The drama began when Ndamule’s side chick who supposedly didn’t want to be continually and “s.e.xually” sidelined by the Covid-19 lockdown, phoned her married lover while begging him to come to her house to spend a night with her.

A Bulawayo man, Mlungisi Ndamule (31), severely pounced on his wife Simangaliso Gumbo after she stopped him from pursuing romantic interests with his lover amid Covid-19. It would appear he preferred being locked down with his girlfriend.

A noisy row reportedly erupted when Ndamule, who seemed to be at the peak of passion for his lover, started packing his clothes, and his wife who could not accept it stopped him from doing so. In a fit of rage, Ndamule severely assaulted his wife with fists and open hands all over the body.

As a result of the attack, Gumbo was referred to the United Bulawayo Hospitals for medication. The matter was then reported to the police leading to Ndamule’s arrest.

For the offense Ndamule was hauled before Bulawayo magistrate Shepherd Munjanja facing charges of domestic violence.

In court Gumbo said all hell broke loose when she stopped her husband from meeting with his girlfriend.

“It was on 28 March 2020 and we were at our house when I had a misunderstanding with my husband after he packed his belongings with the intention of going to his girlfriend’s place.

“When I stopped him from doing so, that didn’t go down well with him when he started assaulting me with fists and open hands all over the body,” reads part of Gumbo’s report which was heard in court.

On 28 March, the lockdown had been announced but it took effect on 30 March.

Ndamule, however, didn’t waste the court’s time when he pleaded guilty to the charge of physical abuse as read in the Domestic Violence Act leading to his subsequent conviction.

In mitigation Ndamule apparently irked the magistrate when he unremorsefully defended himself saying he assaulted his wife because she had stopped him from meeting his girlfriend.

His behavior of taking pride in beating up his wife seemed to have annoyed the magistrate who remanded him in custody awaiting sentence.