News / Local
Woman uses fake divorce decree to marry lover
30 Jan 2014 at 03:26hrs | Views
A BULAWAYO man was dumped by his wife of 28 years through a fake divorce decree after she reportedly found a German lover in Ireland where she has been based since 2000.
The man, Terry Wellington (66), walked into Southern Eye offices yesterday to narrate his predicament, which he said could also have befallen some unsuspecting people in the country.
Wellington said his wife, Spiwe Ruth Wellington nee Manwa (57), went to Ireland in 2000 and everything was well between them.
He even visited her in June 2002.
He said things went wrong in 2005 when he received a divorce decree from Spiwe purportedly issued by the Harare High Court.
Wellington said the decree indicated that he was the one who had filed for divorce from his wife, which he said was untrue as he had never filed for divorce in any court in the country.
This paper is in possession of the divorce decree which shows that Wellington was the plaintiff and his wife Spiwe the defendant, and that the decree was granted by Justice Ben Hlatshwayo.
However, Wellington distanced himself from the divorce application.
"I never filed any divorce papers against my wife. Even the lawyer identified as Moyo, who is said to have filed the papers on my behalf, is unknown to me," he said.
"This is a scandal going on in our courts and I believe many people have fallen victim to this syndicate which is producing fake divorce decrees. What I later learnt was that my wife took the fake divorce decree so that she marries her Germany lover from Munich whom she met in Ireland."
After being served with the decree, Wellington made a police report.
Police asked the Harare High Court assistant registrar Aynos Mudefi to investigate the authenticity of the decree and it turned out to be bogus.
"I have studied the document and established that the same is not authentic, was forged and did not originate from this office for the following reasons; the case number accorded to this order HC52481/05 is non-existent," wrote Mudefi.
"The honourable Justice Hlatshwayo, who is purported to have issued that order, has never adjudicated over such a matter or on the date mentioned.
"The names of the parties do not appear anywhere in our records.
"The signature appended on the order is not of any authorised signatories of this court," he wrote in response to the police's inquiries.
Mudefi said it was of great concern that there was a proliferation of such cases and the use of what he said appeared to be their office's date stamp.
"In view of the seriousness of this misdeed, would you thoroughly investigate the matter and bring to book any character(s) behind this ominous scheme whose implications would cause substantial prejudice and brings our office into disrepute to the affected parties if it goes unabated." he wrote.
Spiwe has been placed on the police's wanted persons list and would be arrested if she sets foot in the country.
The man, Terry Wellington (66), walked into Southern Eye offices yesterday to narrate his predicament, which he said could also have befallen some unsuspecting people in the country.
Wellington said his wife, Spiwe Ruth Wellington nee Manwa (57), went to Ireland in 2000 and everything was well between them.
He even visited her in June 2002.
He said things went wrong in 2005 when he received a divorce decree from Spiwe purportedly issued by the Harare High Court.
Wellington said the decree indicated that he was the one who had filed for divorce from his wife, which he said was untrue as he had never filed for divorce in any court in the country.
This paper is in possession of the divorce decree which shows that Wellington was the plaintiff and his wife Spiwe the defendant, and that the decree was granted by Justice Ben Hlatshwayo.
However, Wellington distanced himself from the divorce application.
"I never filed any divorce papers against my wife. Even the lawyer identified as Moyo, who is said to have filed the papers on my behalf, is unknown to me," he said.
After being served with the decree, Wellington made a police report.
Police asked the Harare High Court assistant registrar Aynos Mudefi to investigate the authenticity of the decree and it turned out to be bogus.
"I have studied the document and established that the same is not authentic, was forged and did not originate from this office for the following reasons; the case number accorded to this order HC52481/05 is non-existent," wrote Mudefi.
"The honourable Justice Hlatshwayo, who is purported to have issued that order, has never adjudicated over such a matter or on the date mentioned.
"The names of the parties do not appear anywhere in our records.
"The signature appended on the order is not of any authorised signatories of this court," he wrote in response to the police's inquiries.
Mudefi said it was of great concern that there was a proliferation of such cases and the use of what he said appeared to be their office's date stamp.
"In view of the seriousness of this misdeed, would you thoroughly investigate the matter and bring to book any character(s) behind this ominous scheme whose implications would cause substantial prejudice and brings our office into disrepute to the affected parties if it goes unabated." he wrote.
Spiwe has been placed on the police's wanted persons list and would be arrested if she sets foot in the country.
Source - Southern Eye
