In a drama-filled incident that could be straight out of a soap opera, a man from Rusape, Zimbabwe, has been fined a beast and two goats for attempting to lure his co-tenant’s wife into an adulterous affair.
The story unfolded at Chief Makoni’s community court, where the betrayed husband, Isaac Gutuza, accused Progress Dangirwa of trying to destroy his marriage.
The chain of events began innocuously with a simple request for a torch. Gutuza, who works in Harare and leaves his family in Rusape, arrived home one evening and asked for his wife’s phone.
While charging it in his car, he noticed a series of WhatsApp messages that revealed a conversation between Dangirwa and his wife.
“I saw a chat between Dangirwa and my wife where he was thanking her for lending him US$10. I realized that she gave him the money without my knowledge and consent,” Gutuza told the court, his voice tinged with anger and betrayal.
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With suspicions aroused, Gutuza decided to take matters into his own hands. He began conversing with Dangirwa, pretending to be his wife. During their chat, Dangirwa inquired about Gutuza’s job and whereabouts. “He asked where I worked, and I replied that I work in Harare. He also asked my wife when she last slept with another man not her husband,” Gutuza recounted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The conversation quickly escalated when Dangirwa, believing he was chatting with Gutuza’s wife, sent a picture of his ‘bedroom anaconda’ and requested to meet her that night. “I told Dangirwa to proceed straight into the bedroom as I had left the door unlocked. I switched off the lights and hid behind the door. He came in and proceeded to the bed where my wife was sleeping. He pulled up the blankets with the intention of getting in, and that is when I switched on the lights and asked him what he wanted in my bedroom,” Gutuza narrated, his voice rising with indignation.
Driven by a desperate need to protect his marriage, Gutuza’s actions, while extreme, were a response to Dangirwa’s blatant disrespect. He confronted his wife about her relationship with Dangirwa, but she denied any romantic involvement.
“He begged for forgiveness, and I called for other people to witness the ‘catch,’ including Dangirwa’s wife. Dangirwa betrayed me because we stay in the same house. I regularly assist him with money and food for his family’s survival, but all this while, he was nursing evil intentions to wreck my marriage. I want him to pay me three beasts,” Gutuza demanded, his anger palpable.
Dangirwa, in a moment of humility, admitted to his actions. “I do not know what got into me to do this. Gutuza is my brother. I betrayed him. I will pay whatever the court asks me to pay. I am in the process of moving out of that house,” he said, his voice subdued.
Chief Makoni, however, found Gutuza’s actions equally reprehensible. “Gutuza, you are also an accessory to the commission of this offense because you were using a phone that you were not supposed to use in the first place. You misled Dangirwa into believing that it was your wife he was talking to. You also enticed and encouraged him to come to your bedroom,” the Chief ruled.
Despite Gutuza’s actions, Chief Makoni recognized the gravity of Dangirwa’s behavior. “However, Dangirwa sent his naked pictures and proceeded to your bedroom with the intention of sleeping with your wife, knowing that she is a married woman. Sending a married woman nude pictures and entering into someone’s matrimonial bedroom are huge signs of disrespect. Dangirwa could have been injured or even k!lled in the bedroom. Dangirwa is therefore fined a beast and two goats for the offense,” Chief Makoni ruled, delivering a verdict that serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of infidelity and disrespect.
