My best friend stole my husband!

Daniel Chida
DEVASTATED:Deborah Moitoi Lepere

*She attended our wedding and gave us P100 as a present

Convinced they are having an affair behind her back, a feeling that intensified when she found condoms hidden in his pocket, a 57-year-old Mochudi woman has lost both her husband and her best friend in one cruel swoop.

After four years of marriage, Deborah Moitoi Lepere has been served with divorce papers by Phillip Matutu Thebe.

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Although the 65-year-old has reportedly cited his wife’s failure to accept his four children from a previous marriage as his reason for seeking a divorce, Lepere is adamant it is because he wants to continue seeing her childhood friend and church mate, Esther Ngwanawapula Mampani.

The trio have a long history, attending Molefi Senior Secondary School together in the mid 80s.

In an exclusive interview with The Voice, a sobbing Lepere said losing her husband was hard for her to accept as she still loves her man.

The teary-eyed lady claimed all was well in their marriage until Thebe started acted differently early last year.

DIVORCING: Phillip Matutu Thebe
DIVORCING: Phillip Matutu Thebe

“His habits changed. He would go to the farm and not come home until late in the evening,” she recalled bitterly.

Bored out of her mind all alone at home, Lepere said she tried to call Mampani but the phone rang unanswered and there was no response to her text messages.

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Fearing her friend could be in trouble, the following morning Lepere went to check on Mampani but got the shock of her life when she discovered her husband’s car parked outside the other woman’s house.

“I knocked but no one opened the door until I confronted the neighbours who confirmed there were two people inside. Because of the noise we were making, they finally opened and my husband was there with no shame or remorse at all!”

Lepere says she left after her attempts to engage the pair in conversation to find out what was happening bore no fruits.

The couple’s strained relationship then suffered another blow at the start of lockdown, with Lepere having to stay in Gaborone to be near her physician while Thebe opted to remain in Mochudi.

Eager to see her man after so long apart, Lepere rushed back to Mochudi as soon as the restrictions were eased.

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However, he was not home.

“He was not there when I arrived and since I knew the suspect I went there and found them again. I approached my friend who was so rude to me, to a point where I had to ask her what type of friend she was.”

The wounded wife says her worst fears were confirmed when she found condoms in her husband’s pocket.

“He started sleeping with his clothes on despite the fact I was asking for sex. He told me to ask the man who was building our house for sex if I needed it!” she narrated, adding it was shortly after this outburst that Thebe revealed he wanted a divorce.

According to Lepere, during a family meeting, Thebe accused her of not loving his four children and was the reason why he wanted to split up.

“Who is going to marry me at this stage of life? My friend stabbed me in the back and I will never forgive her for the hurt she has put me through!”

Documenting her once close friendship with Mampani, Lepere added, “She is someone we shared a lot from School and at Church. Even on our wedding day she gave us P100 as a present and I used to confide in her.”

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ACCUSED: Mampani
ACCUSED: Mampani

Adding to Lepere’s hurt is her fear Thebe may have been in love with the other woman since childhood.

“He told me he once proposed love to Mampani when they were students but failed. It means all these years he wanted her behind my back,” she concluded with a defeated sigh.

Meanwhile, Thebe confirmed he was seeking a divorcing but refused to be drawn into discussing the matter, saying all details were covered in court and with family members.

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On the other side, Mampani distanced herself from the ‘love-triangle’ and insisted she was not aware of the divorce.

“Yes, she found her husband at my house twice, does that mean we were cheating, no, we are farmers who meet from time to time,” maintained Mampani, who had no recollection of Thebe’s alleged love proposal in their youth.

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