'My wife slept with Gumbura'

'My wife slept with Gumbura'

HARARE - A disgruntled man has accused his wife of having sexual intercourse with jailed Independent End Time Message founder Robert Martin Gumbura and seven other church members.

Romeo Ezra yesterday told Harare Civil Court magistrate Tafadzwa Muvhami that his wife, Octavia was told by church members to confess that she had an affair with Gumbura.

Ezra also told the court that his wife has been hiding her HIV status until one of their children told him that she was taking tablets.

He revealed this after Octavia dragged him before the court seeking a protection order.

Octavia claims Ezra humiliates her in front of their children.

“She is an Independent End Time Message member and was having extra-marital affairs with eight church members including their pastor, Gumbura, the one in jail,” Ezra said.

He added: “Her pastor (Gumbura) told me that my wife was writing letters to him complaining about our marriage.

“According to their church principles, they are not allowed to watch television and listen to radio but she keeps a lot of End Time Message DVDs which she watches on her laptop.

“One day, I asked her to fetch water for me and I played the CDs only to find out that they were pornographic CDs.

My house is now full of those CDs and cassettes and everything in our house has been put under the church.”

However, Octavia refuted her husband’s claims but said she was only human and could date whoever she wanted.

She said that Ezra deserted her and the children five years ago, only to come and harass her in the presence of the children.

Octavia said her husband tells her friends that she is a prostitute and should be careful when talking to her. She wanted Ezra to be barred from their matrimonial house and her workplace.

Ezra said Octavia burnt all his engineering books claiming they were evil.

He said Octavia told him that she was given Gumbura as her spiritual father by church members but scolds her mother using obscene words.

“She has demons and I once witnessed it in her church. She keeps a knife and an axe behind the wardrobe and she told me that if I remove them ndinoita chimukuyu (I will die). After all this, the pastor (Gumbura) even told me to visit her at her workplace saying he had exorcised the demons,” Ezra said.

Muvhami ordered Ezra not to verbally and physically abuse his wife, further instructing the man to observe peace with his wife.