Man dumped after paying lobola




Sehliselo Ngwenya (left)
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FOR over 12 months Tigere Shumba from Bulawayo’s New Lobengula suburb saved money and managed to pay lobola for his long time lover Sehliselo Ngwenya.

He was, however; left heartbroken after Ngwenya dumped him for her former boyfriend, a few months after he paid lobola. 

Shumba paid lobola for Ngwenya last year in December but could not get the chance to live under the same roof with her as he is also customarily married to another woman.

He said he was shocked to hear Ngwenya telling him not to bother clearing lobolaarrears because she no longer loved him.

As if to rub salt to Shumba’s wound, Ngwenya’s lover-cum-old flame in question also reportedly bragged to him saying he was going to pay lobola for her at the end of this month.  

An inconsolable Shumba revealed this at the Bulawayo Civil Court where Ngwenya was seeking a protection order against him claiming he was verbally and physically abusing her.

“It is not true that I am abusing her. I was treating her as my second wife after I paid lobola for her on 29 December last year. I however, didn’t get the chance to stay with her since I am married. We had a misunderstanding when I realised that she was cheating on me with her ex-boyfriend. I discovered the affair on her phone and from the intimate messages which they had been exchanging.

“At first she lied to me that the boyfriend was just her friend and when I phoned him (boyfriend) he told me that they were madly in love and he was also planning to pay lobola for her at the end of this month,” said an enraged Shumba, a carpenter by profession.

He continued: “Her boyfriend sent some messages as proof that they were indeed planning to marry. 

“When I confronted her relatives they were also shocked and revealed that the boyfriend in question was her ex-lover who destroyed her first marriage.”

Shumba said he didn’t have a problem even if the protection order was granted against him but argued that he was also entitled to enjoying some intimate time with Ngwenya because he had paid lobola for her.

This was after Ngwenya had insisted that Shumba was constantly harassing her.

“Tigere Shumba is my ex-boyfriend. He assaults and insults me in front of my child. I now fear for my life as he is always coming to my workplace to harass me. 

“We were in a relationship for 18 months. Initially he didn’t tell me that he was married. I got to know that he is married after 15 months and it was when I wanted to introduce him to my family. 

“Problems started when I demanded that he should introduce me to his wife. That is when he started assaulting me with a baton and electrical cord and I want the court to protect me from his violent behaviour,” complained Ngwenya.

Shumba, however, maintained that Ngwenya knew that he was married.

In her ruling the presiding magistrate Racheal Mukanga ordered Shumba not to verbally, emotionally and physically abuse Ngwenya or threaten her in any way.