A UK-based man, Don Kwiyo, has finally received justice after a 19-year battle to recover his bride price. Chief Makoni’s community court ruled that Kwiyo’s in-laws in Makoni, Zimbabwe, breached cultural practice by refusing to hand over their daughter, Tariro, and later marrying her off to another man.
Kwiyo had paid £7,000 in bride price in 2006, but the Bvekerwa family failed to deliver. The court ordered the family to reimburse the equivalent of nine cattle, valued at US$3,150, within three months.
The dispute began when Kwiyo met Tariro in Gokwe and later paid the bride price. However, her family refused to let her join him in the UK, citing lack of travel documents. Kwiyo later discovered that Tariro had been married to another man.
The Bvekerwa family disputed Kwiyo’s claims, but Chief Makoni ruled in Kwiyo’s favor, stating that the family had breached cultural practice. The court rejected Kwiyo’s demand for interest, emphasizing that bride price is not a business transaction .
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