“IF you leave me, I’ll kill myself”.
These chilling words are a living testimony for a Bulawayo woman whose lover was allegedly manipulating her by threatening to commit suicide each time she tried to break up with him.
Shylet Chinyahachiurai from Nketa suburb claimed her lover Tapiwa Zhou was trying to control her by his repeated threats of ending his life if she dumped him.
Frustrated by her lover’s repeated threats of killing himself if she dumped him, Chinyahachiurai last week approached the courts seeking a restraining order against him.
“We have been living together with Tapiwa Zhou for some time. However, Tapiwa is a very abusive and violent. He refuses me to socialise with other people and also threatens to kill himself if I dump him. He is always threatening to kill me and the latest incident was on 28 November when he threatened to stab me with a kitchen knife while accusing me of cheating on him.
“He also forces me to have sexual intercourse with him. At times he demands sex after shouting at me or physically abusing me. He steals from me and I am no longer at peace because of his abusive behaviour and repeated threats of killing himself if I dump him. I am no longer interested in the relationship and I don’t want to see him near my place and kids,” charged Chinyahachiurai.
Zhou however, blamed Chinyahachiurai for the problems that bedevilled their relationship.
“Our problems started when we were still staying together. She used to come home late and whenever I confronted her over that she became violent and started shouting at me saying she didn’t want to be questioned. I was also seeing love messages from other men in her phone and when I questioned her she would brag at me saying I didn’t pay lobola for her,” responded Zhou.
Zhou spiritedly begged Chinyahachiurai to continue with the relationship but she refused saying she has, had enough of his abusive behaviour.
Presiding magistrate Tinashe Tashaya in his ruling ordered the estranged parties not to abuse each other verbally, physically and emotionally and not to visit each other’s place and workplace without one’s consent.
