Man physically abuse wife for unpleasant body odour

A Zvishavane man was yesterday beginning a nine-month jail term after he was convicted of physically abusing his wife for unpleasant body odour.

Mkhulunyelwa Ndlovu of Makwasha South suburb assaulted his wife Midios Mpofu in the wee hours of March 9 just as they readied themselves for a love-making session claiming that her body odour made sex unpleasant.

Ndlovu was convicted by Zvishavane magistrate, Story Rushambwa on one count of assault.

He was sentenced to an effective nine months in prison.

In his defence, Ndlovu told the court he only advised his wife to bathe.

"I never assaulted her as she claims. The only thing I did was to tell her to bathe and this was never meant to embarrass her. I thought I had the right to do so since I'm her husband," said Ndlovu.

For the state, Talent Tadenyika told the court that on March 9 around 2AM, Ndlovu instructed his wife Mpofu to take off all her clothes and prepare for love-making.

"While the complainant was stripping off her clothes, Ndlovu told her that he saw her bending suggestively to other men when they were at their neighbour's funeral the previous day. He said the complainant was cooking with other women and behaving like a hooker," said Tadenyika.

Tadenyika said Ndlovu went on to lie on top of his wife preparing to engage in sex with her but immediately stopped and started assaulting the complainant with fists all over her body claiming that her private parts were stinking. He said Ndlovu said the pungent smell from her private parts made sex unpleasant.

He said Mpofu stormed out of the house undressed after sustaining injuries on her face as a result of the assault.

Tadenyika said the matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of Ndlovu.