Co-wife steals panties, kills children

A Honde Valley woman has accused her co-wife of repeatedly stealing her undergarments for alleged ritual purposes, claiming the incidents were followed by the deaths of several children and grandchildren as well as prolonged unexplained bleeding.

The allegations were made before Chief Mutasa's community court, where Lilian Bvute detailed a long-running dispute involving her husband, Johannes Bukuta, and his other wives in their polygamous marriage.

Bvute told the court that she and Bukuta endured years of hardship together before their fortunes improved through banana farming.

She said tensions emerged after the family became more prosperous and Bukuta began marrying additional wives.

"We suffered together for many years after we got married, and things only started improving after we had worked hard together. But when life became rosy, my husband started marrying more wives, and they began benefiting from what I had also worked for," she said.

Bvute said her concerns began when her underwear repeatedly disappeared from her home.

"At one point there were three of us in the marriage. That is when my panties started disappearing on countless occasions. I became suspicious because the incidents kept happening, and I suspected they could have been taken for ritual purposes so that my husband would turn against me," she alleged.

Her suspicions intensified after she claimed to have discovered one of the missing garments on the roof of the third wife's house.

"I confronted her and asked where my panties had come from. She told me she had found them in a banana field, but I was not convinced," Bvute said.

She claimed that she subsequently lost a child, which deepened her belief that the missing underwear was connected to her family's misfortunes.

"Soon after that my baby died, and because of everything that had happened, I started believing there was something more to the missing underwear," she said.

Bvute further alleged that she later found additional missing undergarments inside her co-wife's house.

"I entered her house and found my panties inside her bag. They were wrapped in a red cloth. I called neighbours to witness what I had found," she alleged.

She linked the alleged incidents to a series of deaths within the family.

"My children started dying one after another. I lost an 18-year-old, a 14-year-old and several babies. The pain has been unbearable, and I believe these incidents cannot simply be ignored," she said.

Bvute also told the court that she suffered prolonged bleeding whenever she stayed at her matrimonial home.

"I was bleeding continuously and my father eventually advised me to leave my husband's home for a while. I went to stay with my sister and the bleeding stopped. Every time I returned to my matrimonial home, the bleeding started again. When I left, it stopped," she said.

"That made me believe something unusual was happening at that home."

She said her husband dismissed her concerns when she raised them with him.

"He told me I should not complain about being bewitched because, according to him, I had prevented him from marrying other wives for 19 years," she said.

Bvute also alleged that the dispute eventually became violent, claiming Bukuta struck her with a knobkerrie, resulting in a broken hand.

"He struck me with a knobkerrie and I broke my hand. My parents demanded compensation for the injury, but he only offered a goat, which they rejected," she said.

She also asked the court to consider her contribution to the family's banana farming enterprise, arguing that she had helped build the livelihood before the arrival of the additional wives.

"I worked hard when we had nothing. I feel it is unfair that I contributed so much to building our livelihood only for others to benefit from it," she said.

Bukuta disputed parts of his wife's account but confirmed that discussions had taken place over compensation for her alleged injury.

"I was supposed to provide a beast as compensation for her injured hand, but her parents did not accept it. Whenever I tried to contact them afterwards, I was informed they were out of the country," he said.

The couple's daughter, Memory Bukuta, also testified, claiming that the family had experienced numerous deaths since the third wife joined the household.

"Since my father married the third wife, I have lost more than eight children. Members of the family believe there could be something behind these unusual events," she said.

Chief Mutasa said the court could not establish the cause of the alleged misfortunes or determine whether the accusations of witchcraft had any basis.

"Since you believe there may be causes that have not yet been established, you should seek guidance and consult those you trust for assistance," he said.

The court did not make a finding that the alleged deaths or health problems were caused by ritual activity or witchcraft.