The tumultuous divorce proceedings between Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and his estranged wife Mary Mubaiwa Chiwenga, has gotten even nastier.
We can confirm that the Vice President has made a series of damaging allegations against Mary as he seeks to win custody of the couple’s three minor children. According to the Vice President, Mary Mubaiwa Chiwenga is a drug addict who is not fit to have custody of the couple’s children.
He argues that she is addicted to synthetic opioid pain medication, Pethidine. Under Zimbabwe law, Pethidine is considered a dangerous drug which is only prescribed under the most stringent conditions. iHarare has established from the Daily News, that in his High Court application which was filed on the 3rd of December, Chiwenga argued,
The plaintiff (Chiwenga) prays that custody of the minor children be awarded to him, aside from the fact that the plaintiff is the father, guardian and natural custodian of the minor children.
The plaintiff avers that it is in the best interest of the minor children that he be awarded custody due to the reason that the defendant (Marry) is a drug addict.
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| Zimbabwe's Army Commander General Constantine Chiwenga is pictured during the countries 28 years Independence celebration in Harare on April 18, 2008. AFP PHOTO / Alexander JOE (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER JOE/AFP via Getty Images) |
It is thus not proper and just to leave the plaintiff’s children in such a hostile and dangerous environment.
On the other hand, the plaintiff is better placed to take better care of the minor children in that he is fit and healthy with no drug addiction problems.
Plaintiff can better cater to the needs of the children as he is gainfully employed and has suitable, comfortable accommodation to ensure that the lives of the children are not affected by the divorce.
In her response, however, Mary denied that she was a drug addict and accused Chiwenga of seeking to tarnish her image. She argued that she uses Pethidine for pain relief following the injuries she sustained in the White City Bombing in Bulawayo, a few weeks before the August 2018 elections. Said Mary,
The defendant’s husband issued summons on December 3, 2019, seeking an order for formal sharing of the matrimonial property further to the dissolution of marriage.
In that matter, he seeks to tarnish the applicant’s image by saying that she is addicted to pethidine, an unfortunate allegation coming as it does from someone who has first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s health and the pain she endures from the wounds on her body.
In his court papers, Vice President Chiwenga has made it clear that he wants sole custody of the children although he is willing to share the property they acquired with Mary. However, he also makes it clear that Mary should not get the Borrowdale Brook house she was staying in because it was acquired before their relationship. Chiwenga has previously said that the property has sentimental value for him. Instead, he has offered Mary another house in Borrowdale Brooke. He goes on to say,
The plaintiff acquired the following assets for the defendant namely: a property called Stand number 591 Borrowdale Brooke, Harare … measuring 3198 square metres, a Land Rover Discovery, a Range Rover Sport and a Ford Ranger pick-up truck.
The plaintiff does not wish to lay claim to these assets and accordingly, they must be awarded to the defendant.
The case is still ongoing. Mary is presently incarcerated in remand prison after she was denied bail. The embattled second lady is facing numerous allegations which include, the externalisation of US$1 million dollars as well as attempting to kill Chiwenga.
The charges also include illegally solemnizing a secret marriage presided over by Acting Chief Magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi without Chiwenga’s consent. She is presently incarcerated in the females’ section of Chikurubi prison after she was denied bail on Monday.
Her lawyers are currently scrambling to have her released by the High Court.
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