In a shocking turn of events, Maxmillan Tapiwa Kondowe takes legal action against his father-in-law, Charles Bandera, in pursuit of a substantial US$2,700 bride price refund.
The grounds for this legal pursuit? The discovery of his wife’s betrayal before their wedding ceremony.
Having paid the bride price for Shumirai Bandera in March 2021, Kondowe faced a stipulation from the bride’s father, imposing a condition to refrain from cohabiting with his betrothed until after the formal wedding ceremony.
Two months later, Kondowe stumbles upon a shocking revelation – WhatsApp messages on his wife’s phone, serving as compelling evidence of her involvement with another man.
Confrontation ensues, leading to a confession of infidelity from Shumirai Bandera.
Prompted by this heart-wrenching revelation, Kondowe terminates the marriage, seeking a complete lobola refund. Bandera’s failure to present a defense results in a default judgment against him.
However, the legal complexities escalate as Bandera seeks to rescind the judgment, citing jurisdictional issues and the reasonableness of his defense.
Bandera’s attempt to halt the execution of the default judgment through an interim order is dismissed by the civil court.
Undeterred, he appeals to the High Court, securing a temporary suspension of the judgment’s execution until a formal hearing is convened.
