The ManicaPost
Tanyaradzwa Mujati
Weekend Reporter
COMMUNICATING with his ex-wife recently earned a Mutare man a thorough hiding from the woman’s new husband.
Timothy Mupunga appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mr Xavier Chipato applying for a peace order against his ex-wife’s husband, Prince Tapfuma ,who recently assaulted him.
Mr Chipato granted the peace order and ordered Tapfuma to keep peace with the former at all times.
Tapfuma was also made to pay $20 000 as assurance that he will abide by the peace order or face a month jail sentence.
Mupunga said Tapfuma assaulted him on January 14 when he found him with his ex-wife buying books and uniforms for their children.
“On January 14, he assaulted me. He came at where I was buying books and uniforms with my children and ex-wife. He grabbed me by the collar and tore my shirt. He also stole my phone. I reported the matter to the police and the case is still pending before the courts. He was recently issued with a warrant of arrest after he absconded from attending one of the hearings,” said Mupunga.
He also said the last time he saw Tapfuma at court, he threatened him saying he would deal with him.
“I am now scared because I do not know what he will do to me. He said our matter is not yet resolved and he will locate me to resolve the matter. He is capable of doing anything to me,” he said.
Mupunga also pleaded with the court to be granted access to his children as Tapfuma is forcing his ex-wife to stop him from seeing his children.
“I don’t want him to be involved with my children. I need to talk to my children when I want, but he blocks my number in my ex-wife’s phone so that I cannot communicate with my children. I also want to visit my children when I wish to do so,” said Mupunga.
He also said Tapfuma uses his ex-wife’s phone to insult him using profane words.
However, Tapfuma said he did not assault Mupunga but only asked him why he was still calling his wife and also insulting him.
“He has a tendency of stalking his ex-wife and harassing everyone who dates her. When he realised that I was dating her, he looked for my number, started texting me and sending obscene texts on my phone and my wife’s phone. When I met him I asked him why he was texting those messages and insulting me,” said Tapfuma.
Tapfuma also said he took Mupunga’s phone as an exhibit as he wanted to sue him for defamation, but upon being asked by Mr Chipato on why he did not use his phone as an exhibit as he was receiving the text messages, he said he just wanted to fix him by taking his phone.
However, Tapfuma’s pregnant wife, Angela Chinhenga who was present in court and was asked to testify, confirmed that Tapfuma assaulted Mupunga.
“I received a call from my ex-husband saying he wanted to buy books and uniforms for the children. He said he did know their sizes so they needed to be present when buying the uniforms. I told Tapfuma about the request from Mupunga and he gave me the nod to go to town for those errands.
“I did not know that Tapfuma followed me into town. I only saw him when I was parked across Mutare Computers. Tapfuma grabbed my car keys. He confronted Mupunga and asked him why he was insulting him through text messages. Mupunga did not respond and Tapfuma assaulted him with fists, thereby creating a scene. A lot of people gathered.
“Unfortunately my ex-husband’s phone dropped from his pocket and my husband took it and left with the car keys. My husband rushed to the police station and reported the matter,” said Chinhenga.
Upon being asked by the court to provide the text messages that proved that he was being provoked and insulted, Tapfuma said that his wife might have deleted the messages to protect her ex-husband.
