By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander Phillip Valerio’s son, Jacob, is allegedly demanding a refund of his lobola money from his in-laws after leaving his wife.

The Standard reported sources close to the Sibanda and Masango families as saying Jacob was customarily married to Rumbidzai Masango and paid more than US$7 000 in lobola money.

The couple reportedly lived in South Africa, but the marriage broke down in December of the same year.

The couple failed to reconcile because of “undue family interference” according to a source. A family member speaking on condition of anonymity said:

They tried to work things out, but all efforts were in vain. Jacob came back to Zimbabwe as a repartee with the assistance of the Zimbabwe embassy.

What is now shocking is that he is demanding lobola so that he can also bring gupuro (a token for divorce

But the question we are asking as a family is ‘why should we pay back the lobola when it’s him who divorced our daughter?’
Another family member queried why Jacob was demanding a lobola refund from them yet he didn’t do that when he divorced one Chiyedza Shonhiwa but paid gupuro with no reservations.

The family members said Jacob had promised to pay back the money his wife used for his upkeep while living in South Africa but was yet to fulfil his promise.
Jacob is said to have ended the marriage through a WhatsApp message.

When reached for comment by The Standard, Masango refused to comment on the matter, saying it was private while Jacob ignored questions sent to him through the WhatsApp platform.

Standard