‘Mangoma snatched my wife’

HARARE – A young family in Glen View, Harare, has fallen apart after MDC-Renewal treasurer-general Mr Elton Mangoma reportedly snatched the wife of a member of the party’s provincial executive.

The former Energy and Power Development Minister allegedly took advantage of MDC-Renewal Team’s activities to lure Mr Believe Tevera’s wife, Ms Yemurai Maravanyika, into the extramarital affair.

Mr Tevera — an MDC-Renewal Team provincial member — had been married to Ms Maravanyika for two-and-a-half years and they have a one-year-old son.

Ms Maravanyika is only 20-years-old, four years younger than Mr Mangoma’s last born child.

Mr Mangoma reportedly met Ms Maravanyika in Glen View 3 during an MDC-Renewal Team mass mobilisation programme which targeted women whom the party earmarked for empowerment projects.

He lured the youthful mother into an extramarital affair, which resulted in her running away from home, leaving behind the child in the care of her husband.

Ms Maravanyika is now renting a flat at the Civic Centre in Marlborough, courtesy of Mr Mangoma.

Mr Tevera has since taken the child to live with his mother in the rural areas.

Mr Mangoma and Ms Maravanyika, it is alleged, frequented a Harare hotel which they used as a love nest.

A furious Mr Tevera confirmed the development yesterday in an exclusive interview with The Herald.

“My wife was taken away by Mangoma. He financed my wife to run away from home, leaving behind a one-year-old son Jaydn Tevera. Mangoma is now renting a flat for her in Marlborough.”

Mr Tevera, a Midlands State University graduate, is not formally employed.

“Mr Mangoma used to call my wife during odd hours. When I asked my wife about it, she said it was about the skills development training programme that the party was holding targeting women. When I asked Mangoma, he was evasive. Later he said he was not aware that she was my wife.”

Mr Tevera said Mr Mangoma no longer picks up his phone calls, but The Herald is in possession of some WhatsApp chats he sent to him.

One of the chats reads: “You did a good thing you took my wife away from me. It is a war comrade. Yemurai is my wife and I now have information yekuti ndimi murikumupa mari VaMangoma. Saka zvawatora mai vacho unoti mwana uyu anogara nani? I saw you as a father. I have lost all respect I had for you.”

Mr Mangoma did not respond to Mr Tevera’s messages and when contacted for comment yesterday, he vehemently denied the allegations.

“It is not true,” he said before suggesting a meeting with this reporter at 2pm yesterday, but was later evasive.

Ms Maravanyika all but confirmed the relationship when The Herald contacted her for her side of the story.

She said: “Handisikuda kunzwa zvisina basa. Handisikuda kutongeswa nezvehupenyu hwangu. Ndinoita zvandinoda nehupenyu hwangu (I do not want to be quizzed about the way I lead my life. I live the way I want).”

Ms Maravanyika had earlier phoned Mr Tevera in the presence of this reporter and threatened to fix him through Mr Mangoma.

“Mangoma achakunyudza chete (Mangoma will make you suffer),” she boasted.

Mr Tevera said he now feared for his life and expressed disappointment at the Renewal Team.

“It appears the Renewal Team is not a safe place for women, for our mothers, our daughters and our wives,” he said. “The leaders are sex mongers who sleep with young girls.”

Ms Maravanyika’s close friends yesterday confirmed that she was having a relationship with Mr Mangoma.

“We tried to counsel Yemurai against cheating on her husband with Mangoma, but she would not listen,” said one of the closet friends.

“Mangoma would give her huge amounts of money and she liked it. As we speak they have separated after Yemurai’s husband confronted Mangoma over the matter. They would book at Jameson Hotel and Yemurai would boast about it.” The Herald