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Hubby hides HIV status for five years

by Dumani Moyo
24 May 2015 at 10:17hrs | Views
A BULAWAYO woman recently got the shock of her life after she discovered that her husband was taking antiretroviral drugs without her knowledge for five years.

This was revealed when Catheline Dube of Emakhandeni dragged her husband, Rangarirai Chirema (35), to court demanding her national identity card and passport. The documents were allegedly hidden by her husband.

She told Bulawayo magistrate, Mr Victor Mpofu, that she made the shocking discovery while she was searching for the missing documents.

She added that she was afraid of getting an HIV test and that she had since moved out of their house and went back to stay with her parents.

"Your Worship, I am asking for the assistance of the court to get my national ID and passport from this man because he is refusing to give them to me. When I was looking for the documents in the house I searched his black trousers that he doesn't wear.

"I then saw a paper from a New Start Centre and his pills. When he came home from work I confronted him and he confessed to me that he had been taking the drugs for five years. Now I no longer trust him and I have since left to stay with my parents," she said.

Dube told the court that Chirema moved in with another woman a few days after she left. She added that Chirema was refusing to give her her personal belongings.

When the magistrate asked Chirema why he was hiding his status, he said he could not tell his wife because she was too talkative, adding that she was giving him stress.

He told the court that when he found out about his status he needed a comforter.

"Your Worship, my CD4 count is now on 76 and I collapsed twice. This woman talks a lot. She has been giving me stress and my doctor asked me to come with her so that he can tell her to get tested. I could not tell her because she talks too much," he said.

Chirema told the court that he did not take Dube's passport, adding that he only had her identity card and birth certificate. He produced the documents and gave them to her.

The magistrate advised Dube to apply for another passport.

"The passport is not known to Chirema therefore you have to apply for another one at the passport office. You will also go and collect all your personal properties from his place of residence," he said.


Source - sundaynews