Widow demands own bride price

A MARANGE widow dragged her late husband's younger brothers to court accusing them of failing to settle her outstanding bride price after her husband died with outstanding arrears.

Susan Mukuti appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mrs Annia Ndiraya, claiming that her brothers-in law, Agrippa, Pardon and Gift Masaire had misused her late husband's wealth instead of using it to pay up her bride price which her husband had not paid up in full before his death.

Mukuti also alleged that after her husband's death, the younger Masaires threw her out of her matrimonial house and confiscated her beast.

"Because my husband had not finished paying my bride price, these men as the remaining heads of the family should have taken it into their hands and paid up my bride price with their own money and not what my husband left," said Mukuti.

Pardon told the court that he had not confiscated any of his brother's wealth, but had instead swapped the deceased's beast with his own calf and used the calf to pay up Mukuti's outstanding bride price.

"As expected, after my brother died, I used his beast to finish off her lobola so that our children will not be burdened by it later in life.

"I just exchanged it with my own calf and gave her parents the calf as that was the most reasonable thing to do."

Gift and Agrippa agreed with what their brother had said and also dismissed the claims that they had thrown her out of her matrimonial home after her husband's death.

Mukuti would not have it and went on to tell the court that it was her right that she be given the beast as her own and have her in-laws pay another beast to her parents.
"Your Worship, that beast belonged to my husband and I, and it cannot be compared to the calf that they gave to my parents.

"Besides that, they cannot pay my bride price using that beast which they have in their possession. I helped my husband buy it with my money and therefore it should be given to me and not be used as my bride price," she begged the court.

Mrs Ndiraya advised her that as it was her right to have her lobola paid, it was also not her in-laws' right to pay it.

"Madam the fact that your husband died does not mean that his younger brothers have to pay your bride price using their own money.

"Reasonable enough, they used the deceased's beast to pay up and it is not for you to complain. If your parents are not content with the calf as you call it, they know what to do. They should have returned it but it seems they are content with it," said Mrs Ndiraya.

However, a protection order was granted to Mukuti against the three Masaire brothers.