A married Harare woman, Magdalene Chamunorwa,  turned up at a Harare court and exchanged blows with her husband’s small house in full view of people.

She also threatened to beat up her husband who watched helplessly as his small house in wedding gown was fighting wife number 1.

 

Francisca Kanyama (in wedding dress) is shielded by a Good Samaritan from battering by an irate Magdalene Chamunorwa (partly obscured) outside the Harare Magistrates’ Courts yesterday
Francisca Kanyama (in wedding dress) is shielded by a Good Samaritan from battering by an irate Magdalene Chamunorwa (partly obscured) outside the Harare Magistrates’ Courts yesterday

Chamunorwa informed the marriage officer, Mr Tendai Mahwe, that the groom, Gift Singano, was her husband and that they had four children.

She stormed into the wedding room moments before Singano exchanged vows with Francisca Kanyama. The free drama was taken outside the court building where Chamunorwa exchanged blows with Kanyama, who was still clad in her wedding gown.

The fight happened in full view of Singano who watched helplessly as his wife and “mistress” got down to “business”. Onlookers, who were attending to their court businesses, cheered the fight and accused Kanyama of being a husband snatcher.

The court immediately stopped the wedding after Chamunorwa proved beyond doubt that she was still married to the man. “He is my husband and we got married in 1992 in Chiendambuya,” she said.

“We have four children and our marriage is still subsisting. He has not divorced me. I only discovered that he wanted to marry his girlfriend when I saw a profile picture of her on his phone. We stay together in our matrimonial house in Crowborough here in Harare but he leaves me in the house and goes to co-habit with his girlfriend in Mufakose.”

In his ruling, Mr Mahwe said: “The facts show that the marriage still subsists because the formal customary procedure to divorce a woman, which is known as ‘gupuro’ or a token of divorce was not done. In the circumstances Gift cannot lawfully contract another marriage.”

In the video, the woman in white gown had her top parts exposed during the fight with Chamunorwa.

No arrests were made.