PICTURES: VP Chiwenga marries fellow soldier in lavish ceremony

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga tied the knot with his wife Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi at the St Gerard Catholic Church in Borrowdale, Harare this Saturday.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa attended the ceremony that was presided over by Bishop Rudolph Nyandoro with Bishop Raymond Mupandasekwa giving the homily.

Chiwenga’s bridal team included Senate Deputy President General (Rtd) Mike Nyambuya, Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe and Air Marshal (Rtd) Shebba Shumbayawonda.

Last month Chiwenga spent two days visiting his in-laws at Sababa in Filabusi, Matabeleland South were it is believed the couple announced their wedding plans to her family during the visit.

Chiwenga had his ex-wife Marry Mubaiwa arrested in December 2019 on allegations of attempted murder, money laundering and fraudulently registering their marriage.

So the marriage today obviously would not have gone ahead without drama after an X (formerly Twitter) account claiming to be that of Mubaiwa posted a message claiming that the former General did not really love his new wife.

“He is ‘shooting himself in the foot’ if he knows what that means… I am almost certain that he has no love at all for that ‘woman’ that follows him around as he has denied me access to my clothes incl my underwear, is he wearing it so he can dream about me…”

Miniyothabo Baloyi is Chiwenga’s third wife in just over 20 years. In 2003 he divorced the volatile Jocelyn Mauchaza and married former model Mubaiwa.

In the explosive divorce battle in the High Court, General Chiwenga he was driven away from their matrimonial home because Jocelyn subjected him to ‘violent beatings’.

In another hair raising incident, Jocelyn allegedly arrived at the army headquarters and demanded US$300 000 from Chiwenga. When the army boss could not fork out the amount she went into a fit of rage and trashed his office destroying picture frames, vases and ornaments in front of his junior officers.

Chiwenga in his court affidavit says he left the office and sought refuge at their family home in Borrowdale Brooke. The army chief says because he was “feeling sick” he called his physician, Dr Paul Chimedza, who attended to him and administered some sleeping medication.

While Dr Chimedza watched over his drowsy patient, Jocelyn allegedly burst into the room shouting at the top of her voice. “She jumped into General Chiwenga’s bed and beat him up on his face with clenched fists. As he was sedated, he could not defend himself,” his lawyers claim.

“Dr Chimedza pulled Jocelyn away from General Chiwenga and pleaded with her that General Chiwenga was genuinely ill and she should not continue assaulting him.

“When Dr Chimedza thought he had calmed Jocelyn down, she then pushed General Chiwenga off the bed. He fell to the floor and hit his head against the step of the platform on which the bed rests.

“As a result of the fall he injured the right side of his head. General Chiwenga was bruised and swollen from assaults. Owing to sedation, he was helpless,” the affidavit claimed.

Chiwenga’s problems did not end there. When he eventually sat on the bed, Jocelyn charged at him again threatening to kill him with a spear and axe.