A 34 year old Pumula South man in Bulawayo who has been embroiled in a bitter wrangle with his in-laws for using runyoka and kurivanza traditional systems of protecting his wife from indulging into extra marital sexual expedites, has been forced to eat the humble pie.
The man who is a truck driver, for an international trucking company with its depots in Bulawayo and Harare, was forced to unlock his wife after he was refunded his lobola (bride price) during the festive holiday.
The in-laws sited sudden death as one of the highest risk that may lead their daughter into sexual starvation. They told ZimEye.com off camera that if their son in law dies suddenly, their daughter will be sexually starved following the husband’s idea of locking the forbidden fruit.
The husband had to seek the services of traditional healers, he refused to reveal, to fence his wife inside the traditional Dura wall to avoid intruders.
Tumirai Mugoni, who was involved in a bitter fight with his in-laws, secretly hatched the plan to defend his 10 year old marriage to the wife (name withheld) who was rumoured to be seeing someone when the husband is away on business.
According to Mugoni, he overheard a conversation from the community around that his wife was seeing someone, and he secretly applied the traditional fence and waited to see the next step.
“I discovered messages in my wife’s inbox and kept cool, knowing that the man who is seeing my wife will never find or enjoy the forbidden fruit, because the traditional healer used the so called kurivanza medicine, which it is claimed “hides the vagina when someone wants to have sex”. I did that deliberately and my father in law and his aunties were after my head for that. Can you believe that they wanted my wife to be in love with other guys during my absence?” said Mugoni.
Asked what he was going to do with his in-laws, after the reimbursement of the bride price, Mugoni said, “I am now going my own way, but I know one day she will look for me. I have accepted their offer and took the money and beasts back because the aunties and their friends found it necessary to do so,” said Mugoni before receiving a phone call from a relative who wanted to get clarity if it was true that his in-laws had refunded the lobola.
ZimEye.com managed to track the in-laws, who threatened to take action against this journalist if the story was published, before telling him to go away. The in-laws are members of a Pumula sect which uses bottles to crush anyone they hate or for any invention. “We warned you last time not to be involved in people’s private affairs, but you are here again!” shouted some of the relatives as they swore to this journalist.
ZimEye.com managed to trail the aunt, who identified herself as Ratidzai Madzimure. She told ZimEye that her brother’s daughter’s abuse has come to an end, as the refund has been done. Asked why she decided to end their daughter’s marriage, she spontaneously said “Anoitireyi zvekushandisa mushonga kuviga hukadzi hwe mumwe munhu, anotofanira kumusunungura chete, meaning that Mugoni has no right to hide his wife’s vagina from other men who want to have sex with her. She is now free for another man ane better manhood and more love,” she said before ordering this journalist to go away.
The wife, who was still at her aunt’s residence during these interviews, refused to comment and preferred  to just gesture by smiling, before waving her hand to bid us good-bye .
According to neighbours, the family tried unsuccessfully to convince their son in law to remove the traditional lock on his wife, hence they decided to end the relationship by refunding their son in law what he paid to them.
They also tried one of the well-known prophets in the township, but their efforts hit a brick wall, hence they opted to reimburse all his lobola and part ways with him.