AT 85, Khulu Robin Jiyane from Matopo seemed to have the energy of a man half his age when he apparently expressed his undying love for his youthful wife.
This was after his daughter Loice Jiyane (62) wanted to take away that “hot sex life” from him by levelling a litany of allegations against his wife, the daughter’s stepmother Sukoluhle Masuku, claiming she was abusing him.
But, it seems the youthful wife is doing more than her fair share to make the old man happy and he decided to stand by her much to the chagrin of Loice and other relatives who were supporting her.
The rift between Loice and Masuku reportedly started after Khulu Robin married the latter in 2002 following the death of Loice’s mother in 1999.
Khulu Robin’s show of love was premièred at the Bulawayo Civil Court where his wife was suing his daughter for disturbing her peace by constantly harassing her allegedly as punishment for marrying him.
“I am married to Robin Jiyane and he has three children that are older than me and they didn’t want me to get married to him. Robin and I have been married since 2002 and we are staying together in Matopo.
“My husband’s daughter Loice who is 62 years old has been harassing me and is not recognising me as her mother despite the fact that I am legally married to her father.
“She has been sending strangers to harass me so that I vacate the house which her younger sister built for us. She has also on several occasions sent her brother Henry Jiyane to evict us from the house.
Loice Jiyane
“She is also verbally abusing me saying I am not her mother. As a result of her abuse I want a protection order to be granted against her so that she may refrain from verbally and emotionally abusing me,” said Sukoluhle.
In response, Loice through her lawyer, refuted the accusations.
“The respondent is opposed to the application sought by the applicant. Respondent’s mother passed on in 1999 and in 2002 respondent’s father married applicant.
“In 2011 the applicant destroyed the original homestead where she was married into and then she built another one some 200 metres away. The reason being that she was being irked by the community who were referring to the homestead by respondent’s mother”.
The lawyer said the house Sukoluhle said was built by Loice’s younger sister was in fact built by her (Loice) and her two siblings and they furnished it.
“That conduct is not consistent with someone who wants to evict the applicant from the house. The truth is that the community sees what the applicant is doing to the father.
“The father is 85 years old and applicant is forcing him to push a wheel barrow for about seven kilometres while going to fetch water. This is what irks the community.
“Respondent also bought two phones for her father but applicant does not allow him to communicate with her. At one time she also refused him to attend a relative’s funeral in Lupane. The truth is that applicant does not want respondent to communicate with her father.”
Sukoluhle, however, dismissed the response as a “pack of lies” but that didn’t help her when the presiding magistrate Rachael Mukanga later dismissed her application.
After the court session and thinking that blood is thicker than water and that her father would come to her side after his wife’s application was dismissed, Loice got it wrong when Khulu Robin “dumped” her together with his other relatives for Sukoluhle.
