Landlord bashed for courting tenant's wife

We can share the house but not my wife.

This aptly describes a scenario where a Masvingo landlord was given a thorough hiding for courting his tenant's    wife.Mike Mugabe of Runyararo West suburb will rue the day he daringly proposed love to Benny Mafa's lawfully wedded wife after he was beaten to a pulp.

Mugabe daringly asked Mafa's wife out on a date but all hell broke loose when Mafa suddenly arrived home when Mugabe was in the middle of attempting to execute his shenanigans.

Upon seeing that Mafa had arrived, Mugabe changed the subject and started calling the woman a prostitute. An incensed Mafa quizzed Mugabe on why he was referring to his wife as a prostitute. The unidentified wife revealed to her husband that Mugabe was actually asking for sexual favours from her but later changed the subject upon his arrival.

Mafa confronted his wife's suitor after which in a fit of rage he grabbed him by the collar and head-butted him on the nose before punching him several times with fists.

This was heard when Mafa appeared before Mr Jabulani Mzinyathi facing a charge of assault on Wednesday last week.

Mafa was found guilty of assault and fined $50 or 30 days in prison.

However, Mr Mzinyathi warned Mugabe against pursuing married women.

"While the accused's action is justifiable, he must not take the law into his hands. The complainant should at the same time desist from proposing (to) other people's wives when single women are there. As a landlord you should learn to respect your tenants. You will die if you continue proposing (to) people's wives. Go and read the book of Proverbs, it will tell you that, you should not go after someone's wife," said Mr  Mzinyathi.

For the State, prosecutor Mr James Murambiza said on 6 October, Mafa arrived home at around 5pm and found Mugabe calling his wife of 10 years a prostitute, something that did not amuse him.

When Mafa asked why he was calling his wife names, a dispute ensued between the two leading to Mafa losing his temper and grabbing Mugabe by his collar.

He head-butted Mugabe on the nose while punching him with fists and he bled profusely. Mafa later produced an okapi knife, threatening to stab Mugabe who was lucky as members of the public quickly intervened and disarmed Mafa before they effected a citizen's arrest. They took him to Chikato Police.

Mugabe sustained serious head and facial injuries from the assault and was taken to Masvingo General Hospital for  treatment.