Man Covered In Scars After 3 Years Of Wife Battering

A Mutare man has approached Chief Mutasa’s community court seeking intervention after enduring three years of regular assaults by his wife.

Lloyd Samanyanga claimed that over the past three years, his wife Dorcas Dzvairo has routinely assaulted him using a wooden cooking stick, leaving his body covered in scars and bite marks.

Samanyanga, whose face was swollen when he appeared before the court, said the violence began shortly after he married Dzvairo in 2023 and has persisted despite repeated efforts by both families to resolve their disputes.

“My wife is very abusive. Ever since I married her, I have never known peace. I sought help from my parents, and they tried talking to her, but nothing changed,” said Samanyanga.

“I also reported the matter to her parents, who intervened several times, but the assaults continued.”

Samanyanga initially believed the tensions in their marriage stemmed from difficulties in conceiving, but the beatings continued even after they had a child.

He said the situation became so serious that his in-laws arranged for the couple to seek help from a faith healer in an effort to address the persistent conflict.

Samanyanga said the healer attributed their marital problems to spiritual issues and recommended certain traditional processes, which the family allegedly followed.

“We were taken to a faith healer, who said my wife was not supposed to be married because she was spiritually married to a goblin. Her parents confirmed what the healer said,” said Samanyanga.

“They were told there were traditional rituals that should have been performed before she got married.

“We followed that advice and, after that, she fell pregnant and we were later blessed with a child. But the beatings never stopped.”

Samanyanga further alleged that many of the disputes were triggered by rumours and comparisons made by his wife’s friends.

He said he had previously reported an assault case at Penhalonga Police Station but later withdrew the charges in the hope of saving his marriage.

He also accused his wife of excessive alcohol consumption, claiming it contributed to her alleged violent behaviour.

Dzvairo dismissed the allegations, accusing her husband and his relatives of working together to damage her reputation.

She accused Samanyanga of failing to adequately provide for the family, saying financial struggles were at the heart of their marital problems.

Dzvairo further claimed that the couple’s relationship had broken down to the point where they were no longer intimate.

“It has now been two months since we last had sex,” she said.

After hearing submissions from both parties, Chief Mutasa condemned all forms of domestic violence and urged the couple to seek legal and family intervention before the situation deteriorated further.

The traditional leader also encouraged Samanyanga to formally report any alleged assaults to the police so that the matter could be handled through the appropriate legal channels.

“If there has been violence, it should be reported to the police. The law must be allowed to take its course while the families work towards resolving their differences,” said Chief Mutasa.

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