Maravi

Vort sues wife for divorce over Mutati

Vort sues wife for divorce over Mutati
By Staff Reporter
Sun 27 Nov. 2011, 12:00 CAT

A Lusaka businessman Mark Steven Van der Vort has cited his wife's love affair with former commerce minister Felix Mutati as grounds for divorce. According to the petition for divorce by Vort, Mutati is allegedly having an intimate love affair with his wife Agness Katwishi Bwalya.

But in a consent order, the High Court has ordered that paragraph 9E of the petition which implicates Mutati should be deleted because it was erroneously included in the petition.

"It is hereby ordered that paragraph 9E of the petition which was erroneously included in the petition be deleted from the petition," read the consent order.

"It is further ordered that marriage be dissolved by consent and that custody of the children be granted to the petitioner with liberal access to the respondent. It is further ordered that there be liberty to apply in the question of custody."

In a divorce petition filed by Vort, Mutati was allegedly having a love affair with his wife Bwalya hence his decision to divorce her.

"…The respondent admitted to the petitioner in direct and unambiguous language, that she has an ongoing intimate love affair with Mr Felix Mutati, that she loves him dearly and wants to divorce the petitioner, that she may be his second or even fifth wife," Van der Vort said.

He also said his wife Agness had sent text messages to Zambian married men telling them that she loves them.

Van der Vort stated that his wife had reneged on verbal agreements with him on the use of the US $71,000 Land Rover he recently bought for her by not taking or picking the children up from school.

He also said Agness does not sleep in their matrimonial home and that when she chooses to go home, it was often after 22:00 hours and sometimes midnight and sleeps in one of the children's rooms.

He and Agness were legally married on May 19, 2000 at the Civic Centre and that they lived together as husband and wife at Plot 6/7Njolwe, off Leopards Hill Road, Lusaka.

He said he and Agness had three children aged nine, seven and four.

Van der Vort further said his wife had neglected the children of the family and that he no longer had a wife in any sense.

He said his marriage to Agness had broken down irretrievably in such a way that he could not reasonably be expected to live with her.

According to the particulars of unreasonable behaviour, Van der Vort stated that his wife had since July this year repeatedly threatened him with arrest, law suits, deportation, divorce and on more than one occasion, even murder.

"The respondent has repeatedly expressed in family meetings witnessed by family elders, in no uncertain terms, that she no longer loves the petitioner who she alleges is so old for her and seeks a separation and divorce," stated Van der Vort.

"The respondent has consistently misused substantial amounts of family funds for reasons never yet adequately or even partially explained."

Labels: FELIX MUTATI

posted by MrK @ 7:36 PM