Couple married 30 years slapped with reciprocal protection order, hubby claims wife is “reckless and useless”

A Harare couple who have been married for more than 30 years have been slapped with a reciprocal protection order after their marriage descended into allegations of threats, beatings and abuse over a crashed car.

Patience Bodzo appeared before the Harare Civil Court, claiming her husband, Michael Bodzo, had been harassing, threatening and verbally and emotionally abusing her.

In a harrowing account, she told the court he had threatened to shoot her.

“He has been threatening to kill me with a pistol. He abuses me emotionally and physically. He must stop beating, threatening, verbally and emotionally abusing me,” she said.

Patience told the court she had been forced to flee their family home and had medical reports to prove she had been beaten.

“I ran away from home because Michael has been beating me,” she said.

But Michael, who told the court he usually lives outside the country, dismissed the allegations as false and said he expected his wife to know what he wants after three decades together.

“I do not stay with her. I usually stay out of the country,” he said.

The court heard the flashpoint was a brand-new Toyota Hilux he had bought for his wife, which she was involved in an accident with.

“She is reckless and useless because she crashed with a brand-new Toyota Hilux that I had bought for her,” he told the court.

“She did fake panel beating when repairing the car. Being careless with things is one of the issues that makes me go mad at her.

“She does not work. I bought her a car and a house, and she does not have a sense of responsibility.”

Michael said he had bought a three-bedroom flat in Pretoria for their children to use while at university in South Africa.

“I bought these houses for my children to stay in when pursuing their degrees in South Africa,” he said.

He accused his wife of wasting money by telling their child to rent elsewhere.

“She told our child to stay in a rented apartment, not in the flat that I bought to cut costs. She is completely a useless person,” he said.

In a chilling admission in court, he said he does not hesitate to use violence when angry.

“I do not hesitate to beat her whenever I am angry. I do not hesitate to beat her with a chair or a table when I get angry,” he said.

After hearing submissions from both parties, presiding magistrate Johanna Mukwesha granted a reciprocal protection order barring both husband and wife from harassing and insulting each other.

The order is valid for five years. Mukwesha ordered the couple to live in peace and to attend counselling within three months.

More: The Herald