Court documents reveal that the Maningi and Chavhuta families once shared a house for five years before they parted ways in 2005 amicably. “In 2005, my wife and Chavhuta had an affair. my wife used to lie that she was going to church but instead, she would meet Chavhuta at Hunyani River every Sunday.
“I then organised to meet my in-laws over the issue, but my wife moved out of the house before I could give my own decision,” says Maningi in documents at the courts.
After Chavhuta’s wife passed away in October 2006, Maningi said his ex-wife got married to the officer. Maningi is bitter that she took away his three children including twins now aged 22 years and the other aged 15 years, who have since dropped from schools as the police officer is a “careless father”.
Maningi, who had initially claimed four cattle he had paid as lobola was told to amend his claims by the courts after it was highlighted that courts could not grant adultery damages in the form of cattle on November 26 2010.
But on the next court hearing, Maningi was told by the court that he had defaulted as he failed to attend court on a date that was not known to him. Unknown to him, the case now had a different record number — CC03/11, instead of CC34/10 — which resulted in a default judgement being passed in favour of the senior police officer.
The officer, who is praying that the court does not rescind this default judgement, is opposing Maningi’s application on the basis that the two had long divorced when he married Rhoda.
