By A Correspondent- A woman sobbed in the dock as she narrated how her husband has been physically and verbally abusing her in front of their children.

Kealebuha Matibela from Old Magwegwe suburb in Bulawayo has had no peace since 2005 when her husband Edward Ncube married her.

He would accuse her of petty issues and after that he would bash her.

Ncube would not give her money for the upkeep of the children.

Seeing that Ncube was an absent husband because he was failing to give her money for the upkeep of their children, Matibela would search his pockets during the night when Ncube was asleep and take money and buy food.

But her abusive husband would pummel her for that and would even hurl insults at her.

Matibela has been going through a rough patch in her marriage for close to 21 years and has pulled all stops to save her shaky marriage, but her efforts have come to nothing.

She has engaged her aunt in a bid to talk to her husband, but she failed and even her husband’s brother’s efforts came to naught.

Matibela had to move out of the house to rent in Tshabalala suburb. But her estranged husband would follow her and hit her while accusing her of deserting him with his children.

Seeing that her aunt and her husband’s relatives had failed to talk to her husband, Matibela approached the civil court for intervention.

“I’m applying for a protection order against my husband Edward Ncube, he is very abusive. He is in the habit of beating me in the presence of our children whenever we have an argument. He does not give me money for the upkeep of our children. Last week I bought groceries with the money that he had given me for safe keeping.

“He got angry and beat me infront of the children. I then went to rent somewhere, he followed me and beat me and insulted the children. He is also threatening to kill me,” she said in between sobs.

The presiding magistrate Jeconia Prince Ncube granted Matibela the protection order against her husband.

Edward was ordered not to physically and verbally abuse his estranged wife. He was also ordered not to visit her at her place until their differences are resolved.

-statemedia