HARARE – Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s estranged wife, Mary, claims the former army commander wants her dead and on occasions she has “felt like giving up.”
The ailing 37-year-old former model was wheeled into court this week on a stretcher bed. She was due to stand trial for assaulting their child minder in the heat of the couple’s child custody battle, but the trial was postponed to next year owing to her poor health.
She also faces charges of attempted murder over claims she tried to kill Chiwenga in a South African hospital, and money laundering charges relating to foreign payments amounting to nearly US$2 million for a house in South Africa and luxury vehicles.
Mubaiwa says doctors have advised her to travel abroad to seek hospital treatment for her undisclosed ailment which is manifesting in the swelling of her feet, arms and hands.
“I can’t go because they won’t release my passport. They want me dead and are using every trick in the book. I only pray to God that I get healed. I’m in pain,” Mubaiwa told NewsDay in an interview published on Wednesday.
Mubaiwa, the daughter of former Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa, claims Chiwenga has fabricated criminal charges against him to deprive her of access to the couple’s three children. Chiwenga also told a court that she was a drug addict.
So stressful has been her lack of access to her children aged eight, seven and five she feels “as good as dead.”
She added: “A lot has been cooked, what’s worse than being called a potential killer, a witch, a drug addict?
“My rights as a woman have been violated. I have faced the worst because of my husband. He is preparing more. I know the truth and I will stand for that.
“They have created all sorts of allegations against me, labelling me all sorts of names and vowing to crush me with all arsenal at their disposal. It’s scary, but God will always protect his own. I pray that one day people will get to know the truth and it will be soon.”
She recounted a recent incident during which her belongings were loaded onto a truck from their Borrowdale home and dumped at her offices in Eastlea, allegedly on the orders of Chiwenga.
An unregistered blue Mazda BT50 has also been stalking her, she said.
She added: “I fear for my life at the moment. I’m living in fear. I just don’t know why I’m being stalked and my calls being monitored. The level of intimidation is just too much. If anything happens to me, there would be no witnesses.
“This has been happening for a while now. What wrong have I done? What sin have I committed to deserve this?
“First, it was him (Chiwenga) who instructed his subordinates to pack my belongings, including my undergarments and dump them at my offices. Who does that to the mother of his children, instructing subordinates to take your spouse’s undergarments?
“It is really sad that we have men who still take pride in dehumanising women to that extent. God has ways of bringing out the truth and as they say, the truth will set me free. I have a lot to say, but I will be quiet, out of respect for my children, mine and his (Chiwenga) own integrity.”
During her dramatic court appearance on Monday, she revealed that she broke down.
“I’m sick. I really cried outside court. I felt I had had enough and felt like giving up, but I just prayed to God to protect me. That is how I gathered strength,” she added.
Chiwenga and his wife are in the middle of an acrimonious divorce.
It was recently reported that Chiwenga unilaterally delivered some assets to her as a divorce settlement without the parties reaching an agreement.
The “consolidated list of assets for distribution for the parties” submitted by Chiwenga to Mary’s lawyers omitted assets like houses, housing stands, farms and business premises.
Chiwenga offered his wife a king-size bed, leather sofas, carpets, a refrigerator, chest of drawers, a television set, mirrors and tables from the main bedroom.
From the kitchen, Chiwenga was willing to give Mubaiwa glasses, cutlery, pots, trays, a washing machine and other utensils.
Chiwenga, through his lawyers Manase and Manase, also listed nine vehicles he said he was willing to release to his estranged wife, including two Range Rovers, two Ford Rangers, a Chevrolet, a Jeep, a Mercedes-Benz C200, Mercedes Benz E300 and a Kia Rio.
According to the list, Mary would also keep other immovable properties in Zimbabwe and South Africa and her offices in Eastlea.
The consolidated list omits immovable properties that the couple shared and resided in, including a house at 5 Rosary Close in the Quinnington area of Borrowdale suburb measuring 5,701 square meters and the famous Borrowdale Brooke mansion.
Chiwenga will also keep Orchid Farm (formerly Arda Farm) along Domboshava Road. The couple also had Chivaraidze Farm (900 hectares) and Mermaids Pool (1,000 hectares) which is also excluded from the list.
The Vice-President also left out premises in Victoria Falls, Harare’s Willowvale industrial area and Marondera as well as housing stands in Harare’s Crowhill, New City of Harare (400 hectares), Gletwin, Chishawasha and Glen Lorne.
Apart from the farm, Chiwenga said he would like to keep furniture from his lounge including sofas, mirrors, paintings, a television set, mirrors, a leopard trophy, lion trophy, and furniture from another lounge.
From the Gazebo, Chiwenga wants the snooker table, a refrigerator, a freezer, bar stools, chairs, sofas, and tables. He also wants one events tent for each party.
In a landmark ruling in July, the Supreme Court ruled that married couples are entitled to an equal share of property (immovable and movable) regardless of their contribution to acquiring the said property.
