'Sex slave' wins court protection

A woman yesterday told the Harare Civil Court that she is suffering from severe back pains from sexual abuse by her husband who claims that he must always have sex with her because she is his property since he paid lobola.

Petronella Nyariri said Andrew Kembo was in the habit of physically abusing her whenever she refused to be intimate with him.

Nyariri was seeking a protection order against Kembo whom she said was also in the habit of physically and verbally abusing her over conjugal rights.

"I am being sexually abused by this man everyday and I am now suffering from back pains," she said.

"He claims that he bought me, therefore, he has the rights to be intimate with me anytime he deems necessary."

Nyariri told magistrate Ms Audrey Tarugarira that the sexual abuse was continuous.

"He is very abusive and doesn't even allow me to switch on the television or to speak with males," she said.

"He is not taking care of the family and can't even give me R1 to buy vegetables, but he expects me to give him something to eat at the end of the day."

Kembo denied the allegations levelled against him by Nyariri and accused her of faking illness whenever he wanted to be intimate.

"She is lying. We are having continuous problems at home because every time I want to be intimate with her she starts complaining about having back problems," he said.

Kembo claimed that he sometimes goes for more than three weeks without enjoying his conjugal rights.

"I always ask for my conjugal rights because I am a married man, therefore, I can't be seen sleeping around with prostitutes when I have a wife at home," he said.

Ms Tarugarira granted the protection order in Nyariri's favour which barred Kembo from sexually, physically or verbally abusing her.

She told Kembo that marrying someone did not entitle him to abuse them.