My Wife Screams, Bites, and Scratches Me Whenever I Ask for Sex – Man Tells Court

A Harare man, Joseph Katumba, has taken legal action against his wife, Stella Kangara, accusing her of denying him his conjugal rights and resorting to violence whenever he seeks intimacy.

During a court hearing, Katumba claimed that his wife had refused to engage in marital relations for nearly a decade, allegedly as a form of punishment for his unemployment. He detailed the abuse he had endured, stating that Stella reacted violently whenever he attempted to be intimate with her.

“She screams, bites, and scratches me whenever I touch her,” Katumba told the court. “She yells, ‘You want to kill me!’ and pushes me away.”

He further revealed that he had been sleeping on the floor for nine years while his wife occupied their matrimonial bed, describing the situation as emotionally and psychologically draining.

In response, Stella defended her actions by citing financial hardship and emotional dissatisfaction. She argued that her husband’s prolonged unemployment had diminished her attraction to him, making intimacy unappealing.

“I am not a sex object. I need emotional and financial security to feel loved and appreciated,” she told the court. “My husband’s lack of effort to get a job has killed my desire for intimacy. Sometimes we sleep on an empty stomach, and he still demands sex when I don’t even have the energy for it.”

Presiding over the case, Magistrate Meenal Naratom criticized Stella’s behavior, stating that unemployment did not justify physical or emotional abuse.

“While unemployment can be a significant stressor, it does not justify physical and emotional abuse,” the magistrate ruled.

The court subsequently issued a protection order in favor of Joseph Katumba, prohibiting Stella from further abuse. Additionally, the magistrate advised the couple to seek marriage counseling to address their challenges and work toward restoring their relationship.