Nkayi woman assaulted for eating chicken thigh
By Busani Ncube recently in Nkayi
A 24-year-old Nkayi woman learnt that eating the back, breast and drumsticks of a chicken is forbidden in local culture after getting a thorough hiding from her husband before being dragged to a village court.
Traditionally, the back, chest and thighs of a chicken are a preserve for men. The incident happened a week ago.
Nomusa Sibanda of David Maphetshwana area slaughtered a cockerel for her husband, Jabulani Ncube (40). While dishing out the meal, she parcelled out the gizzard, wings and a drumstick to the husband. The following day, Ncube was served with sadza and dried green vegetables.
This did not go down well with Ncube, who probed her on what had happened to the rest of the chicken, more specifically the back, breast and thigh. The wife confessed that she had eaten the chicken parts and all hell broke loose. Ncube assaulted her.
The frightened wife bolted out and spent the night at a neighbouring homestead. The following morning, Ncube went and reported the matter to Headman Maphetshwana, where she was found “guilty” and fined a chicken.
Her grandmother, known as Gogo MaDawu, was also summoned before the village court where she was charged with dereliction of duty arising from her failure to teach her granddaughter “how to treat her husband and dish out meals” and was also fined a cockerel which was slaughtered for the village committee to eat.
In an interview after the village hearing, Nomusa was remorseless.
“For how long shall I slaughter chickens and not taste the back portion?” she said.
Ncube hinted that he will divorce Nomusa if she repeats the “act.”
Other villagers interviewed on the issue said it was taboo for a woman to eat a chicken’s breast and back portions in local culture and branded Nomusa as “uncultured and disrespectful”. Sunday Mail
