A Harare man, Joseph Katumba, has accused his wife, Stella Kangara, of denying him conjugal rights for nearly a decade, citing his unemployment as the reason. Katumba brought his case to court, alleging that his wife becomes violent whenever he attempts to initiate intimacy.
“She screams, bites, and scratches me whenever I touch her. She yells, ‘You want to kill me!’ and pushes me away,” Katumba recounted.
He also revealed that he has been forced to sleep on the floor for nine years while his wife occupies their matrimonial bed. Claiming emotional and psychological abuse, Katumba sought a protection order against her.
In her defense, Stella argued that her husband’s failure to secure a job has made him unappealing to her.
“I am not a sex object. I need emotional and financial security to feel loved and appreciated. My husband’s lack of effort to find a job has destroyed my desire for intimacy.
Sometimes we sleep on empty stomachs, and he still demands sex when I don’t even have the energy for it,” Stella explained to the court.
Magistrate Meenal Naratom, who presided over the case, condemned Stella’s actions, stating that unemployment, while challenging, does not justify abusive behavior.
“Unemployment can be a significant stressor, but it does not excuse physical and emotional abuse,” Magistrate Naratom ruled.
The court granted Joseph a protection order, barring Stella from further abuse. The magistrate also advised the couple to pursue marriage counseling to address their issues and work toward rebuilding their relationship.
