Friendship Betrayed: Woman Accused of trying to break best friend’s marriage appears before traditional courts
A local woman found herself in the traditional courts after allegedly attempting to sabotage her best friend’s marriage by engaging in a secret affair with her husband, resulting in the birth of a child.
Patience Gweto was arraigned before Chief Makoni’s community court, where she accused her friend, Sekai Mareyanadzo, of betraying their trust by carrying on a clandestine relationship for years.
Gweto expressed her shock at discovering the truth, stating that Mareyanadzo and her husband had appeared to have an overly friendly relationship over the past few years. However, she never suspected that they were romɑntically involved or that they had a child together.
Recalling the events, Gweto revealed that Mareyanadzo’s children even referred to her husband as “dad,” further blurring the lines between friendship and something more. Although their closeness raised suspicions within the community, Gweto remained unaware of the affair until her minor child inadvertently revealed the truth.
The revelation came about during a disagreement between Gweto and her husband, which Mareyanadzo overheard as their neighbour. The following day, when Gweto’s child visited Mareyanadzo’s home, she overheard a conversation between Mareyanadzo and another woman discussing how it was now Mareyanadzo’s turn to move into Gweto’s house since she was allegedly being sent away by her husband. Shockingly, Mareyanadzo’s four-year-old son was mentioned as freely calling Gweto’s husband his father.
“We had a misunderstanding with my husband and Mareyanadzo got wind of it because she is our neighbour. The following day when my child went to play at her homestead, she heard Mareyanadzo discussing with another woman that it was her turn to move into my house because I was being sent packing by my husband. She said my divorce was imminent and her four-year-old son could now freely call my husband his father.
“It was my daughter who told me everything because it pained her hearing that her mother was being sent packing. That is when my eyes started opening and I realised that the two were having an affair for years,” said Gweto.
Disturbed by her daughter’s account, Gweto began to piece together the puzzle and realized the extent of the affair that had been ongoing for years.
Mareyanadzo, however, initially claimed that her late husband, who passed away in 2008, was the father of her son. The community court found this explanation implausible, as a deceased man could not have fathered a four-year-old child. Mareyanadzo then shifted her story, suggesting that her late husband’s younger brother was the child’s biological father, despite previously denying any involvement with Gweto’s husband.
Mareyanadzo accused Gweto of assault and defamation, seeking compensation in the form of two beasts. However, the court found her guilty of cheating with Gweto’s husband. Chief Makoni advised Mareyanadzo to steer clear of married men and suggested that Gweto speak with her husband to ascertain the truth about his intentions, including the possibility of taking a second wife.
In the court’s ruling, Chief Makoni ordered the pair to pay two goats as punishment for their involvement in the illicit affair and subsequent altercation. Assigning responsibility to Gweto’s husband, he gave him one week to fulfill the penalty.
“Stay away from married men because you might end up on the wrong side of the law. And to you Gweto, maybe your husband wants to marry Mareyanadzo as a second wife or he has already done so. Talk to him and ascertain the truth, only then, peace can prevail,” ruled Chief Makoni.
“Since the man here is guilty of cheating on his wife resulting in the two friends’ fall-out, he is the one who is supposed to pay these two goats. I am giving him one week to bring the two goats before this court,” he said.
