Chief Makoni recently overturned the ruling by a headman’s court that had found a villager guilty of having an affair with his neighbour’s wife.
The complainant, Taurai Nyamukachi, claimed that his children informed him that their mother was having an illicit affair with a neighbour, Arthur Mugoti.
Nyamukachi of Maparura Village approached Chief Makoni’s court after Mugoti allegedly reneged on his pledge to compensate him for having an affair with his wife when the matter was brought before Headman Maparura’s court.
According to The Manica Post, Nyamukachi told Chief Makoni’s court that his children and other villagers tipped him off about the alleged affair between Mugoti and his wife, which led to their divorce. He said:
Whenever I was away from home, Mugoti would visit my homestead. He would take my wife away and bring her back in the evening.
I was informed of this development by my own children who were fed up with their mother’s unbecoming behaviour.
Fellow villagers whom I had contracted to sink a well at my homestead also informed me of Mugoti’s frequent visits to my homestead during my absence.
At one time Mugoti came during the evening when I was around and my wife rushed to the door to inform him of my presence. My son who is doing Form Four saw him.
My son and his sibling informed me that their mother and Mugoti were seeing each other.
I reported the matter to Headman Maparura’s court. Mugoti pleaded guilty before the court and was fined a beast and three goats but he is now refusing to pay the fine.
Before the matter appeared at the village court, my mother-in-law gave me a divorce token and took her daughter away.
We are divorced now. I want Mugoti to compensate me with eight cattle for ruining my marriage.
However, Mugoti denied the allegations, saying he only visited Nyamukachi’s homestead to buy tomatoes and was never in a relationship with his wife. Said Mugoti:
I visited Nyamukachi’s homestead twice to buy tomatoes. He later called me to his homestead and confronted me about dating his wife and I denied that.
He took the matter to the headman’s court, but he failed to provide evidence of my alleged affair with his wife.
He later shifted goalposts and said I should pay him for setting foot on his homestead. I was fined a beast and two goats and I am disputing the ruling.
In its ruling, Chief Makoni’s court cleared Mugoti of any wrongdoing, saying Nyamukachi had failed to provide evidence to prove the alleged illicit relationship between Mugoti and his ex-wife.
The court quashed the headman’s ruling and said visiting someone’s homestead does not constitute cheating, adding “One cannot be fined for visiting a neighbour’s homestead”.
More: Pindula News