The ManicaPost
MORRIS MTISI IN HONDE VALLEY
SATURDAY June 21, 2014. Place: Sahumani in Honde Valley. Venue: Ishe (Village head) Andrew Sahumani’s village Primary Court. Case: Tendai Mazhakata versus 1st accused Aaron Kamhungira, 2nd accused Zekias Kamhungira and 3rd accused one Mateo Bhobho. Allegation: Serial adultery, all accused on Tendai Mazhakata’s wife Monica Dumbura.
By 8am villagers trickle into village head Sahumani’s homestead. Individuals in pairs and small groups gossip, backbite, intrigue, mudsling and judge. All foot-paths lead to the village court. The undone was done. Cry the beloved Sahumani!
As The Weekender joins all and sundry eagerly walking up from Green Business Centre ( Kwa Green) towards the village head’s homestead approximately two kilometres east of the humble forlorn business centre, people excitedly recap and review the famous gossip doing rounds in the village.
This is evidently one of the most grotesque and culturally “sacrilegious” cases of matrimonial betrayal here in Sahumani, if the numbers of people keen to attend the trial is anything to go by. Shocking, awful, ludicrous anywhere! Taboo, abomination, shame, unforgivable treachery, stinking infidelity!
These are some of the words on the mouths of the villagers as they heave up and down the roads that meander through the thick green beautiful woods of this scenic rural community.
A thick cloud cover stubbornly hangs over most of Honde Valley, especially over Sahumani. The incessant chirping of both familiar and unfamiliar birds dominates the rustic wood-lots.
The eerie gentle flow of the lifeline waters of Kamupenga stream rolls into the larger Honde River and the faint on-and-off drizzle all seem to be complementing a bad omen that has shockingly struck the humble village which is home to hundreds and more humble but culturally dignified rural folk. Monica Dumbura, customarily married to Tendai Mazhakata, has committed an abomination never heard of in Sahumani.
According to popular opinion on everybody’s mouth, she has crossed the red line and scored an adulterous hat-trick by allowing three male neighbours to sexually share her in what can best be described as chronic nymphomania: a disease which makes a woman develop insatiable, uncontrollable sexual desire.
Presenting his case before village head Sahumani and his assessors, Tendai Mazhakata painfully narrated how his wife Monica betrayed him and slept around with three accused on several occasions when he was in Nyanga on his business errands.
The soft-spoken, heart-broken man told the primary court how it came to surface that his wife was eating the forbidden fruit with Aaron Kamhungira, his brother Zekias Kamhungira and their distant family relation, Mateo Bhobho.
“My wife’s adulterous spree was brought to surface at church (name supplied) through prophetic divination. In order to receive holy communion, my wife had to confess her sin first, which she did willingly. She did not only confess but went on to name the three accused one by one, giving detail of day, date, time and place,” said Mazhakata.
“I could not stand the pain and shock of this revelation, which turned out to be a rumour on every community member’s mouth. That is why I chose to bring this case before the primary court. These three men are my neighbours and in our Shumba clan, all call me brother. This is painful.
“But the worst part is that they did this in my house, with my wife — all of them disregarding the fact that my family was still mourning my late father. Vakasvibisa musha wangu ndisati ndapedza kuchema baba vangu,” said Mazhakata.
Concluding what was visibly a painful ordeal to narrate, he stated to the court that he was demanding a cow and a goat from each of the accused as restitution for adultery.
In what resembled an on-stage theatre performance, Monica graphically described her testimony, admitting that each of the three lovers came to her house at night or at dawn on different occasions and had sex with her.
Upon a no-holds-barred interrogation by village head Sahumani if she was suggesting she was being raped on all these occasions, Monica sent the court into stitches when she described exactly how it happened. “ Ndakavati ini handizvidi zvamunoita, bamukuru, ivo ndokuramba vachiita.
“Vapedza ndokubuda panze, ini ndokuzobudawo paya ndoenda kwanaMai Thanks. (I told my husband’s brother that I didn’t like what he was doing, but he kept on doing it. Then when he had finished he went out. I later made my exit as well and went to Mai Thanks’ home).”
Monica’s story on all the sexual vigils took a similar pattern. “Ndakavati zvinoita here, bamukuru, imi muri murume wemunhu — ini ndiri mukadzi wemunhu? Zvingabuda here? Ivo ndokuti neniwo ndiri murume wemunhu, saka . . . ndokuramba vachiita. (I told him I am married and you are married. Is this possible? But he went on to do it saying he was also some woman’s husband. He did not listen. He continued to do it).”
The three accused, Aaron Kamhungira, Zekias Kamhungira who works at the local clinic as grounds-man, and unemployed Mateo Bhobho, their distant cousin, all denied knowledge of adultery, vehemently claiming Monica was a shameless liar.
On further pressure from the village head and his assessors, Mateo finally gave in and pleaded guilty.
He apologised and asked for leniency from Monica’s husband.
“Yes, I had sex with my neighbour’s wife on several occasions. I am sorry but ask him to be lenient with me as I don’t have money to pay him for the crime I committed.”
Bhobho suggested a payment plan to which Monica’s husband replied, “I cannot answer to that request. I have relatives.
“I will consult first.”
