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Father squanders family’s savings

30 Dec, 2020 - 11:12 0 Views
Father squanders family’s savings

The ManicaPost

Tendai Gukutikwa

Weekender Correspondent

A PENHALONGA couple’s marriage is on the verge of collapse after the beer loving husband squandered the family savings that were meant to construct their rural home.

An enraged Elizabeth Sithole had to seek recourse through the small claims court where she made an application demanding that her husband, Elias repays her US$330.

A tornado of words erupted between the couple when they appeared before Mutare magistrate, Mr Lazarus Murendo last Friday, with Elizabeth accusing Elias of abusing the trust she bestowed on him to squander the money.

The couple had to be ushered out of the courtroom by the police, with Elizabeth insisting that she wanted her money back even though the matter had been partial heard by the court.

The fuming Elizabeth told the court that her sons in the Diaspora had sent her the money for her up-keeping. 

She in-turn had trusted Elias with the money so that they would use it to construct their rural home.

As tempers flared in court, she ended up washing their dirty linen in public by claiming that Elias was a ‘ceremonial’ husband as they have not been intimate for the past 15 years. 

“He is not my husband. He is just a friend because I have not been intimate or staying with him since 2005. The money he squandered was sent by my children in the Diaspora for my upkeep. My two sons in the Diaspora are from my previous marriage. I gave him the money for safekeeping so that we could build our house, but he took my money, shared it with his son and went on a drinking spree. All I want is my money,” charged Elizabeth.

When Mr Murendo asked her why she gave Elias the money when she claimed that he was no longer her husband, she insisted that all she wanted was her money back.

“My children from a previous marriage are caring and well behaved. They take care of me, but the ones I have with him are just a thorn in my flesh. They take after their father. Now he (Elias) is now claiming that his son stole the money, yet they squandered it together,” she reiterated.

This was after Elias had insisted that the money was stolen by their 27-year-old son who left home to an unknown destination.

Elias told the court that they were still a couple, only that he stayed at a company residence in Mutare, while his wife stays in Penhalonga where she is a vendor.

“Our son stole the money and disappeared. When I told her, she would not hear of it. She thinks that I conspired with my son to steal it, but that was not the case,” he defended himself. 

He also admitted to being a drunkard.

Mr Murendo asked the pair to bring witnesses to court and adjourned the matter to December 28.

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