Front seat to infidelity
For years, the spirit has been demanding two cattle and US$700 as appeasement.
The spirit manifested on Anna during a previous court session at Acting Chief Mutambara’s court: “You are very unapologetic. It has been 62 years and you still have not approached my immediate family to apologise.
“You were not even at my funeral, even though you are one of my closest uncles. I charged you two cattle because you are part of the family, but you continue insulting me by not paying up. If you do not appease me, I will ask for seven cattle and more money,” said the spirit.
Tambarare said Fungai did not contribute anything towards the funeral as is the norm.
“The deceased claims that our family never attended his funeral. I was not yet born as this happened in 1961. I was later informed by other relatives that my elder brother, Fungai, killed our uncle Chidhinha in an accident a long time ago,” said Tambarare.
He also said Chidhinha’s spirit claims that Anna is his wife, even though she is married to someone else.
“This is disturbing her marriage. She was brought back home by our in-laws. Each time the spirit manifests on her, she attacks her husband, claiming that she belongs to the spirit,” said Tambarare.
In his response, Fungai said when the accident happened, he had refused to transport the children, but his late brother (Chidhinha’s father) insisted that he travels with them.
“He insisted that I should take the children with me and as I reversed to park, Chidhinha was crashed after the trailer unhooked from the tractor. The tractor also overturned and I broke my legs in the process. I was rushed to the hospital and upon being discharged, I was arrested. I honestly do not know how I was supposed to attend the funeral while I was in hospital and then in jail,” he said.
He, however, said he has already paid two cattle as part of appeasing the avenging spirit.
“I am only left with raising the US$700. I am not reluctant to appease the avenging spirit. I am just a poor man,” he said.
Acting Chief Saurombe adjourned the matter to a later date to allow Fungai to raise the US$700 to appease the spirit.
IN a shocking case of infidelity and deception, a woman brought her lover into her marital home and introduced him to her husband as her brother. It is alleged that Rudo Muradzikwa had been having an affair with Chiteni Ndongonda for several months and managed to convince her unsuspecting husband, Noel Masaburi, to let Ndongonda in as he didn’t have a place to stay.
This recently came to light at a local traditional court.
The court heard that the lovebirds would sneak into each other’s rooms, during the day and night.
They would also be playful even in front of Masaburi.
Narrating before Headman Chigodora’s court, Masaburi said he suspects that he was bewitched by the pair because he never suspected anything.
“These people used some charms on me. I suspect that the charms blinded me from all the shenanigans they were doing right before me.
“At one time, I was in Harare when my wife told me that she was sick and that I had to bring her some medicine. When I got back home with the medicine, I was told that she had been staying at Ndongonda’s homestead for the past three days.
“I proceeded there with the medicine and gave it to him. She was sleeping in his bedroom and he injected the medicine on one of her buttocks as I watched.
“I should have been shocked and confronted them but I did not do so. I suspect I was under the influence of their charms,” said Masaburi.
He said rumours of the two’s affair were awash in their village but he had defended the couple, even threatening to assault the rumour mongers.
“Now looking back, I feel sorry for myself because my wife and her lover were not even hiding their affair. They were doing it in front of me. My wife even invited Ndongonda to move in with us after he was evicted by his landlord.
“When he moved here, their affair got deeper. They would prepare food and do laundry together, while I watched. My wife would do his laundry and I would not ask anything,” he said.
Masaburi said had it not been for his two sisters who intervened and asked Ndongonda to leave, he would still be staying with the couple.
“My sisters opened my eyes. They told me to be alert and not to let them do as they please in my house.
“I then went to Rudo’s family and told them how she had been disrespecting our marriage. I went to my in-laws together with my wife and Ndongonda because I wanted to divorce her and introduce them to their new son-in-law,” he said.
On their way to the Muradzikwa’s homestead, the couple was teasing each other playfully.
“I came back alone, and the couple followed later on. That is when my wife gave me a coin as a divorce token. She told me that she had had enough of me. She said she no longer loved me, packed her bags and left.
“Ndongonda left soon after that and I have heard that they are staying together with his six children, while she left our four children with me,” said the bitter man who claimed that he is still in love with his ex-wife.
In response, Ndongonda denied ever having an affair with Muradzikwa.
He said he was only friends with Muradzikwa and her husband.
“We were friends and Masaburi would allow me to travel to Mozambique for business with his wife. That is how we got to know each other and when my landlord evicted me, he is the one who sent his wife to invite me into their home while I looked for alternative accommodation.
“I moved in with them because I thought they were my friends. I was never in love with her, yes we would cook together and do laundry together but it ended there,” he said.
Ndongonda vehemently denied ever injecting some medicine into Muradzikwa’s buttock.
He claimed that Masaburi is jealousy of him, hence the wild accusations.
Muradzikwa also said she never had an affair with Ndongonda.
She said they were good friends, adding that she is the one who introduced Muradzikwa to her husband.
“Ndongonda and I were good friends. Since he was a prophet, I introduced him to my husband. I was never in love with him. Yes, I know that our friendship raised some eyebrows but that was never the case.
“However, I no longer love Masaburi and I will not get back with him,” she said.
She also denied that she was staying with Ndongonda at his new lodgings.
Headman Chigodora ordered Ndongonda to hand over three cattle to Masaburi as compensation for causing the couple’s divorce.
“We have heard you deny the allegations that you were in love with Muradzikwa and we will give you the benefit of the doubt. However, it is clear that soon after you moved into this couple’s home, they broke up. Because of that, you will give three cattle to Masaburi as compensation,” said Headman Chigodora.