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The magistrate, Mrs Rosemary Dube, even barred a police court orderly attached to the courts from entering the court.

News of Ms Aquilina Kayidza Pamberi dragging her husband, Mr Jacob Mandeya to court started filtering on Wednesday night and our Bulawayo Bureau was on Thursday granted permission to sit through the hearing only to be called yesterday morning with the “bad” news that its crew would not be allowed into the court.

Ms Pamberi wants to end the union with her husband of 12 years, Mr Mandeya, saying there is no longer peace in their home. Sources said this was because Mr Mandeya is convinced that his wife is seeing Prime Minister Tsvangirai, whom she reportedly met at a social gathering in the city last year.

The gathering was a graduation party for a senior MDC-T member. Ever since, sources said there has never been peace at the couple’s home. Acting Matabeleland North provincial magi-strate Ms Ntombizodwa Mazhandu said a lot of people had shown interest in the case. She said they felt there was need to protect the magistrate who was hearing the case.

During the hearing, Mrs Dube ordered that Ms Pamberi stays at their matrimonial home, Number 38 Chelmsford Road, Matsheumhlope, with their two children.

Mr Mandeya is allowed to work in his office at the house and was given free access to the children. His lawyer — Mr Tanaka Mungayi, of Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners — said in an interview that Ms Pamberi sought an order allowing her to move out of the matrimonial home and go and live in the other couple’s house in Hillside suburb, which is under construction.

He could however, not comment on the court proceedings. According to an affidavit she swore to, they got married on January 1 1998 and have two children “although our marriage has been infested with abuse and stress over the years”.

She alleges that her husband consistently subjects her to emotional stress through verbal insults and at times even physical assault. Ms Pamberi said Mr Mandeya withholds income and resources and “persecutes” all her living activities. She further claims that he stalks her and subjects her mode of communication to inspection on a daily basis, making her explain all calls and SMSs and contacts saved in the handset.

As a result, she moved out of the matrimonial home last year and stayed away for three months but later moved back. “After realising that he has not changed his ways, I decided to move out again this time to pursue channels to dissolve the customary union.

“Jacob Mandeya has since stalked me to find out where I would be moving. He has tracked down my landlord and quizzed her on why she offered me accommodation,” Ms Pamberi said.