"Marriage" Ends After In-laws Demand Lobola Top Up

A Mutasa couple was reportedly married for a few minutes before the bride’s parents broke off the union after finding out that the man was not a virgin, and was in fact, a divorcee.

The man, Prince Stefano (30) of Mandeya Village, told The Manica Post that he paid a bride price of US$345 for 21-year-old Chiedza Mudzedze who is said to be a virgin. He said:

I paid US$345 as the bride price. That is what had been communicated to me. However, when we went for the bride price-paying ceremony, they demanded US$800, which I did not have.

They said they would only give me my wife after paying the full amount, but these were only delaying tactics.

They did not want me to marry Chiedza because they had found out that I have a nine-year-old son.

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Stefano said he paid the bride price on 3 March this year but the Mudzedze family recently informed him that they would refund him his money. He said:

Chiedza is a virgin, I understand, but her family is just bitter. Her bitter sister sent me voice notes saying I was a pauper and that as a family, they had agreed that I will not be able to take care of her sister.

He said he has approached Chiedza’s family to get a reimbursement, but they seem reluctant to refund him.

Chiedza, who is from Nyatsuro Village, Honde Valley, told The Manica Post that she is worth more than US$345 as she is a virgin. She said:

I am a virgin and where in this world have you heard of a virgin being married for that lousy amount? I am still young.

I am only 21 and will eventually find someone worthy of me, someone who has never been with another woman.

Prince wasted my time and lied to me that he was a virgin too. Had I not probed him, he would not have told me of his previous marriage.

I will not compete with another woman for him. Do you think his ex-wife will be happy if she hears that he married me?

We will give him his money but on our own terms. He should stop sending people here. You can also tell him that he is a loser.

Chiedza’s sister, who refused to identify herself, said Prince disrespected her family for showing up for the lobola ceremony dressed in a pair of ripped Denim trousers, a work-suit jacket and some crocs slippers. She said:

It was shameful for him to show up like that. What sort of dressing is that? We will not have it as a family.

It shows that he is very disrespectful. We will refund him when we feel like it.

As it is, we feel as if we deserve that money because they did not even bring any groceries, save for one chicken.

We prepared them our food, yet they had come with a car. They pretended to be well up, yet they are not.

Prince’s aunt, Tsitsi Munyebvu Stefano said her family is planning to report the matter to the traditional leadership of the area so that they get a refund. She said:

This is a family of crooks. They should have told us that they had decided otherwise before accepting Prince’s money.

I don’t know why Prince went for the lobola ceremony while donning a pair of ripped jeans and informal shoes.

What I know is that he is a good man. He did not know that he had a son until last year when his ex-wife told him.

Can that really be held against someone? I do not think so.

The families should find each other so that we can move forward. We love our daughter-in-law and I believe she also loves Prince.

In Zimbabwe, virginity is highly valued as a sign of purity, chastity, and moral fortitude but in most cases focus is on the bride rather than the bridegroom.

It is believed that a virgin wife will be more faithful, loyal, and submissive to her husband.

More: Pindula News