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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A PREGNANT 21-year-old woman from Binga told a Hwange magistrate how she endured physical abuse at the hands of her husband who would strip naked and smear his body with ashes before assaulting her.

Tepina Muleya, from Machusu Village under Chief Sinakona, who is four months pregnant, told Hwange magistrate Sharon Rosemani that Scaver Ngwenya, 29, assaulted her every Sunday and Thursday while naked.

Prosecutors charged Ngwenya with physical abuse after he used a log to beat up his wife several times all over the body when she insisted on visiting her parents’ home on January 25.

Ngwenya pleaded guilty.

He claimed in court that an evil spirit told him to strip naked and smear his body with ashes each time he argued with his wife.

“There’s an evil spirit that comes into me and tells me to strip naked whenever I intend to beat my wife.

I’ve since joined a Zionist church to exorcise the spirit and I’m getting better each day,” said Ngwenya.

The magistrate sentenced him to a seven months in jail with two months suspended for three years on condition he is not within that period convicted of violence.

Prosecuting, Onias Nyathi, said Ngwenya would strip naked each time he wanted to beat up his wife.

“On January 25 at 9PM a misunderstanding ensued between the two as the complainant wanted to leave her matrimonial home to visit her parents but her husband wouldn’t allow her. The accused went outside and came back naked with his body covered in ashes,” said the prosecutor.

The court heard that Ngwenya armed himself with a log and started beating his wife on the buttocks.

“The complainant reported the matter to the police and she was referred to the hospital where she was treated and discharged,” said Nyathi.

Ngwenya was later arrested.