Mother-in-law arrested at wedding

By Robin Muchetu and Nozibelo Maphosa

A Bulawayo man based in the United Kingdom allegedly abandoned his wife of more than 10 years and secretly tied the knot with his South Africa-based lover, much to the chagrin of his in-laws.

The man, Mr Carlton Ndlovu, married his lover Ms Sindisiwe Moyo at a Matsheumhlophe venue last weekend while his wife Ms Sibonginkosi Siwela was in the UK. According to Ms Sibonginkosi Siwela’s mother, Mrs Gladys Siwela the two are customarily married.

“This man married my daughter and they have a 12-year-old daughter who they stay with in the UK. I can bring the clothes that he gave to us as part of amalobolo. We are not privy to details that he had divorced our daughter, as far as we are aware he is our son-in-law,” said Mrs Siwela.

Sunday News spoke to Ms Sibonginkosi Siwela from her base in the UK. She said she got to know about her husband’s affair via social network.

“The relationship between Carlton and Sindisiwe started on Facebook, that is when I realised they were seeing each other. We argued about it and he said he was stopping the affair and all was well. I did not know that they continued and got to the extent of visiting each other,” she said.

Ndlovu is said to have left for South Africa where his new lover was based in 2015. He is alleged to told his wife that he was taking some equipment back home, yet he was taking his girlfriend to meet his family members.

“He went to South Africa where she was based to see her. He even showed his mother the girl and they paid lobola for her behind my back. When I discovered it he apologised and said his family forced him to marry the girl and said he regretted paying lobola for her. At that point I left him to stay alone and he followed me begging me and my daughter to come back home. After some time we moved in with him and stayed as a family again. In July 2016 his father passed away and he had no money at all and I footed the bills as he was my father-in-law,” she added.

“He then decided he needed to come to Zimbabwe to see his family since he had not come home for his father’s funeral and he purchased the air ticket intending to travel in February this year. He lied and said he will be in Zimbabwe for two weeks yet he had arranged to be away for six weeks. I stumbled on his air tickets while I was cleaning that is how I found out his real travel dates,” she said.

She added, “Later on I saw some WhatsApp messages on his phone between him and the girlfriend where they were talking about a wedding. I confronted him and he gave unsatisfactory answers. He said he had resumed communication with the girl because when he purchased a residential stand in Zimbabwe and she was the one who had the documentation following his father’s death so he was trying to get the papers back.”

He allegedly told her that he wanted to bring the girl closer to him so that she releases the documents for the stand. When she asked him about the wedding he said his relatives were just telling him to play along with the story of a wedding so that he gets his papers but he insisted he was not marrying Sindisiswe.

“However, I managed to get a wedding invite and saw all the details. He however, left on 6 April and went to South Africa because he is only allowed to travel anywhere besides Zimbabwe. So I do not know how he sneaked into Zimbabwe. I lost out on a lot of money because I was supposed to travel to Zimbabwe on 25 March as per agreement but he cheated me and travelled knowing very well that I had no one to leave our child with,” she claimed.

After discovering the affair the distraught wife contacted her husband’s lover to tell her that Carlton was married to her and that they have a 12-year-old daughter but she would have none of it. Sources claimed Mr Ndlovu left Zimbabwe in 2006 as an asylum seeker in the UK.

“He left as an asylum seeker and he cannot legally come back to Zimbabwe. He arrived in South Africa and came via unscrupulous means into Zimbabwe as he is not allowed into the country using his passport. We suspect he came using omalayitsha (cross border transporters) who smuggled him into the country,” said a source.

A Sunday News crew managed to gain entry into the wedding venue which was guarded by police officers who ensured that no unwanted people entered. Mrs Siwela (mother-law) who had also gone to the wedding venue to try and get an audience with the Ndlovu family over the issue was ejected by two police offers who said she was not welcome. However, a scuffle ensued and she was handcuffed and detained. She was later taken to Hillside Police Station where she was charged for “conduct likely to breach peace” and paid a fine of $10, she told Sunday News.

An angry mob belonging to the Ndlovu family also charged at reporters and uttered unprintable words, threatening to “deal” with them. Security details sealed off entrances to the venue and only one gate was opened for all people to use as there was screening of guests. The marriage officer announced just as the wedding commenced that no one was going to disturb the proceedings.

“We are omitting some sections of these processings because we have the marriage certificate already. We have already spoken, we do not want any photographers, and we have our own official ones so no one should be seen taking pictures using their phones. Today is their day, no one should come and disturb their wishes so respect that,” he said.

Ushers were seen milling around the venue cautioning those that were seen holding mobile phones as there were strict instructions that no pictures should be taken. The Sunday News crew managed to talk to the heartbroken Mrs Siwela after the wedding. She said she only wanted to talk to the Ndlovu family, although she had been failing for the past two weeks since Ndlovu came back to Zimbabwe.

“I do not care if he is over my daughter, it’s his decision to make. I am only concerned with how this issue was handled because as far as I am concerned my daughter still regards Carlton as her husband. He cheated my daughter because the rings he used today were bought by my daughter under the impression that she and Carlton were getting married one day, but then he said he did not like the rings and had to take them back to the shop, while he knew he wanted to use the rings to wed his secret wife,” said Mrs Siwela. Sunday News