ZAKA – A married employee of Zaka Town Council, Clever Khumalo, finds himself at the centre of a messy love triangle, accused by his girlfriend of having an affair with her 19-year-old daughter. The accusations have led to a bitter feud, with the girlfriend confronting Khumalo’s wife and threatening drastic action.
Caroline Miriam Verengai, who claims to have been dating Khumalo since 2023, has accused him of bedding her daughter, Tendai Bundu. The allegations have sparked a heated conflict between the three, with Miriam claiming that Khumalo has sown enmity between her and her daughter.
Khumalo has admitted to being in an illicit relationship with Miriam but vehemently denies the allegations of an affair with Tendai. “I do not deny that I have been in an illicit relationship with Miriam for some time,” Khumalo confessed.
He claims that he ended the relationship with Miriam after his wife discovered their love messages. “My wife came across our love messages and I decided to end the relationship with Miriam,” he explained.
This decision, according to Khumalo, did not sit well with Miriam, who then began suspecting him of having a relationship with her daughter. “That decision did not go down well with her and she started suspecting me of dating her daughter,” Khumalo said.
He further alleges that Miriam accused him of being responsible for Tendai’s past abortions. “She also suspected that I impregnated her. Tendai aborted two pregnancies from her boyfriends and Mirriam accused me of being responsible,” Khumalo stated. “Akurwadziwa nekuti ndakati ngatichimbomirai kudanana,” he added, suggesting that Miriam was hurt because he wanted to end their relationship.
Miriam, however, paints a different picture. She claims to possess recorded audio messages that implicate Khumalo in an affair with her daughter. “Clever is so cruel and inhumane,” Miriam declared. “He has caused enmity between me and my daughter. He used to bed Tendai whenever I went out on business or travelled.”
Miriam alleges that Khumalo sent seductive messages to Tendai, admiring her beauty and dressing, eventually leading to a physical relationship. “My daughter told me that Clever has been sending seductive messages and admiring her beauty and dressing,” Miriam claimed. “My daughter later gave in and she started to hate me and the last thing I am told is that she is pregnant.”
In a dramatic outburst, Miriam threatened to commit suicide at Khumalo’s house if the pregnancy allegations prove to be true. “I will commit suicide at Clever’s house if this comes to be true,” Miriam vowed.
Tendai, however, has dismissed the allegations as falsehoods and blames her mother for the entire situation. “My mother is to blame for all this,” Tendai asserted.
She claims that her mother’s relationship with Khumalo stemmed from her own association with him as a junior Councillor. “She came to know Clever because of me since I was a junior Councilor. I am the one who introduced Clever to my mother and she decided to date him later,” Tendai explained. “I am not pregnant as alleged, I am no longer in good books with my mother over this. My mother is the one who is spreading falsehoods.”
The conflicting accounts and accusations have created a tangled web of relationships and animosity, leaving the Zaka community reeling from the unfolding drama. The truth behind the allegations remains unclear, but the fallout has undoubtedly caused significant damage to all parties involved.
