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Nkomo daughter’s divorce case opens

News
ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources minister Francis Nhema’s divorce with his wife of 20 years, Louise Sehlule Nhema (née Nkomo), set to be heard yesterday, failed to proceed after High Court judge Justice Hlekani Mwayera raised queries on the consent papers.

ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources minister Francis Nhema’s divorce with his wife of 20 years, Louise Sehlule Nhema (née Nkomo), set to be heard yesterday, failed to proceed after High Court judge Justice Hlekani Mwayera raised queries on the consent papers.

REPORT BY CHARLES LAITON SENIOR COURT REPORTER

The matter was postponed to January 10 next year.

Justice Mwayera said although the divorce between the minister and his wife was by consent, she could not grant the order after realising that Louise’s name was misspelt and that there was no date of birth of their minor child on the papers.

The issues were raised by the court after Louise’s lawyer Addington Chinake applied for the granting of the divorce by consent.

“The name of the spouse is misspelt and there are corrections effected by pen and it is not clear what the consent would read. The court has problems in reading the cancellations on the consent papers,” Mwayera said addressing Chinake.

“You also need to attend to the issue of the minor’s date of birth. It is not indicated in the papers.”

Chinake had later proposed that the matter be deferred sine die, but Justice Mwayera said it was not possible since only minor issues needed to be attended to, given that the divorce was by consent.

Nhema’s wife is the second daughter to the late national hero and former Vice-President Joshua Nkomo.

According to the court papers, she is the one who instituted divorce proceedings.

The order is set to be granted by the couple’s consent.