An unemployed Harare man, Joseph Katumba, has revealed the extent of turmoil in his marriage, claiming his wife, Stella Kangara, has denied him his conjugal rights for nearly a decade due to his unemployment.
For the last nine years, Katumba has been sleeping on the floor while his wife occupies their shared bed.
He described Stella’s violent reactions whenever he attempts to be intimate, stating, “She screams, bites, and scratches me whenever I touch her. She yells, ‘You want to kill me!’ and pushes me away.”
Katumba’s plea for a protection order stemmed from what he deemed emotional and psychological abus3 inflicted by his wife.
Stella, in her defense, shared her perspective with the court, indicating that her husband’s lack of employment has rendered him unarousing.
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“I am not a s3x object. I need emotional and financial security to feel loved and appreciated. My husband’s lack of effort to get a job has k1lled my desire for intimacy. Sometimes we sleep on an empty stomach and he demands s3x, yet I will not have the energy to do so,” she explained.
Magistrate Meenal Naratom presided over the case and expressed dismay at Stella’s behavior. She emphasized that while unemployment can create stress within a relationship, it cannot rationalize @busive actions. “While unemployment can be a significant stressor, it does not justify physical and emotional @buse,” Magistrate Naratom asserted.
The court ultimately granted Joseph a protection order, prohibiting Stella from further acts of physical and emotional abuse.
Additionally, the magistrate encouraged the couple to engage in marriage counseling to help them confront their challenges and work towards rebuilding their relationship.
