Family drags daughter's boyfriend to court over marriage covenant

A VICTORIA Falls couple has dragged its daughter's boyfriend to court seeking to stop him from marrying her.

However, the man, Itai Ngonyama, told court that it was impossible for him to leave his sweetheart as the two made the most intimate and rarest of covenants – blood vows to stick to each other till death.

Ngonyama, whose age could not be established but residing along Syringa Road and works at a local lodge, told Victoria Falls resident magistrate Sharon Rosemani on Monday that he and Caroline Mugole, 22, were inseparable.

"The girl does not want to leave me. We made some vows when she cut my finger and mixed my blood with hers saying she would be bound to me till death. I am not refusing to pay (lobola) but I have no money for now. My challenge is what to do since they say they do not want to see me with her yet she is already at my place," said Ngonyama.

Caroline's parents Sibongile Nkomo and John Mugole sought a protection order against Ngonyama who they said had caused the disintegration of their family.  She eloped to stay with Ngonyama and reported her parents to police, Chief Shana and Hwange West Member of National Assembly, Bekithemba Mpofu.

At some point, Ngonyama told the court that Caroline fled from her parents and lived in the bush for three days as she protested their dislike of her sweetheart.

Both families are members of Redemption Ministries, a church in Victoria Falls and pastors from the church reportedly tried on numerous occasions to intervene to no avail.

Nkomo told the court that Ngonyama was threatening her family.

She said the family once ordered Ngonyama to pay $450 isivulamlomo but he demanded his money back after they told him he could not wed before paying the full bride price.

"Sometime last year he promised to marry my daughter but now he is threatening us. We charged him isivulamlomo and he went away only to come back after a year saying he wants a wedding. That is when he started threatening us when we refused and he demanded his money back which we gave him," said Nkomo.

Ngonyama told a different story.

He claimed his prospective in-laws demanded $8,000 lobola, which they reduced to $4,000 when he complained that it was too much and the money was then reduced to $2,050.  At that point he paid $450, he told court.

"When I told Caroline that I could not afford the money she thought I wanted to leave her and she fled from home coming to my place and later went to stay in the bush. They threatened to disown her if I married her saying their daughter completed Advanced Level and could not be married by a Form Four like me as there was a rich man to marry her. I went to the MP and church but nothing worked," said Ngonyama who claimed that he was the one who paid school fees for Caroline.

The magistrate quizzed Ngonyama if he was comfortable staying with a woman without her family's blessing upon which he said God would intervene.

A determined Caroline also told the court she would stick by her lover and would not go back to her parents.

Nkomo said: "Let them love each other but I will never take his money. How can I say I have a son-in-law who takes my daughter to a chief I don't even know and to the MP.  Those are not her parents. For two years my house has been on fire because of him. If Caroline falls sick or gets pregnant they should not come to me.  As we speak my husband and my family are not on talking terms because of him. Ngesintu isivulamlomo cannot be returned."

The magistrate granted the protection order, saying Ngonyama should not talk to Caroline's parents or family without permission.

"This is a very difficult situation and you should think about it," said Rosemani to Ngonyama.