January 2012 Volume 39, Crime and Courts
'Small House'to pay 'Big House' damages
A Harare woman has sued her husband’s lover for $2 000 at the Harare Civil Court and won. The woman, Memory Ndoro, dragged her husband’s girlfriend Rachel Mupinduki to court accusing her of having an adulterous affair with her spouse for the past six years. She said she needed $2 000 as compensation because she had suffered emotionally.
“Rachel has been having an adulterous affair with my husband since 2006, I came across some romantic text messages they were sending other,” said Memory. She went on to tell the court that when she confronted Rachel, she vowed to continue seeing her husband. “I then went to her house and showed her my marriage certificate to prove that I was legally married to the man but she said that she was not going to leave my husband because my husband enjoyed having sex with her,” she added.
Rachel did not deny the affair. “Her husband is the one who did not tell me the truth. I didn’t know that he was under Chapter 5.11 and that’s why I had an affair with him,” said Rachel. She also said that she was not in a position to pay $2 000 saying she earned a paltry salary.
“I am a hair dresser and I cannot even raise that amount,” she said.
Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti, who presided over the case, ordered Rachel to pay $2 000 as adultery damages.
