A Zimbabwean man identified as Maxmillan Tapiwa Kondowe has sued his father-in-law, Charles Bandera, to get the significant sum of US$2,700 bride price he paid for his new wife.
Kondowe filed the lawsuit after discovering that his bride-to-be was involved in an affair and cheated on him before their wedding ceremony. He revealed that he paid the bride price for Shumirai Bandera in March 2021, but faced a stipulation from the bride’s father, requiring him not to live with his wife-to-be until after their formal wedding ceremony.
Two months later, Kondowe stumbled upon compelling evidence, WhatsApp messages on his wife’s phone, indicating her involvement with another man.
A confrontation ensued, wherein she allegedly confessed to the infidelity, prompting Kondowe to terminate the marriage and seek a full lobola refund.
Bandera, upon being served the summons, failed to present a defence, resulting in a default judgment against him. Subsequently, he sought to rescind the judgement, citing the magistrate’s purported lack of jurisdiction and the reasonableness of his defence.
The legal complexities deepened as Bandera sought an interim order to halt the execution of the default judgment, which was dismissed by the civil court. This spurred Bandera’s appeal to the High Court, successfully obtaining a temporary suspension of the judgement’s execution until a formal hearing is convened.
