News / National
Cheating wife compensate hubby with niece (10)
04 Sep 2013 at 17:41hrs | Views
A Chivi woman gave her husband her 10-year-old niece to save her marriage after she was caught pants down with another man in her village.
Susan Zanga, 42, and her husband, Agrippa Batirai, 47, of Chief Gororo near Ngundu in Chivi, appeared before Masvingo magistrate Judith Ziya facing charges of child abuse and rape respectively. Zanga told the court that she only gave her husband the niece as payment for her infidelity but warned him against being intimate with her before she reaches the legal age.
The husband is however, facing several counts of rape after he raped the orphan since she was in Grade Four in 2008. Prosecutor Sophia Busvumani told the court that sometime in 2008, Zanga gave her late brother's daughter to her husband as a second wife after she was caught red-handed being intimate with another man.
The court further heard the arrangement was made after a traditional meeting by the couple's relatives was convened to resolve Zanga's case of infidelity.
During the meeting, she apologised for doing wrong to her husband and subsequently offered the girl as compensation. This came to light last year when the girl was in and locals gave police a tip-off about the abuse. The court also heard before the police discovered the crime, the girl had reported the case to her aunt who lived nearby but she dismissed her and accused her of trying to create stories to avoid going to school.
However, sometime last year, a police sergeant Sophia Munhundiripo tracked the girl to school and questioned her but she did not cooperate. Police officers however, tasked the girl's teacher to do counselling and child abuse lessons for her class, causing the girl to open up to her teacher.
The teacher alerted Sergeant Munhundiripo, leading to the arrest of the couple.
The wife, however, conceded during the beginning of trial on Monday but said she ordered the husband to wait for her green light when the girl reached the appropriate age.
The husband is pleading not guilty arguing that he had been given the girl as her wife traditionally by her cheating aunt.
The trial has been adjourned and will commence next week.
Susan Zanga, 42, and her husband, Agrippa Batirai, 47, of Chief Gororo near Ngundu in Chivi, appeared before Masvingo magistrate Judith Ziya facing charges of child abuse and rape respectively. Zanga told the court that she only gave her husband the niece as payment for her infidelity but warned him against being intimate with her before she reaches the legal age.
The husband is however, facing several counts of rape after he raped the orphan since she was in Grade Four in 2008. Prosecutor Sophia Busvumani told the court that sometime in 2008, Zanga gave her late brother's daughter to her husband as a second wife after she was caught red-handed being intimate with another man.
The court further heard the arrangement was made after a traditional meeting by the couple's relatives was convened to resolve Zanga's case of infidelity.
During the meeting, she apologised for doing wrong to her husband and subsequently offered the girl as compensation. This came to light last year when the girl was in and locals gave police a tip-off about the abuse. The court also heard before the police discovered the crime, the girl had reported the case to her aunt who lived nearby but she dismissed her and accused her of trying to create stories to avoid going to school.
The teacher alerted Sergeant Munhundiripo, leading to the arrest of the couple.
The wife, however, conceded during the beginning of trial on Monday but said she ordered the husband to wait for her green light when the girl reached the appropriate age.
The husband is pleading not guilty arguing that he had been given the girl as her wife traditionally by her cheating aunt.
The trial has been adjourned and will commence next week.
Source - daily news
