Man (77) divorces wife over conjugal rights

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AFTER almost 30 years of being denied his conjugal rights, a 77-year-old man from Old Magwegwe has had enough and has decided to divorce his wife.

AFTER almost 30 years of being denied his conjugal rights, a 77-year-old man from Old Magwegwe has had enough and has decided to divorce his wife. PRESTIGE GAMA OWN CORRESPONDENT

The only problem, however, is that the wife Thenjiwe Ndlovu (76) is refusing to be divorced.

The man, Rasha Ndlovu, told the court that Thenjiwe left for South Africa several years ago and when she returned, she sought a a protection order against him, claiming he was physically and verbally abusing her.

“How can someone claim she is my wife when we last had sex 30 years ago?” he asked the court.

“Where do you think I was getting my conjugal rights from all these years you were away?”

Ndlovu was in court facing a charge of failing to comply with the protection order his wife had against him.

It is alleged that he budged into her home and poked her on the chest with a knobkerrie, demanding they should divorce and sell the house.

Ndlovu appeared before the Western Commonage magistrate Tancy Chipumha Dube, where he was charged with contravening Section 10 of the Domestic Violence Act.

He pleaded not guilty to the allegations. Thenjiwe told the court that she did not want to divorce because she was left in custody of her three grandchildren, whose father died a few years ago.

“If I agree to be divorced by Ndlovu, it means our grandchildren will become homeless for the rest of their lives,” she said.

Rasha said he never poked his wife using a knobkerrie, claiming he only went to her home and demanded that they divorce the following morning so that they could sell their house and share the money.

He further lamented that his wife had been reporting him to the police on crimes he had not committed, before asking her to “grow up”.

“When are we going to grow up and start behaving like people in their 70s?” he asked.

Prosecutor Kenneth Shava told the court that the two had been married for more than 40 years. However, the wife relocated to South Africa in search for employment, where she stayed for more than 30 years. When Rasha’s wife returned, she filed a protection order against him, alleging he was physically and verbally abusing her.

Rasha alleged that his wife had followed her ex-husband who stayed in South Africa.

“I know she went to South Africa to meet up with her former husband, that is why she forgot I was her husband,” he claimed.

“If she cannot satisfy me sexually, then what is the reason to stay married?”

The matter was remanded to January 28 for continuation of trial.