Woman drags rival to court in fight over man

"YOU must deal with your man rather than going about beating up other women!" a magistrate rebuked a Bulawayo woman who assaulted a rival accusing her of stealing her man.

Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Dube heard how on Boxing Day last year, Sanelisiwe Magama, who is the respondent in the matter, spotted Tsungai Doreen Dzamatira, 26, at Glen Lodge in Newton West and confronted her.

Magama reportedly flew into rage and assaulted the applicant for "snatching" her boyfriend.  Dzamatira, who is Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company’s marketing and public relations officer, is being accused by Magama of "stealing" her boyfriend.

In her affidavit, Dzamatira said: "The respondent assaulted me on December 26, 2013 at Glen Lodge and I filed a police report at Donnington Police Station.

"I therefore request the court to issue a protection order barring her from visiting my workplace and house as well as communicating with me."

Dzamatira told the court that she feared her rival would renew attacks on her.

"I want Magama to stay away from me and my fear is that she might contemplate assaulting me again should we happen to meet in town," she said.

Magama drew the ire of the magistrate when she said that she assaulted Dzamatira for falling in love with her boyfriend.

"Your Worship this woman (Dzamatira) stole my boyfriend and that is why I assaulted her to teach her a lesson," charged Magama.

Dube shot back: "You must deal with your man rather than going about beating up other women. Aren’t you ashamed of standing in the dock all because of a man?

"Maybe your boyfriend is still searching, which could be the reason why he proposed love to the applicant who in turn accepted."

In her ruling, Dube granted Dzamatira an interim protection order, which prohibits Magama from physically and verbally abusing the applicant.

The order also forbids Magama from phoning the applicant and visiting her house or workplace.