Rusape Woman Sues Former Lover for US$1,000 Over Alleged Broken Marriage Promise After 13 Years Together

RUSAPE — A 49-year-old woman from Rusape took her former partner to a traditional court seeking compensation after accusing him of failing to honour a promise to marry her following 13 years of cohabitation.

Lainah Twakali appeared before Chief Makoni's community court demanding either three cattle or US$1,000 from her former partner, George Chipunda, 37, whom she accused of wasting her time and abandoning their relationship despite allegedly promising marriage. The couple reportedly met while working on a farm in Headlands in 2013 and lived together for more than a decade. They did not have any children together.

Twakali, a widow and mother of five, told the court that Chipunda had proposed marriage despite knowing her circumstances and family background.

“I stayed with Chipunda for 13 years after he promised to marry me. He did not fulfil his promise all these years, and that is why I brought this case before the court,” she told the traditional court.

She further alleged that the couple had jointly developed property during their relationship, including building a house and installing a borehole, but claimed that Chipunda later disposed of some of the assets. According to Twakali, members of Chipunda's family were aware of their relationship and had encouraged the couple to relocate to the village to safeguard their property.

Chipunda disputed Twakali's allegations and filed a counter-claim, arguing that he was the one whose time had been wasted during the relationship. He told the court that the pair had already shared their property after separating and denied owing her any compensation.

“May this court ask this woman to produce her national identity card and see the age difference between us?” Chipunda said. “I stayed with her from 2013 to 2026. Staying with this woman was more of force. I am the same age as her firstborn. She has five children and 12 grandchildren.”

Chipunda also alleged that Twakali repeatedly claimed to be pregnant during the relationship, only for him to later discover that the claims were false.

“She would claim she was pregnant, and I would buy all the preparations, only to discover that she was lying,” he told the court.

The 37-year-old further accused Twakali of damaging property after the relationship ended and said she had taken some roofing sheets from a house he had built.

Chipunda told the court that when the relationship ended, property was divided equally in the presence of police special constabulary officers. According to his testimony, Twakali received several goats and roofing sheets, while he sold two pigs that the couple owned because he could no longer afford the feeding costs.

In his judgment, Chief Makoni ruled that the evidence presented showed that the pair had been cohabiting but did not prove that either party had wasted the other's time. The traditional leader ordered Chipunda to pay Twakali US$120 or alternatively, provide her with a pig. He was also directed to cover court costs amounting to US$45. Chief Makoni further ruled that there was no basis for a divorce token because the two had never been legally or customarily married.

“The issue of a divorce token does not arise because the two were never married. They were simply boyfriend and girlfriend,” the Chief ruled.

Rusape broken marriage promise case