Ngavahambe yoriparira: Woman returns from South Africa after eight years to find husband remarried

A woman from the Chief Mutasa area in Manicaland Province, who left her matrimonial home for South Africa eight years ago after accusing her husband of infidelity, returned recently only to discover that he had since married another woman.

Marcia Majarira brought the matter before Chief Mutasa’s community court last Saturday, insisting that Farai Chiteshi remains her lawful husband despite their lengthy separation.

She said she had been driven away by Chiteshi’s alleged serial infidelity, claiming he had openly maintained relationships with several women and had even introduced some of them to her.

“He eventually forced me out because he wanted one of his girlfriends to stay at our home. He was struggling to pay rent for all his lovers, so he brought one of them into my house,” she said.

Following the breakdown of the relationship, Majarira said she had initially returned to her parents’ home before relocating to South Africa, where she remained for several years.

She accused Chiteshi of allowing another woman to use her household property in her absence, resulting in some of it being damaged, and further accused him of failing to provide for their children throughout the separation.

“I also want closure regarding our children, because he has not been taking care of them or supporting them. All these years he kept telling me he would come and get us, but he never came,” she said.

Despite the separation, Majarira maintained that she still loved Chiteshi and regarded their marriage as intact.

“I still love my husband. I am still known by his surname, and to me, our marriage never ended,” she said.

She argued that the union had never been formally dissolved, and questioned the legality of Chiteshi’s relationship with his new partner.

“We are still legally married, and the type of marriage we contracted does not allow him to marry another woman while still married to me. Yet he is now living with another wife,” she said.

Chiteshi admitted to having extramarital affairs but denied forcing Majarira out of the matrimonial home.

“When she found out that I was having affairs, I paid an appeasement, but she still left for her parents’ home,” he said.

Chiteshi added that he had only realised she had gone when he returned from work to find her belongings being packed by her brother.

He said he had spent two years trying to reconcile with Majarira before eventually giving up.

“For two years I kept looking for my wife. I only stopped after her father told me to stop. For the following six years we had no contact, so I moved on with my life,” he said.

He also rejected accusations that he had abandoned their children, insisting he had made efforts to support them after Majarira’s departure.

While acknowledging their shared past, Chiteshi was firm that he no longer wished to revive the marriage.

“She has been away from me for too long. I no longer want her as my wife,” he said.

His sister, Sarah Chiteshi, supported his version of events, saying family members had tried to locate Majarira after she left.

“She has come back after eight years and now wants to continue as if nothing happened. That is not reasonable,” Sarah said.

In his ruling, Chief Mutasa advised Chiteshi to formally dissolve the marriage through the courts, warning that he could be committing bigamy by cohabiting with another woman while still legally married.

He also directed Majarira to seek recourse through the maintenance court if she wished to pursue financial support for their children. – _The Manica Post_
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