MILLICENT HUNGWE
The High Court has slapped war veteran and prominent sugarcane farmer Peter Machingura’s mistress, Eugenia Juvoringo Machaya with a record $25,000 unopposed adultery damages summons.
The adultery damages filed by Viola Dhudhla Machingura, the war veteran farmer’s wife of 41 years is the highest that the High Court in Masvingo has granted so far.
The damages were awarded after the defendant’s plea was struck out for non-attendance at the pre-trial conference and her subsequent application for rescission was deemed abandoned at the High Court in Masvingo on April 23 where Viola was represented by Pauline Chimwanda of Saratoga Makausi Law Chambers.
Initially Viola had applied for $50 000 damages.
The High Court Judge was Justice Joel Mambara who issued the unopposed summons in favor of Viola.
According to the summons, Machaya must pay the damages as she caused severe emotional trauma, public humiliation, and loss of role in the family to the applicant.
Viola, a lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University and church elder, reportedly requires medical treatment for diabetes, hypertension, and depression due to the extramarital affair between her husband of 41years and Machaya.
The sheriff will put Machaya’s items up for auction immediately if she fails to pay the $25,000 as the writ has already been prepared by the applicant’s lawyers.
It is also alleged that Machaya is still married to her first husband and has not divorced him, meaning she is engaging in a possible adulterous relationship with Machingura, with whom she has two children.
