Brother forces sister to live in bathroom

A Harare woman is living in a bathroom with her two children because her sibling is refusing to share rooms at their late mother's house, the Harare Civil Court heard yesterday.

Makanyara Zimbodza said her brother, Kamurai, was denying her permission to use a room to accommodate herself and her two children.

Makanyara was seeking a protection order against Kamurai whom she said was often verbally abusing her.

"I am not living in peace with my brother at our late mother's house because he is refusing to give me one room and right now I am staying in the bathroom with my two children," she said.

Makanyara said it was her right to get an equal share from the rooms since the house belonged to their late mother.

She told magistrate Ms Babra Masinire that she travels everyday with her children from Kuwadzana to her sister's house in Warren Park for meals since Kamurai was denying them food.

"He and his wife are also in the habit of verbally abusing me in front of my children calling me a devil," she said.

Kamurai said he was not opposed to the application, saying Makanyara was having quarrels with his wife, not him.

"I even tried to give her money to look for accommodation elsewhere after I noticed that she was having quarrels with my wife, but she refused," he said.

"I told her that I am going to evict one of the tenants and give her a room, but she turned a deaf ear and brought me here."

Meanwhile, another woman told the same court yesterday that her husband was in the habit of forcing her to have unprotected sex after spending more than a year at his girlfriend's house.

Rowesai Chingwaru claimed her husband, Dois Chaendeka, often teamed up with his girlfriend to physically abuse her.

Chingwaru revealed this at the Harare Civil Court where she was seeking a protection order against Chaendeka.

"He is in the habit of going to his girlfriend's house where he spends more than a year, only to come back home to demand unprotected sex with me," she said.

"I am not staying at our matrimonial home because my husband teamed up with his girlfriend and chased me out."

Chingwaru told Ms Masinire that Chaendeka was not taking care of their children.

Chaendeka denied the allegations, saying he was not abusing Chingwaru.

"The problem started when I married a second wife, that's when she started acting strangely because she doesn't want my second wife to stay with us at our matrimonial home," he said.

Chaendeka accused Chingwaru of denying him his conjugal rights since 2004.

Ms Masinire deferred the matter to today for ruling.