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Tanaka Mrewa Court Reporter—
A BULAWAYO woman’s dream of marrying her lover turned into a nightmare yesterday when a woman barged in just before the marriage was solemnised and registered her objection. Sithembiso Dube — who turned up in court in her wedding gown — melted in the arms of relatives, sobbing, after Thokozani Ndlovu of Mpopoma suburb stormed in and insisted she was still married to the groom, Maxwell Ncube.

Ndlovu and Ncube have been married since 1996 under customary law that allows a man to marry more than one wife, but only with the consent of the first wife. The magistrate, Marylin Mutshina, was about to solemnise the marriage under Chapter 5:11 of the Marriage Act, when Ndlovu stormed the courtroom, armed with an objection letter from her lawyer.

Mutshina immediately stopped the proceedings. In her letter, to the court, Ndlovu’s lawyer Emmanuel Mlalazi said despite problems between Ndlovu and Ncube, the two’s marriage still subsists.

“Our client therefore officially registers her objection to the solemnisation of the marriage between Maxwell Ncube and Sithembiso Dube to be solemnised at the Magistrate’s Court, Tredgold, on April 29, 2016. It is therefore our client’s request that you stop the solemnisation of the said marriage to enable the parties to find an amicable settlement,” said Mlalazi.

Ncube and Ndlovu, who have a 20-year-old son, had a longstanding domestic feud which resulted in the woman leaving their matrimonial home. Dube, who was clutching a bunch of flowers, broke down after the cancellation of her marriage and was consoled by two elderly women. Ncube left her for some time to negotiate with his estranged wife in a bid to convince her to let their wedding proceed to no avail.

Clad in a black suit, and a green shirt, he returned moments later to pick up Dube.