Gibson Mhaka
TSEPISO Maferefa’s lifelong agony is that her husband Tichaona Maferefa, besides being verbally and physically abusive, also betrayed her trust by allegedly sleeping with their neighbour.
Her pain became even worse when her husband brought axes into their matrimonial bedroom supposedly to scare her after she reportedly confronted him over the alleged affair with their neighbour.
Tsepiso, a police officer from Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb, said she felt so betrayed by her husband’s abusive and adulterous behaviour. Tichaona is also a police officer stationed at Bulawayo Central’s CID Law and Order Section.
Tsepiso disclosed this while begging Nkosinomusa Ncube sitting at the Bulawayo Civil Court to stop her husband from verbally, emotionally and physically harassing her.
“I am legally married to Tichaona Maferefa and we have three children together. My husband acts in a weird way. He assaulted me on several occasions on which I didn’t report him since we are all police officers. He also insults me whenever I try to talk to him calling me different names such as slay queen, witch and prostitute.
This disturbs my peace and it also affects our children,” she said.
She said there was also no peace in her marriage because of her husband’s philandering behaviour.
“There is no peace in my marriage because of his infidelity. My husband is having an affair with our neighbour and this has caused a lot of problems in our marriage.
“At some point, he brought axes in our bedroom. He once assaulted me and tore my clothes to an extent that I was left stark naked. He is also accusing me of cheating on him,” said Tsepiso adding that her husband once suspected her of trying to poison him.
She begged the court to swiftly intervene saying her husband was also coming to her workplace to humiliate her in front of her bosses and subordinates.
In response, her husband through his lawyer stated that his wife was also of a violent nature.
“We are not at qualms with her application. Applicant is, however, not candid with facts. Why didn’t she report those incidents of violence to the police? Applicant is also of a violent nature and has been accusing respondent of infidelity. Applicant also goes to the respondent’s workplace to insult him and may that order be reciprocal,” responded Tichaona’s lawyer.
Tichaona also narrated how his wife abused him.
“I took her phone and she assaulted me. She also tore my clothes and once stabbed me with a knife and I had to be admitted to hospital,” he said.
Tsepiso said when her husband was stabbed, she was acting in self-defence after he violently attacked her.
“As he was assaulting me, I ran to the kitchen and got hold of a knife trying to scare him. He however, held me while I was holding that knife and, in the process, he was accidentally stabbed and was admitted to hospital for three weeks,” she said.
In a bid to maintain peace between the two parties, presiding magistrate granted a reciprocal order which compels them not to verbally and physically abuse each other.
The magistrate also referred them for counselling.
