DNA issue before the court, I will be ordered to compensate him.
“He wants me dead and is stage-managing everything,” she said.
But witnesses who appeared before the court painted a different picture.
A neighbour, Margaret Mukatsa said she personally heard Samanga making the allegations.
“She shouted that Nyamubarwa’s wife should take the child to Mangwanda’s home because he was the real father. I was shocked. People were saying she had already made similar accusations during a recent funeral,” said Mukatsa.
Another neighbour, Memory Paunganwa, said emotions boiled over after the allegations were made.
“We had to restrain Nyamubarwa’s wife because she was furious after hearing the accusations. We warned her not to attack the elderly woman because it would only make things worse, but we all heard what was said,” Paunganwa testified.

The court heard that the controversy had severely affected Nyamubarwa’s wife emotionally.
Her sister, Auxilia Dumba, said the family welcomed the court’s decision to seek scientific proof to settle the matter once and for all.
“I am grateful that the chief has ordered DNA tests. Mangwanda is our cousin and we all want the truth. My sister has been under immense stress and even threatened to commit suicide at Mbuya Samanga’s home because of these allegations,” said Dumba.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Chief Mutasa said the matter had moved beyond a simple family disagreement and now required definitive proof to restore harmony.
The traditional leader questioned why Moses Mangwanda, the man alleged to be the child’s biological father, had not been summoned to appear before the court.
Chief Mutasa subsequently ordered that Mangwanda be brought before the court and directed that he, Nyamubarwa and the child undergo DNA testing to conclusively establish paternity.
“Scientific results will help bring certainty to this family and, if the allegations prove false, give the couple an opportunity to rebuild their marriage,” he said.
The chief also warned family members against making further public accusations while the matter remains unresolved, noting that the allegations had already caused significant emotional distress and threatened to permanently divide close relatives.
The matter was adjourned pending Mangwanda’s appearance and arrangements for DNA testing.