By A Correspondent

Harare – A Highfield man has been granted a protection order against his wife, who allegedly tried to coerce him—through violence and emotional abuse—into accepting paternity for a pregnancy she conceived during an affair with their neighbour.

Hardlife Mutasa told the court that his wife, Juliet Mupindu, became physically and emotionally abusive after he questioned the paternity of her two-month pregnancy, which he claims could not be his as he had been away for several weeks on contract work.

“I am tired of being abused by the woman I used to love. I am confident that I am not the father of the baby,” Mutasa testified before Magistrate Johanna Mukwesha. He revealed that he discovered the affair with their neighbour—also his friend—after returning home and confronting Mupindu about the suspicious timing.

According to Mutasa, his wife not only denied wrongdoing but became aggressive, demanding he raise the child regardless of its origin. “She says I must accept the pregnancy because we are married, and when I try to walk away, she grabs whatever is near her—a pot, a shoe, anything—and throws it at me,” he said.

Mutasa added that the abuse escalated to the point where he sustained a deep cut on his forehead. He also claimed Mupindu locked him inside the house on several occasions to force him to accept the pregnancy.

“I do not hate her, but I cannot live like this. She made her choices, now she wants to punish me for them,” he lamented.