Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga, terminated his marriage to estranged wife, Mary Mubaiwa, in 2019 by paying a traditional token of US$100, which was handed over to her by a former commander of an elite army unit, according to the privately-owned NewsDay newspaper.
The newspaper reports that High Court judge, Justice Owen Tagu, ruled yesterday that Chiwenga sent an emissary, Retired General Anselem Sanyatwe, on November 24, 2019, to hand over the money (known as gupuro in Shona) to Mubaiwa.
As a result, Justice Tagu said the marriage had already ended when Chiwenga filed for divorce in Zimbabwe’s courts.
Justice Tagu is quoted in the newspaper as saying, “… It is declared that by the time proceedings in HC 9837/19 were instituted, the customary union between the parties had ceased to subsist. The ancillary issues relating to custody, maintenance and property rights of the parties are stood down for determination at trial, which shall be set down by the defendant as and when she is able to prosecute the matter.”
Mubaiwa, who is battling lymphedema, facing charges of money laundering, attempted murder and fraud. She allegedly attempted to kill Chiwenga while he was bedridden.
She was unavailable for comment as she did not respond to calls on her mobile phone.
Sanyatwe, who is currently the Zimbabwean ambassador to Tanzania, was the commander of the Presidential Guard and tactical commander of a military unit that was deployed in Harare on August 1, 2018, where it opened fire and killed about six people.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2020 designated Anselem Sanyatwe for his involvement in alleged human rights abuses, including directing an attack on peaceful demonstrators and political opponents in Zimbabwe.
Announcing the restrictions imposed on Sanyatwe, the Donald Trump administration said, “In July 2018, Zimbabwe held its first elections since the resignation of former President Robert Mugabe in late 2017. Protesters subsequently took to the streets to speak out against the flawed elections. According to public reports, on August 1, 2018, security forces fired live ammunition to disperse the protesters, resulting in the deaths of at least six individuals and many more injured.
“According to multiple sources, Sanyatwe, in his former role as the commander of the Zimbabwean National Army’s Presidential Guard Brigade, activated and deployed troops to multiple parts of the capital city to attack and silence the demonstrators. Sanyatwe reportedly ordered a member of the Zimbabwean military to shoot protestors. Sanyatwe was later appointed as the Zimbabwe Ambassador to Tanzania, a position he still occupies.
“Sanyatwe is being designated for being responsible for, or participating in, human rights abuses related to political repression in Zimbabwe.”