Harare – A disturbing case of alleged harassment and abuse unfolded at the Harare Civil Court this week, as 20-year-old Deon Njiri sought a peace order against her father, Arnold Njiri. Deon claims her father has subjected her to physical assaults and relentless insults, stemming from his demand that her mother check if she is still a virgin.
Deon told the court that her father, Arnold Njiri, physically abuses and verbally assaults her at every opportunity. “He beats me using his fist and pushes me against the wall,” she testified. “There is nothing I do that will please him. He says I am a prostitute and that my mother should check if I am still a virgin.”
The accusations against Mr Njiri paint a picture of a deeply troubled relationship. Deon further alleged: “He calls me a Satanist and that I am the reason he is suffering. He threatens me every time he gets a chance and chases me away from his house. One day when I was coming home from work, he came and poured urine in my food and started laughing. He opens my bedroom door when I am naked and he does not even say sorry.”
In his defence, Mr Njiri vehemently denied the allegations of assault and harassment. However, he admitted to calling his daughter a “Satanist,” claiming it was because “she cooks using her toothbrush.”
Mr Njiri offered a different perspective on their strained relationship. “I don’t beat her every time. She dropped out of school when she was in Form 6 and she ran away for a year,” he said. “Now that she came back, she came with her own rules. She goes to bands where she says she dances for Jah Signal and returns home in the morning.” He continued, “So, I beat her just to correct her and she fought back.”
Presiding magistrate Ms Meenal Nartam, after hearing both sides of the story, granted the peace order in favour of Deon. The order specifically prohibits Mr Njiri from insulting or threatening his daughter.
This case in Harare comes just two weeks after a similar, even more disturbing, incident in Inyathi, near Bulawayo. A 35-year-old man from Nhlabithini village 5 was arrested and charged with aggravated indecent assault for allegedly inserting his finger into his 10-year-old daughter’s private parts to “test her virginity.”
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the young victim, was arraigned before regional magistrate Joseph Mabeza and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Mabeza remanded him in custody.
The court heard that on an unspecified date, the accused arrived home and instructed his daughter to prepare food. He then allegedly asked her to accompany him to check on the woman they stayed with before. Afterwards, he allegedly asked her to sit on his lap and inquired whether the girl had engaged in any “mischievous acts” with men, including sleeping with them.
The accused then allegedly inserted his finger into the child’s private parts, while asking if the act was painful. The complainant disclosed the alleged abuse to her aunt, who reported the matter to the police, leading to his arrest.
These two cases, though different in their details, highlight a disturbing trend of patriarchal control and the violation of women’s and girls’ bodies in Zimbabwe. The demand for virginity tests, whether through physical assault or verbal abuse, reflects a deep-seated societal problem that needs to be addressed.
