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Fidelis Munyoro and Ivan Zhakata, Harare Bureau

THE marriage of Bona Mugabe, daughter of late President Mugabe, has now collapsed and yesterday she filed for divorce from Simba Chikowore on the grounds that there was a total breakdown with no prospects for restoring the union.

The couple tied the knot on March 1, 2014, in a lavish ceremony at her father’s private home in Harare’s plush Borrowdale suburb. Thousands of people attended the no-expense-spared family event broadcast live by the ZBC-TV.

The wedding also drew the attention of the world after it was attended by African heads of state and government and other high level dignitaries.

Bona Nyapudzai Ouma Mugabe filed the papers at the High Court yesterday seeking an order for a decree of divorce.
According to the court papers, the parties have lost all love and affection for each other and have been living apart for more than nine months. She cited Mr Chikowore’s activities outside marriage as one reason for the breakdown. The couple has three children aged seven, five and two.

Ms Mugabe sought full custody of the children arguing that it was in their best interests but with Chikowore granted access to them every alternate weekend.

She also seeks maintenance for the children of US$2 700 monthly per child until they attain their majority or become self-sustaining, whichever occurs first.”

Mugabe said during the subsistence of the marriage, the parties jointly and individually acquired movable and immovable property but dealing with the property issues in the divorce suit would delay the grant of the divorce decree.

The couple’s wedding was billed as the wedding of the year. They were showered with gifts that came to hundreds of thousands of US dollars in cash, cattle and all manner of goodies from relatives, friends and visiting heads of state and government among other VVIPs.

The gifts were unveiled at a cocktail after the official ceremony. The late President Mugabe and former First Lady Mrs Grace Mugabe gave the new family US$100 000 and 55 head of cattle.

Cattle

A local mining company weighed in with another US$100 000.
Equatorial Guinea President Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his wife, gave the newly weds US$35 000.

Businessman Mr Ihmad Ahmed made a gift of US$50 000, while Mr and Mrs Gabriel Mugabe showered the couple with US$25 000, plus 10 head of cattle.

Grace Mugabe and The late Mr Robert Mugabe

Zaoga (FIF) Qatar, where Mr Chikore is a senior elder, gave him and his new wife US$2 600. Late Zambian President Mr Michael Sata and his wife Dr Christine Kaseba congratulated the couple with a gift hamper worth about US$4 000.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister then Mr Nicholas Goche came in with US$2 000, while the Zimbabwe Republic Police — represented by ex-Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri — presented the newlyweds with US$10 000.

After the wedding, Bona and Simba went to Seychelles, on the Indian Ocean, for their honeymoon. The honeymoon came courtesy of former Tourism and Hospitality Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi.