Niece snatches aunt's husband and house

A Glen View woman has secured legal protection from her niece, whom she accused of wrecking her marriage and attempting to take over her matrimonial home.

Sunday Sande approached the Harare Civil Court seeking relief after a bitter family feud, accusing her niece, Adijah Sande, of seducing her husband and moving into her marital home under the guise of being the new "lady of the house."

Testifying before magistrate Ms Johanna Mukwesha, Sunday Sande told the court how she had taken in her niece following the death of her parents and supported her through school despite financial hardships.

"I took this girl in when her parents passed away. I took care of her and sent her to school with the little money I had," Sande said. "Now she dares to call herself my husband's wife."

Sunday described her niece's actions as not only a personal betrayal but also a disgraceful erosion of family and cultural values. She alleged that Adijah, whom she labelled a known commercial sex worker in Glen View, had effectively turned her once peaceful home into a brothel.

"My home has become a disgrace. I can't even invite my churchmates or neighbours because there are always strange men coming in and going out. I am living like a squatter in my own house," Sande lamented.

She further told the court that her niece's clients and associates frequently played loud music, drank alcohol, and caused disturbances deep into the night, leaving her feeling unsafe and humiliated in her own home.

Adding to her anguish, Sande said her husband had openly declared his love for the niece and no longer provided for her or acknowledged her as his wife. "I don't know what charm this girl has used, but my husband no longer speaks to me, gives me money for groceries or bills, and now she is collecting rentals from tenants in the cottage," she said.

Sunday also accused her niece of verbally and physically abusing her, recounting multiple occasions where she was insulted and assaulted during household disputes.

"She calls me old, useless, and finished. How can a niece disrespect her aunt like this?" she asked the court. "She even told me to pack my bags and leave her house in front of the tenants."

In her defence, Adijah Sande claimed she was merely a victim of an already broken marriage and that her uncle had pursued her willingly after years of alleged emotional neglect by his wife.

"I'm not the problem. My uncle and aunt had been fighting for years before I came into the picture. He came to me because he found peace with me," Adijah said.

She denied operating a brothel, insisting her friends were simply visitors and dismissed the claims of assault, alleging that her aunt was the one who often provoked and attacked her.

However, magistrate Ms Mukwesha ruled in favour of Sunday Sande, granting her a protection order against her niece. The court warned Adijah to respect her aunt, to refrain from bringing strangers into the home, and to stop presenting herself as the legitimate wife of the house.

The ruling brings temporary relief to Sunday Sande, though the underlying family tensions are likely to persist.