Chiwenga ties knot in lavish wedding
VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga yesterday tied the knot with his soldier wife Miniyothabo Baloyi at a lavish white wedding in Harare.
The Standard broke the story of Chiwenga’s wedding in November.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his wife, Auxillia, were among the high ranking government and Zanu PF officials who witnessed Chiwenga’s wedding.
Bishop Rudolph Nyandoro presided over the wedding held at St Gerald Catholic Church in Borrowdale that was also attended by several retired and serving senior army commanders.
The wedding celebrations were held at a venue in Umwinsdale.
Chiwenga, a former army general, had Senate deputy president Mike Nyambuya (Retired general, Zimbabwe National Army commander Ansolom Sanyatwe and Retired Air Marshal Sheba Shumbayawonda as members of his bridal team.
Former first lady Grace Mugabe and ex-deputy president Phelekezela Mphoko as well as several diplomats attended the wedding.
The country’s rich and powerful in government, business, Zanu PF and the security services were also at the ceremony.
Chiwenga’s union with Baloyi is his third in 15 years following his muchpublicised divorce with Mary Mubaiwa and Jocelyn Mauchaza.
It is not clear when Chiwenga and Baloyi started staying together following his nasty divorce from the former model, Marry Mubaiwa.
However, details of Chiwenga being engaged to Baloyi first emerged in June last year during the census period.
Chiwenga, during an interview by a Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency enumerator, said he was staying with Baloyi, referring to her as his spouse.
In June this year, Chiwenga and Baloyi hosted a private ceremony to celebrate their first marriage anniversary.
In 2011, Mubaiwa customarily married Chiwenga.
Mubaiwa and Chiwenga had been staying together after the former army boss left his matrimonial home in
April 2010 during his marriage with Mauchaza.
Mubaiwa and Chiwenga have three children.
Mubaiwa was convicted of contravening the Marriages Act after the court ruled that she forged Chiwenga’s signature on the marriage certificate.
She still has other pending cases before the courts in which Chiwenga accuses her of attempted murder, fraud and money-laundering.
In his previous divorce, Chiwenga claimed he was driven away from their matrimonial home because Mauchaza subjected him to “violent beatings” and abuse.