A password-protected phone, a neighbour’s account and an $80 payment were at the centre of 2 separate adultery cases heard by traditional leaders in Manicaland, where the men involved were ordered to pay substantial compensation.
In one case, Irvine Shayamano said messages on his wife Talent’s phone exposed a relationship with Godfrey Madzimure while he was away working in Harare. In another, Farai Chiroto told Chief Mutasa’s community court that his wife, Enelesi Muchiko, and her married neighbour, Misheck Wafangepi, had tried to keep their affair from him by paying Wafangepi’s wife after they were caught together.
The cases involved different families and were heard before different traditional leaders. In the first, heard at Chief Makoni’s court, Madzimure was ordered to pay Shayamano 1 beast and US$140 in litigation costs. In the second, Chief Mutasa ordered Wafangepi to pay Chiroto 5 head of cattle, while Muchiko was told to compensate Wafangepi’s wife with 1 beast or US$350.
The messages that brought Shayamano’s case into the open were discovered after he grew concerned about his wife’s constant use of her mobile phone. He said Talent regularly exchanged WhatsApp messages and had placed a password on the device.
“I started suspecting that my wife was up to something. She was always on her phone, even when I was sleeping beside her. She eventually put a password on it, which made me even more suspicious.
“I later found a way to access the phone and discovered that my wife and Madzimure were in a relationship,” he said.
Shayamano said the correspondence showed that the relationship had continued for several months while he worked in Harare. He also alleged that, during his absence, Talent sent their children to Madzimure to collect money for relish.
When Shayamano tried to confront Madzimure, he said, the other man ended the call and switched off his phone.
“When I called Madzimure and tried to talk to him about the issue, he immediately hung up and switched off his phone,” he claimed.
Shayamano later presented screenshots of the messages. Talent initially denied the affair, but then admitted to the relationship and asked her husband to forgive her.
Madzimure did not deny being involved with Talent. He told the court that he believed she was divorced, and said her children had also described her as single. He maintained that he had avoided visiting her home because he did not want his own wife to discover the relationship.
“I met this woman and we eventually fell in love. She told me that she was no longer married and had separated from her husband. Her children also said their mother was divorced,” said Madzimure.
“I never knew she was still married,” he said.
Talent acknowledged that she had misled Madzimure about her marital status. She said she and Shayamano were no longer living together and described serious difficulties in her marriage, including what she said was abuse and a lack of financial support.
“I told Madzimure that I was not married because my husband and I were no longer staying together,” she said.
“My husband was abusive. There were times when he would chase me out of the house at night and I would sleep outside with the children. He was also not supporting us financially.”
Chief Makoni rejected Madzimure’s claim that he had believed Talent was single. The traditional leader said Madzimure’s decision not to visit her home was inconsistent with his account. The court ruled that Madzimure was liable for adultery and ordered him to pay Shayamano 1 beast, as well as US$140 towards litigation costs.
“It is cooked-up evidence that Talent told Madzimure that she was single. Madzimure knew that she was married, which is why he never went to her home,” ruled Chief Makoni.
“It is also difficult to believe that the children told him their mother was single.”
In the separate case before Chief Mutasa, Chiroto said rumours about Muchiko and Wafangepi had circulated for some time, but he had no proof until he learnt that Wafangepi’s wife had caught the pair together.
“This whole matter started with rumours. People kept telling me that this man was having an affair with my wife, but I had no proof,” said Chiroto.
He told the court that Wafangepi’s wife had demanded compensation after finding out about the affair. Chiroto said the couple then tried to pay her so that he would not learn what had happened.
“I later discovered that his wife had caught them red-handed. When she confronted them, my wife and this man allegedly tried to pay her to keep the matter secret,” he said.
Chiroto said Wafangepi’s wife told him that both Muchiko and Wafangepi had been expected to pay US$300 each. Muchiko paid US$80, he said, and the money was meant to hide the relationship rather than settle the matter openly.
“She confirmed everything to me. She said my wife was supposed to pay US$300 and her husband was also expected to pay US$300. My wife only paid US$80.
“What hurt me most was the reason for the payment. They were not paying because they were innocent. They were paying so that I would never find out,” he said.
Chiroto said Wafangepi initially denied the affair when confronted, but admitted it after Chiroto told him that Muchiko had already disclosed what was happening. He also said the affair took place in a tuckshop on his own property, where Muchiko worked, and that Wafangepi knew his working hours.
“This man knew my movements. He would wait for me to leave for work and my wife would close the tuckshop early. He would be intimate with my wife inside my own tuckshop, in my own yard.
“We are neighbours. That is what makes this even more painful,” charged Chiroto.
Wafangepi told the court that the relationship began in February and that the pair were caught in May. He said they had slept together twice, in the tuckshop, and that he knew Muchiko was married. He also said he was married and had 2 children.
“I started the relationship with his wife in February, and we were caught in May. We slept together twice.
“It happened in their tuckshop. I knew she was married and I am also married. I have a wife and two children,” he admitted.
Muchiko also acknowledged the affair and told the court she had 4 children with Chiroto.
“I have four children with my husband and I admit that I cheated with Wafangepi,” she told the court.
Chief Mutasa said the affair had affected both marriages and the wider families. The chief ordered Muchiko to compensate Wafangepi’s wife with 1 beast or US$350 for damaging her marriage. Wafangepi was ordered to pay Chiroto 5 head of cattle.
“You cannot solve a problem by paying someone to hide it. The truth eventually comes out.
“What happened here affected two families. There is a husband who was betrayed, and there is also a wife who discovered that her marriage was being interfered with,” said Chief Mutasa.
“Marriages should be protected. When people make such decisions, they must understand that their actions do not affect only two individuals. Children and entire families can suffer,” said Chief Mutasa.
The community-court cases came months after a separate High Court ruling in Harare involving Elizabeth Masvimbo and Natasha Masvimbo. In March 2026, the court ordered Natasha to pay Elizabeth US$8,000 over her relationship with Elizabeth’s husband, Martin. The award comprised US$4,000 for loss of consortium and US$4,000 for injury to Elizabeth’s dignity. The court also ordered Natasha to pay the costs of the suit.
The 3 cases involved different couples, evidence and proceedings. In the Manicaland hearings, the traditional leaders’ orders followed accounts that included WhatsApp messages, admissions from the people involved and the disputed payment to Wafangepi’s wife. In Harare, the High Court’s award followed a separate civil case and a finding that Elizabeth had suffered emotional and financial harm as her 20-year marriage collapsed.