Ex-Gender Minister in hubby snatching storm

MDC-T's former Member of Parliament for Dzivarasekwa, Evelyn Masaiti, has allegedly snatched a Gweru woman's husband and is now involved in fighting for the custody of the woman's eight-year-old daughter.

Masaiti, 49, who was Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development in the inclusive Government, was previously married four times before meeting her latest husband, Euvenis Robin Kaliphinos, 31, an engineman with the National Railways of Zimbabwe based in Hwange.

She also has a series of documented love scandals with married men.

Masaiti was spotted on Tuesday at the Gweru Civil Courts to offer morale support to her new lover in his fight for child custody with his estranged wife, Tendai Mashoko, 26.

Mashoko and her estranged husband have two children together; the eight-year old girl and a boy aged four.

On Wednesday, a tearful Mashoko stormed Chronicle offices in Gweru and told of how the former legislator has wrecked her marriage.

"Masaiti is now fighting to destroy me further by taking away my daughter. She is conniving with my husband to destroy me. She shamelessly destroyed my home by causing the split between my husband and me," she said close to tears.

Mashoko said Masaiti and Kaliphinos met on the social platform, Facebook.

She said the two would meet over weekends and spend time together in Gweru.

Mashoko is now staying with her parents in Ascot Infill with her two children.

She said her estranged husband and Masaiti were taking advantage of her poor background by trying to snatch her daughter.

"These two are now taking advantage of the fact that I don't have money and want to use their money to take away my daughter," she said.

Mashoko said the two should start their own family and leave her kids alone.

At the civil courts yesterday, Kaliphinos argued that he was not comfortable having his daughter staying with her mother since Mashoko and her family members were violent people.

He further said he feared his daughter would grow into a violent person, if left under her mother's custody.

Mashoko said their marriage irretrievably broke down last year during the harmonised elections.

She said Kaliphinos assaulted her, accusing her of being a Zanu-PF supporter on the basis that her father was a war-veteran.

Mashoko also said even though she has since separated with Kaliphinos, he continued to send her his pictures with Masaiti on whatsaap.

She said he was also sending her offensive messages.

"Kaliphinos would send me pictures of him and his lover having a nice time. He would send messages that he has since found someone of a high class, better person than me, and that his life was better since the moment he met Masaiti," said Mashoko.

Mashoko denied being a violent person. She said she only became violent on occasions Kaliphinos provoked her with his new love, Masaiti.

"I have never travelled to Hwange to fight with him but he is the one who always comes here to provoke me with his lover," said Mashoko.

She also told the court that the child in question has a mental illness arguing that the child was not fit to stay with the father.

"My daughter is also mentally challenged and I don't think Kaliphinos will be able to take care of her. He always denies me access to his medical aid card whenever I want to seek treatment for the child," she said.

Gweru magistrate Gertrude Mayenyoso gave full custody of the child to Mashoko.

She, however, granted Kaliphinos visiting rights to the child twice a year during holidays and also permission to visit his daughter at school.

Kaliphinos and Mashoko have been married for eight years.

He dismissed Mashoko's allegations that he broke up with her over Masaiti.

Kaliphinos said they already had their marital problems and accused Mashoko of infidelity.

"This is all false. I am not in a relationship with Masaiti and we were always having marital problems with Mashoko resulting in our breaking up. We broke up because she was cheating on me with a barman in Hwange. Don't publish that story because Mashoko is lying," said Kaliphinos.

Masaiti could not comment when this reporter called her yesterday on an Econet line registered for Ecocash in her name.

The woman who answered the phone claimed to be her sister.

"My name is Marjory, Evelyn's little sister. I don't know the number that Evelyn is using at the moment, "she said.

Controversy has always been part of Masaiti's life.

She was once married to two Masaiti brothers in succession.

Masaiti was accused of cheating with the late MDC Chairman and polygamist, Isaac Matongo who she then married after the death of her husband.

In 2010, the ex-parliamentarian had her vehicle's windscreen smashed by a wife of a former Shurugwi councillor who suspected that she was having an affair with her husband.

After the death of Matongo, Masaiti got married to a 37year-old Cameroonian, Proitas Pentecote Ayina in 2012 who was 10years her junior.