‘You stole my husband, now give me half-a- Million!’

WOMAN DEMANDS HALF A MILLION PULA OR 143 COWS FOR MARRIAGE WRECKING

*Former Mayor’s daughter guilty of marriage wrecking

Adamant it would take a small fortune to mend her broken heart, a Lobatse woman told court she wanted P500, 000 from her husband’s lover for destroying their marriage.

Taking into account her rival’s affluent background, failing cash, Wendy Khan, 42, said she was willing to accept 143 cows.

However, although Peleng Customary Court agreed that 40-year-old schoolteacher, Pearl Raphael must pay, they ruled P10, 000 or four cows would be suitable compensation.

To add intrigue to the case, the cheating couple, Ahmat Seatla Khan, 33, and his lover, Raphael, both have high profile parents.

Raphael is the daughter of former Lobatse Mayor, Malebogo Kruger, while Khan’s father is current Deputy Director of Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Rahim Khan.

Making her case for a bumper payday, Wendy told court love was very much in the air when she married Khan on 15 May, 2015.

According to the unemployed complainant, married life was bliss until December 2019, when Raphael, a teacher at Ipelegeng Junior Secondary School, arrived on the scene.

The fired-up wife claimed she first realised something was going on when she caught her mechanic husband out drinking with Raphael.

Although Wendy conveyed her concerns to Khan’s relatives, who reportedly told him to stay away from the other woman, it seems he could not resist Raphael’s charms.

Over the next few months, a humiliated Wendy had to collect her husband from his mistress’ house several times.

For her part, Raphael, who was equally as fired-up as her accuser, hit back with accusations of her own.

She told court that when Khan first proposed love to her, she only agreed because he insisted his marriage was over.

“To prove it, he took his ring off his finger and threw it away!”

Raphael also blamed Khan for ruining her own marriage aspirations.

“I was supposed to be married in December 2019 and it failed because Seatla rudely destroyed my marriage with pride. There was nothing that forced him to leave his family because he knew very well that he sworn for his marriage.

“It is heartbreaking; I am the one who could have opened a case since my marriage was destroyed,” maintained the accused.

Choosing her words carefully, Raphael told court she suspects the couple set her up, and were working together with the intention of suing for marriage wrecking.

“Every time he came round to my place, Wendy arrived immediately after to pick him up!”

Her anger growing with every word, Raphael further accused her accuser of not running her marriage properly.

“The issue that Wendy demands large sums of money from me, she wants to frustrate herself because she failed to run her marriage with her husband. That’s why she even says her husband sold things and demanded money from me while those things were eaten by her own husband! She could be suing her own husband for the properties such as cars and tractors she claimed he sold.”

When passing judgment, Kgosi Modise Senyarelo noted although it was traditional in Setswana culture for an aggrieved wife to seek compensation for marriage wrecking, such large figures were not part of the practice.

“It is not a business like some might think and demand any amount. The amount demanded by the complainant has never been there in Setswana culture, it does not even match the bride price (bogadi),” stated the chief.

He further pointed out Khan bore part of the responsible for wrecking his own marriage.

“It was witnessed that the husband was always hunted like an animal and mostly found at the accused place. If he was an animal he could be tied may be the situation would be better!” said Chief Senyarelo.

Despite this, court still found Raphael guilty for accepting Khan’s visits and failing to chase him away even though she knew he was married.

“The issue that the complainant has never caught her having sex with her husband cannot be a defence because sex is something done in secret and it was revealed that most of the time the husband was found at the accused place, they were always inside a closed house,” added the Kgosi.

After court, Raphael told The Voice she plans to appeal the ruling.