Harare – A bitter dispute has erupted in Chihota following the revelation of a secret marriage involving Margaret Shamiso Mandishona (30), who allegedly secretly wed a UK-based man identified only as Bester, while still legally married to Kelvin Wazeza (40). The nine-year marriage between Wazeza and Mandishona, who were residing in South Africa, has crumbled amidst accusations of infidelity, abuse, and conflicting accounts of their relationship’s demise.
Wazeza, speaking to the press, claimed he only recently learned of his wife’s secret nuptials.
He stated, “We were married for almost nine years, my wife started making frequent visits to Zimbabwe where her mother resides and I would stay alone there (in South Africa) for periods ranging for about three months, leaving our daughter with me. The last time she came back, two days later, a guy from the UK called her and I managed to take his number and called him and he said he was my wife’s brother who stays in Chitungwiza. Little did I know that when she was visiting Zimbabwe, it was their secret meeting point where they were planning to marry each other.”
He further recounted his attempts to clarify the situation with Mandishona’s mother, stating, “I called the mother and she denied knowledge about the new marriage but when I threatened to take the matter to court she backtracked, pointing fingers at my wife’s friend only known as Maria.”
Sources close to the situation indicated that the lobola ceremony for Mandishona and Bester was a small affair, attended only by close relatives. Further evidence emerged in the form of photographs obtained by H-Metro, depicting Mandishona and Bester celebrating their wedding.
Mandishona, when contacted, offered a starkly different perspective. She denied still being married to Wazeza, stating, “He is a liar, look for anyone, even on my Facebook account, and ask them. They will tell you the truth about us. This man abused me and I broke up with him, now he is bitter that I left him, I used to break up with him and then make up with him thinking that he would change, this is the fourth time.”
She also alleged that the money Wazeza used to pay her lobola was actually her own money, a claim Wazeza vehemently denies. She further accused Wazeza of infidelity.
“I used to work in a hair salon while Kelvin was in the tattoo business, and he would also sleep with his female clients. I broke up with him the same way he did with his first wife, I told him directly with my mouth that I no longer loved him and when he asked me again I told him again that I no longer loved him and I am no longer coming back.”
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, a man identifying himself as Bester contacted this publication via phone from the UK, confirming his marriage to Mandishona. He challenged Wazeza to address his concerns directly or through intermediaries.
“Okay, if this guy is saying he is an ex, he is an ex because this woman I married her legally, nothing else but legally, so I don’t know that guy, you can give him my number so that he can contact me. He can send the go-between he used when he married that wife because the parents of my wife can’t be mad to allow another in-law yet they know that another one exists already,” said Bester
He declined to provide his surname, stating, “Haizvo manje ndozvandisingafe ndakakupa because iwe handikuziveka sha handitombokuzive handitombofa ndakakupa, zvitsvage handiti wati uri journalist uno zvitsvaga onzviwana sha.”
Mandishona’s mother confirmed her daughter’s marriage to Bester, albeit reluctantly. She explained, “My daughter is now married again, I was against this marriage, but she threated to commit suicide if this did not go her way because she was in an unhappy marriage. What could I do? You know these children of today can carry out these threats.”
