‘The pictures are fake!’ – wife ‘The mystery man will pay!’ – husband
A routine divorce case has taken a sordid twist after pictures of the married woman in bed with another man appeared on her Facebook story.
Although she denies uploading the pics and insists they are fake, Chipo Mpenya Rale’s husband is not convinced.
40-year-old Buyani Rale is now contesting the divorce on the grounds that the man in the picture wrecked his marriage.
Buyani insists he recognizes the mystery man and once he can formally identify him plans to sue for marriage wrecking.
Airing his grievances to The Voice last week, Buyani said his two-year marriage to Chipo turned sour last June when she stared receiving ‘uncomfortable calls’.
“She would leave me in our bedroom to answer calls in the sitting room. When I visit her in Borolong, there was a man who would call her in the wee hours and she sneaked out to answer it. When I asked why she is doing that, she said she did not want to disturb me sleeping,” said Buyani, shaking his head angrily the memory.
Painting a picture of an unhappy relationship, which began in a bar in Nata in 2016 and led to wedding bells two years later, Buyani claimed his wife would often go out at night without him.
“As if that was not enough, she changed her status on Facebook from being married to single. She used to leave me in the house claiming to be visiting her cousin in Tatisiding and would come back very late. Her late father intervened and she promised to change but she never did.”
Buyani admits his frustrations eventually got the better of him and he resorted to violence during a late night argument in September.
“I threw a can full of beer and it hit her in the head. She had come home around midnight and when I complained she told me I’m useless,” continued the professional builder, who is a bricklayer and plasterer by trade.
According to Buyani, it was late on Friday (26 February) night when his brother showed him the pictures that had just popped up on Chipo’s Facebook account.
“I realised the man she was sleeping with once came to visit my father-in-law when he was admitted at the hospital,” seethed Buyani, growing increasingly agitated as the interview played out.
For her part, Chipo, a teacher at Borolong Primary School, denied ever sleeping with another man.
She insisted the pictures were photoshopped, adding she has no idea who the other man is.
However, she was at a loss to explain how the pics ended up on her social media.
The emotional mother-of-five, the youngest of which was fathered by Buyani, told The Voice she filed for divorce back in November because she was sick of her husband’s abusive ways.
“I really don’t know what this man wants from me. I am done with him. He is an abuser! He assaulted me and threatened to stab me with a knife. I now live in fear and do not feel safe around him. He does not show any love and affection to me and attempts at reconciliation by both our parents have failed. I just want him to sign the divorce papers,” stressed a weary-sounding Chipo.
Despite claiming the police had encouraged her to open an assault and threat to kill case against Buyani, Chipa said she decided not to as she did not want ‘to complicate his life’.