A Bulawayo man who felt he “married the wrong woman” lamented before a court that he was no longer interested in his wife who stabbed him on seven different occasions with a knife.

Elelwani Moyo from suburbs said his fears went a gear up after his wife Nosizo Moyo who had been using different knives to attack him bought another “sharp blade” which she threatened to finish him off with.

He said for the past three years they had been married, he was harassed, coercively controlled, intimidated and abused by a woman who promised to love him for the rest of his life when they got married on 23 December 2017.
He made the revelations after his wife, who was seeking a restraining order against him, claimed he had been physically abusive to her barely two months into their marriage.

“I have been married to Elelwani Moyo since 23 December 2017 under the Marriages Act Chapter 5:11. Two months into the marriage and up to date he has been abusive towards me. He assaults me with fists and sometimes he uses a belt. Three weeks ago, he banged my head against the wall. I eventually left and went to my parents’ house. He also insults and calls me barren and when he beats me up, he threatens to kill me,” claimed Nosizo.

Elelwani, who was not opposed to the application, pleaded with the presiding magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu to grant a reciprocal order saying he was the one who was on the receiving end.

“I am not opposed to the application but I want the court to grant a reciprocal order. The reason being that since we got married, she has made my life hard. She has been physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to me and my family. She is aggressive to everyone who is related to me.

“Things worsened in June 2018, when I had to sleep on the floor sometimes just to avoid her. She would come and pour cold water on me as a way of provoking me. As if that was not enough, in October this year, she stabbed me with a knife and I have scars all over my body,” he said amid sobs.

He produced different pictures of the knives his wife used to attack him with, and said he didn’t report her to the police thinking she would change.

“The abuse went on until 2019 when she bought different knives to attack me. I just reported once to the police thinking she would change. She has stabbed me more than seven times and she does it on different occasions and with a different knife. She bought another one which she says she wants to kill me with,” said Elelwani adding that his wife was also using an electrical cord to assault him.

When asked by the magistrate if he was still interested in the marriage, shaking his head in disbelief, Elelwani said: “It is hard to stay with her. She made my life hard and miserable. She is also denying me access to the house”.
Nosizo also said she was no longer interested in her husband.

After observing that the two parties’ marriage seemed to have irretrievably broken down with no prospect for a restoration, the magistrate who had initially suggested to refer them for counselling later granted a reciprocal order compelling them to keep peace by not physically, verbally and emotionally abusing each other.