A dramatic scene occurred at the Bulawayo Civil Court on Friday last week when a man from Emganwini suburb was interrupted by his wife who stormed in just as he was about to exchange wedding vows.
The furious woman halted the ceremony, preventing him from marrying another woman. During Mandlenkosi Mabhena’s (45) wedding vow exchange with his secret lover, Maluleka Solani from Ntabazinduna, before Bulawayo magistrate Makelo Ncube, an unexpected visitor disrupted the ceremony by storming into the courtroom.
The surprise visitor who disrupted the ceremony was Mabhena’s wife, only identified as T Ncube. Fuming, Ncube raised her right hand as the proceedings continued. The disruption forced the magistrate to halt the ceremony abruptly. He then addressed her directly, inquiring why she objected to Mabhena marrying Solani.
“I object to this marriage,” she declared. “Mabhena and I are customarily married. He fulfilled the lobola obligations in 2012. To marry another woman, he must first formally dissolve our customary union through a divorce process, including the payment of a divorce token. Additionally, we need to address the issue of our children’s paternity.”
Ncube further revealed that she stays with Mabhena.
“We live together and when schools are open he will be away and he returns home when schools are closed. He left this morning claiming to attend a meeting,” she said.
In response Mabhena said: “I object to what she says. We have differences in our marriage. She is lying and when I left in the morning, I never said I was attending a meeting.”
Taking the stand Solani said: “Your Worship, I don’t know what to say. I only know that he (Mabhena) has a child with Ncube. I’m worried that proper divorce hasn’t been finalised, indicated by the lack of a divorce token being issued.”
In his ruling the magistrate said Mabhena was still customarily married to Ncube. He said he has not undergone a formal separation or divorce process. The magistrate emphasised the court’s discretion to deny a marriage licence under such circumstances.
The magistrate further stated that an unresolved issue exists between the couple. He underscored the gravity of marriage as an institution.
“You cannot say because I‘m no longer interested so therefore my marriage should be dissolved. You have to engage the other party and see how property can be shared,” he declared.
