A Harare man, Joseph Katumba, has accused his wife, Stella Kangara, of denying him his conjugal rights for nearly a decade as punishment for being unemployed.
Katumba shared his ordeal in court, alleging that his wife reacts violently whenever he attempts to be int!mate with her.
“She screams, bites, and scratches me whenever I touch her. She yells, ‘You want to k!ll me!’ and pushes me away,” Katumba said, describing how he has been sleeping on the floor for nine years while his wife occupies their matrimonial bed. Seeking relief, Katumba requested a protection order against his wife, claiming her actions amounted to emotional and psychological abuse.
In her defence, Stella argued that her husband’s unemployment had rendered him unappealing.
“I am not a s3x object. I need emotional and financial security to feel loved and appreciated. My husband’s lack of effort to get a job has killed my desire for intimacy. Sometimes we sleep on an empty stomach, and he demands s3x when I don’t even have the energy for it,” she told the court.
Magistrate Meenal Naratom, presiding over the case, condemned Stella’s actions, emphasizing that unemployment, while challenging, does not justify abusive behaviour.
“While unemployment can be a significant stressor, it does not justify physical and emotional abuse,” the magistrate stated. The court granted Joseph a protection order, prohibiting Stella from further abuse. Magistrate Naratom also advised the couple to pursue marriage counselling to address their challenges and work toward rebuilding their relationship.