Bulawayo businessman hit with $500 000 adultery lawsuit

Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter

A BULAWAYO man is suing his wife’s suspected lover for $500 000 in damages for allegedly engaging in an adulterous relationship with his spouse.

Mr Herbert Chipandu is accusing his rival Mr John Mutero (60), a businessman who owns Willgrove Farm Enterprises in Bulawayo of engaging in an adulterous relationship with his wife, Mrs Franscisca Chipandu (45). 

Mr Chipandu of Tshabalala Extension suburb said their marriage was solemnised in terms of Chapter 5:11 of the Marriages Act on March 8 in 2008 and the couple has been blessed with three children.

Mr Chipandu, who is a self-actor, filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court citing Mr Mutero as a defendant.

In papers before the court, Mr Chipandu said he discovered the illicit affair in March after spotting Mr Mutero coming out of their matrimonial home. 

He said he also managed to come across photos of the two lovers posing together.

Mr Chipandu said his wife of 11 years also displayed a strange behaviour which included coming home late and refusing to do household chores.

“Sometime in September last year, the marriage started developing serious problems and my wife suddenly began behaving strangely and completely abandoned her responsibilities of being a mother and wife such as cooking, washing and cleaning the house,” he said.

Mr Chipandu said he sought counselling from church elders to no avail.

“She would come home late in the evening claiming she was busy at the market where she is a vendor. In February this year, the marriage reached breaking point and I decided to move out of our matrimonial home and went to a relative intending to find a lasting solution,” he said.

Mr Chipandu said he was shocked when he recently received summons for a decree of divorce from his wife.

“I was very puzzled and confused as to why my wife had decided to terminate our marriage since we had not be exhausted all avenues of trying to resolve our marriage problems. I then decided to establish the reasons for my wife’s actions and that is when I discovered she was having an adulterous affair with the defendant,” he said.

Mr Chipandu said his rival is also claiming that one of the children born to the couple is his.

“The defendant caused an incurable heartbreak, torture and disrespect to the extent of causing family breakdown between me and my two sons,” he said.

He said the defendant used his financial muscle and social standing to cause insurmountable contumelia.

“He boasts of having impregnated my wife and that our two-month-old baby is his. This whole thing has resulted in me having emotional and psychological stress and I feel insulted by the humiliation and disrespect exhibited by the defendant as I am now a laughing stock in the society,” said Mr Chipandu.

“Wherefore, owing to the illicit and adulterous relationship, I suffered damages of $300 000 for contumelia and $200 000 for loss of consortium.” 

Mr Mutero is yet to respond to the summons.

Mrs Chipandu was recently in the news after her lover’s wife, Mrs Alice Mutero, approached the court seeking a protection order against her. 

Mrs Mutero accused her rival of wrecking her home and causing her husband to sexually starve her after she allegedly snatched him.@mashnets

You Might Also Like

Comments