Rusape – In a case that could be straight out of a soap opera, a Rusape man has been fined a beast and two goats for attempting to lure his co-tenant’s wife into an adulterous affair. The drama unfolded at Chief Makoni’s community court, where the betrayed husband, Isaac Gutuza, accused Progress Dangirwa of his audacious attempt to break up his marriage.
The story began 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. As he charged it in his car, a flurry of WhatsApp messages popped up, revealing 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 realised that he was given the money without my knowledge and consent,” Gutuza told the court, his voice laced with anger.
Suspicions aroused, Gutuza decided to take matters into his own hands. He began chatting with Dangirwa, pretending to be his wife.
“He enquired on 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 took a turn for the worse when Dangirwa, believing he was chatting with Gutuza’s wife, sent a picture of his bedroom ‘anaconda’. He then 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 said, his voice rising with indignation.
Gutuza’s actions, while seemingly extreme, were driven by a desperate need to protect his marriage. 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 at 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 breasts,” Gutuza charged, 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 offence 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 recognised the gravity of Dangirwa’s actions.
“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 killed in the bedroom. Dangirwa is therefore fined a beast and two goats for the offence,” Chief Makoni ruled, delivering a verdict that serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of infidelity and disrespect.
