Cops disarm enraged axe-wielding woman

POLICE in Bulawayo rescued a man who feared for his life at the hands of his wife by confiscating an axe that she was threatening to use on him for wanting out of their marriage.

This came to light at the Bulawayo Civil Court where Faith Ncube was seeking a protection order against her husband Robson Mbasera.

Ncube claimed her husband was verbally and physically harassing her and their children.

"I am applying for a protection order against my husband because he is abusive. He verbally abuses me together with the children. He also physically abuses me and tells our children that he is not their father and that I'm having an affair with a police officer.

"We are currently on separation and whenever he comes to where I am staying and finds a male visitor, he alleges that he is my boyfriend. When he also comes, usually around midnight he enters the house through the window and threatens to kill me saying my mother will collect my corpse at the mortuary," complained Ncube.

She said Mbasera was also in the habit of shouting at her sisters, labelling them prostitutes.

"He tells me that he hates me and my family. He also shouts at my sisters saying they are prostitutes and that is why they are not married. He also annoys me by saying since I'm disabled he wants to marry another wife and start a new life," she said.

In his counter argument, Mbasera refuted all the allegations as fabrications. He said he was the one who was living in perpetual fear after his wife threatened to axe him.

"I am opposed to her application. Firstly, what happened is that where she stays is my workplace. I am a caretaker there. She has two sisters who came to stay with us and their children. That is when we started having a conflict and I left to look for another place.

"In fact, she is the one who is violent she once threatened to axe and stab me with a knife. The axe was taken by the police and is being kept at the Bulawayo Central Police Station. The police even counselled us so that we live amicably and that is when she asked for forgiveness and promised not to do it again," said Mbasera.

Presiding magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu ordered both parties to keep peace by not verbally and physically abusing each other.

Ncube was also ordered not to deny her husband access to the house.