Vice President of Zimbabwe, Constantino Chiwenga, has filed for divorce from his 36-year-old wife, Mary, after a nasty fallout when he was seriously ill and hospitalised in South Africa.
According to insiders, Chiwenga believed he was poisoned by his wife who attempted to have him write a will in which she will be the largest beneficiary of their vast estate after his death.
The retired army general who toppled Robert Mugabe has reportedly instructed his lawyer Wilson Manase to handle the divorce proceedings. Zimbabwe Independent reported that Chiwenga and Mary have been living separately after he arrived the country from China where he was hospitalised for four months, before staging a remarkable recovery.
“The general was livid when the proposal (to write a will) was made. He was weak and emacipated, but summoned all the energy he had to let Marry know his feelings. He accused her of wanting him dead and even suggested that she could be working with his political rivals to poison or bewitch him,” a government official said.
“He then barred her from seeing him. When arrangements were made for the VP to be flown to China, she was kept in the dark. The general also made it clear that he did not want to see her while in China and that is the reason why she never visited him in Beijing when he was hospitalised there for four months.”
Officials said Chiwenga has not tried to hide his disdain for his wife even in public.“That is the reason why Marry was not part of the welcoming party at the Robert Mugabe International Airport when the general returned. It was not a coincidence. It was by design,” the official said.
“Mary was also not at the Chiwenga homestead last weekend when the general held a welcome home party. He did not mention her when he was mentioning people who stood by him when he was ill.”
It was further gathered that Mary ignited the Vice President’s wrath after she asked for a Marriage Act union as he battled for his life in the hospital.
Mary who is a former model and ex-wife of footballer Shingi Kawondera, only had a traditional marriage with the retired General in 2011 and they have two children together. The marriage is recognised under Zimbabwean law but carries complexities which notoriously brings grief to widows.
Chiwenga reportedly divorced his first wife Jocelyn in 2010, to clear the path for his marriage to Mary. He evicted Jocelyn from their matrimonial home using soldiers.
