Son bashes mother's boyfriend

A Harare woman has been granted a protection order against her son, whom she accuses of violent and controlling behaviour rooted in disapproval of her romantic relationship.

Bridget Chigwedere appeared before the Harare Magistrates' Court seeking protection from her son, Tariro, whom she claimed has repeatedly harassed and threatened her whenever her boyfriend visits her home in Avondale.

"He even warned me that if I continue seeing my boyfriend, he will kill me," Chigwedere told the court.

She said the emotional and psychological toll of her son's conduct has pushed her to the brink of despair. "I now live under abuse and harassment. At one point, I even considered committing suicide," she said in a tearful submission.

Tariro denied the accusations and instead alleged that his mother was the one inflicting emotional abuse on him. "She acts strangely," he told Magistrate Meenal Narotam. "As a celibate man, I am not comfortable with how she behaves, and I am planning to move before she causes harm to me."

Despite his denial, the court ruled in favour of Chigwedere. Magistrate Narotam granted the protection order and issued a stern warning to Tariro to cease any form of abuse or intimidation directed at his mother.

The case has drawn attention to the growing number of domestic disputes being brought before the courts, particularly those involving adult children and their parents.