Zimbabwe News Online: Bride to be spends night in police cells on the eve of wedding day

Bride to be spends night in police cells on the eve of wedding day
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H metro on 23 August, 2010 07:11:00
 
From the police cells, she went straight to the hair salon to get her hair done
for the wedding. Masiiwa Matigira was arrested on Friday and spent the whole
night locked up in the cells at Harare Central Police over a US$869 debt. She
made news on Saturday when she made the world know that she is HIV positive. She
used her wedding to sell the idea that a woman with HIV can enter into a
‘normal’ relationship with an HIV negative person and be a role model for
positive living. Her husband -Lawrence Tandi -is HIV negative.
The debt accrued after she sold goods belonging to Langton Mastocky who used to
work as a cross border trader. She allegedly later converted the money for her
own use. It seems Mastocky deliberately chose the wedding day to get back at the
debtor in order to force her to settle her debt. According to Langton, the goods
were sold sometime in May last year. The goods included 18 two-plate stoves,
five television sets and some blankets.
“The initial amount was US$1369. She paid some of the money and US$869 is
still outstanding. “She had been hiding all these months and I was lucky to
meet her on Friday. “I made a report to the police in November last year but I
am not sure why police were failing take action,” he said. He said on the day
in question, Masiiwa and her husband, Lawrence Tandi, went to Glen View Police
Station where they wanted to make a report to the police.
Masiiwa claimed that a certain lady identified as Snodia Matanhire had
threatened her. Snodia is understood to own a number of shops at the Gulf
Complex in the city. And the couple wanted security from the police with fears
that Snodia might interrupt their blissful wedding.
Unfortunately, the arm of the law turned against her. It was discovered that
Masiiwa had a trail of unsettled debts including some money she owed Snodia.
“It was Snodia who called me on my mobile phone telling me that the person I
had been looking for was at the police station. “I hired a taxi from the city
to Glen View. It was after I narrated the story to the police that they referred
us to Harare Central Police Station.
“The docket was there and she was subsequently arrested,” said Langton.
Snodia also confirmed that Masiiwa owed her some money. She said she was
surprised to learn that Masiiwa was claiming that she had threatened her with
death. “I was really shocked. I never threatened her with death as she
claimed. Actually, it is her who owes me some money. She sold 10 DVDs and four
television sets and other things valued at US$600 that belonged to me.
“I don’t know where the issue of death threats was coming from,” she said.
Asked whether Langton and Snodia had preplanned the arrest in a bid stop Masiiwa
from attending the wedding, they said; “I never wanted it that way. It was
unfortunate that she was arrested on the eve of her wedding.
“If she had paid my money back then, nothing would have happened. “But she
had been running away from me all along and that was the only way to find
her,” said Langton. “My case with her is pending at the court. I had no
reason to rush to the police.
“Plus, why would I want to stop the wedding in such a manner after they took
time organising the wedding?” said Snodia. H-Metro spotted Masiiwa coming out
of the police cells and managed to talk to her on Saturday. H-Metro tracked her
from the salon to Highfield (No.3994 Old Canaan) where she took a shower before
proceeding to the wedding in Glen View.
Masiiwa claimed that Snodia had plotted the arrest in a bid to ‘fix’ her
over the debt. “Snodia plotted all this in a bid to ‘fix’ me. I owed her
only US$210 from her DVDs that I sold sometime last year. “Look, today I am
coming from police cells yet I have a wedding,” she said.
She also revealed her experience while behind bars. “We were eight in the
female cells. And the youngest woman, who was arrested for stealing US$14 000
from her Chinese employer, prayed for me. “I feel her prayers were fast heard.
She told me that I was going to be set free. “She said that by 1pm I would be
home and it happened (though the wedding started hours after 1pm),” she said