Man begs magistrate to help him divorce his wife

A 65-YEAR-OLD man who last week appeared in court seeking a protection order against his abusive wife who had forcibly grabbed his privates, knelt before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Evelyn Mashavakure and begged her to help him divorce his wife because she had denied him his conjugal rights for the past eight years.

Augustine Mlotshwa told the court that his wife, Virginia Ncube, had eroded his dignity and pleaded with the magistrate to help him regain his dignity by granting him divorce papers.

"Your Worship, I no longer want anything to do with this woman. I don't want to be with her anymore. Can you kindly accept my request so that I can live peacefully," he said while kneeling.

Virginia Ncube cried uncontrollably and asked the magistrate to order her husband to come home so that they could resolve their issues.

"I am prepared to talk to him but the problem is that he is no longer coming home. At the moment he is staying with a small house and this is the reason why I went to his workplace. We are legally married but he no longer wears the ring on his finger," she said, with tears flowing down her cheeks.

The incident brought the court to a standstill and left Ms Mashavakure watching the mini-drama. The magistrate ordered the couple to solve their differences peacefully, and not by verbally and physically abusing each other. She also ordered them to go for counselling so that they could solve their issues.

Last week, Ms Mashavakure ordered Mlotshwa to bring witnesses to prove the allegations which he had raised against his wife.

The witness told the court that Ncube came to her husband's workplace and insulted him before engaging in a squabble.

As the quarrel continued, the wife forcibly grabbed her husband's private parts before pushing him against a wall.

Two of Mlotshwa's workmates intervened but Ncube turned on them by splashing chilli in their eyes.