Man lives in fear of violent wife

A man yesterday told a Harare magistrate that his wife kept stones under the blankets which she used to assault him at night.

Kudzai Murwira said Lydia Nhende also threatened him with an axe whenever she disagreed with him, and that she had intercourse with her lovers on the matrimonial bed.

He said this at the Harare Magistrates' Civil Courts where he wanted a protection order against Nhende, who did not show up for the hearing.

Magistrate Ms Gamuchirai Siwardi granted the protection order in default, barring Nhende from verbally or physically abusing her husband.

She advised Murwira to follow court procedures if he wanted to evict Nhende from their home.

Earlier, he had told the court: "My wife is very violent Your Worship. Last month I was admitted in hospital after she bit me on the chest and right hand during a domestic dispute.

"She doesn't respect me as her husband as she always verbally and physically abuses me for no reason."
Murwira said he had been chased away from their matrimonial home before.

Meanwhile, a Harare woman yesterday told the same court that her husband has sex with his first wife in front of their children.

Snencia Kachaka claimed her husband Simon Chinyoka once chased her out of their house with a knife after she refused to abort her pregnancy.

This emerged at the Harare Civil Court where Kachaka was seeking a protection order against Chinyoka.

"He physically and verbally abuses me for no reason. This all started after he asked me to terminate my pregnancy which I refused," said Kachaka, who is seeking a protection order against Chinyoka.

Kachaka said she once reported Chinyoka to the police after he had threatened her with a knife when she refused to terminate her pregnancy.

"He is a shameless man who goes to the extent of having sexual intercourse with his first wife in front of the children. He teams up with his first wife to deny me access to food in the house. As I speak, I had to come to court on an empty stomach," she said.

Chinyoka refuted all the allegations by Kachaka as fabrications.

"She is the one who is verbally and physically abusing me. I caught her with a boyfriend today before we came here to court and she attacked me and tore off my shirt," he said.

Chinyoka said he was unable to live with Kachaka because of her violent character.

Magistrate Ms Gamuchirai Siwardi deferred the matter to today and ordered Kachaka to bring a police report as evidence.