Man (74) gets third wife as punishment to first wife for dragging him to court

"AS punishment for dragging me to court, I am going to take a third wife," boasted a 72-year-old father of 14.

People at the Mutare Civil Courts were left in stitches due to Lazarus Teedzai (72)'s ignorance of the maintenance law when he declared in court that he would marry a third wife as revenge to his second wife, Ziripa Mutambirwa's decision to drag him to court applying for maintenance.

Mutambirwa approached the courts applying for $200 from her polygamous hubby of 23 years.

She claimed that her hubby was in the habit of giving her $5 for her monthly upkeep.

"Your worship, my husband has a lot of property and he can afford to give me $200 for my own maintenance. He has a plot near Africa University and there are 30 tenants there, each paying $15 per month. He also has a house in Dangamvura in Area 13 with two lodgers, each paying $35 and another one in Zimunya. He also have a sawmill which he leases to three people, each paying $150 per month," said Mutambirwa.

Responding to the allegations, Teedzai did not dispute any ownership of the property stated by Mutambirwa, but said that he was not in a position to pay anything because his wife was a cross-border trader and was financially sound.

He also argued that she was lazy as she was not helping him at the farm.

"Your worship, how can my own wife drag me to court? I take care of her. At the farm, I harvested 19 bags of maize and I told her to come and collect some, but she does not want to. I don't know what else she wants from me. As a punishment for dragging me to court, I want to get a third wife who is young and understanding. I am going to evict the tenants in Dangamvura so that I can stay with my third wife there. If the tenants are gone, I don't know which source of income she will claim maintenance from," boasted Teedzai.

"I was still debating within myself on the notion of getting a third wife, but my second wife has just paved the way for me by dragging me to this court. I will have to start searching because I can't live with someone who wants to kill me with stress as regarding to where I will get the maintenance money," he added.

Mutambirwa told the court that all the five children he fathered with Teedzai were grown ups, but they were not working. She also told the court that she was struggling to make ends-meet because she does not have any source of income.

"I stay in the house in Dangamvura with the two tenants, but Teedzai doesn't allow me to get any cent from the lodgers. Even if I collect the rent on his behalf, he shouts and embarrasses me in front of everyone. He even made it clear that it is his money and I don't have a say on it," she said.

Mutambirwa said even the first wife also receives $5 monthly stipend from Teedzai, even though she (first wife) spent most of the time with their husband.

"I got married as the second wife to Teedzai in 1979. He was already married to his first wife in the mid-60s. They have nine children and I have five. I used to think that the first wife was the one who was squandering all the money, but she is also getting the same amount as I am. Your worship, I don't know where my husband spends all his money," cried Mutambirwa.

In spite of his old age, in her ruling, Mutare magistrate, Mrs Patience Madondo ordered Teedzai to pay $200 as maintenance for Mutambirwa.

She also advised him against evicting the Dangamvura tenants as he had an obligation to pay the maintenance.