A court in Zimbabwe’s Chigodora district has ordered a man to pay US$3,000 in damages after he deceived his wife into paying the bride price.
The man known as Kenny Mlambo allegedly misled his wife Jennifer Maparanyanga into paying her own bride price after he requested her to loan him US$300, according to evidence presented in court.
Jennifer, who filed for divorce from Kenny, sobbed as she described how the moment she asked for the return of the money she had lent him, her life turned into a nightmare.
Jennifer talked about the terrifying experience she went through with her father, Phineas Maparanyanga, by her side. Jennifer remembered how she had agreed to lend Mlambo the lobola money because she loved him. She says he informed her he only had US$600, so she decided to give him a loan to help him out.
She said; “He told me that he wanted to marry me but only had US$600, which to him was very little and disrespectful to my father. I lent him US$300 to top up his money. He promised to pay back the money the following month but failed to do so.”
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Jennifer claimed that Mlambo’s behaviour underwent a significant shift subsequent to her demand for the money’s return. After he eventually gave her money back, she bemoaned his harsh actions and negligence, saying he had taken away her marital rights, stopped supporting the family, and insisted she spend the $300 on something else.
When her father learned that his daughter had unintentionally paid her own lobola, he was appalled. He wanted payment for the fraud and accused Mlambo of lying.
Phineas said; “She burst into tears, confessing that she had unknowingly paid her own lobola. I was hurt because Mlambo tricked my daughter. Up to now, I am still hurt because he is staying with my daughter for ‘free’.”
Mlambo counter-accused Jennifer of damaging his reputation by making false claims about his purported sexual prowess, even while she was pregnant. appealed to Headman Chigodora to get the Maparanyanga family to return their daughter in order to pursue a divorce.
Headman Chigodora issued a strong verdict denouncing Mlambo’s behaviour as abhorrent and requiring compensation. Mlambo was forced to reimburse the Maparanyanga family US$3,000 for the dishonesty and disdain displayed throughout the lobola procedure.
“You did not pay any lobola to the Maparanyangas since it was their daughter’s money that you paid them during the lobola ceremony. What you did was very disrespectful to your in-laws and your wife. You are a trickster, and for that, you need to work hard and pay the damages to them.”
