Four wives. Six years. US$31,700 in lobola. Not a single marriage survived.
A Zimbabwean mining consultant says he has spent US$31,700 on lobola over the past six years—only to watch all four of his marriages collapse, including one that ended before he even spent a single night with his bride.
His longest marriage lasted just 14 days.
Two others ended after only five days.
His fourth marriage reportedly collapsed the very day he paid lobola.
The string of failed marriages has left Blessing Togarepi searching for answers after repeated attempts to build a family ended in heartbreak.
His first marriage was to Anita Nyoni in 2020 after he paid US$9,200 in lobola.
According to Togarepi, the marriage lasted less than a week. He alleges that during a church service, Anita began manifesting before declaring she was a traditional healer. He says she later left their home, while her family accused him of trying to harm her.
Despite the setback, Togarepi remained determined to find lasting love.
In 2021, he married Natasha Chamisa, paying US$18,000 in lobola before holding what he described as a lavish wedding.
Ironically, it became his longest marriage, surviving just 14 days.
The couple have a son together, and Togarepi says he now sees the child twice every fortnight.
According to his account, the relationship deteriorated after an incident on their way to church before Natasha later left without explanation. Those allegations have not been independently verified.
His third marriage, to Providence Kufakwenyika, also unravelled almost as quickly as it began.
After paying US$1,000 in lobola, Togarepi says the marriage broke down after just five days.
Hoping his fourth attempt would finally bring him the stable family he had long desired, Togarepi married Aisha Lulu Chihota on June 6 in Mutare after paying US$3,500 in lobola.
According to Togarepi, Aisha’s relatives told him she had suddenly fallen ill and asked him to wait until she recovered before taking her to their matrimonial home.
She never arrived.
Togarepi says he never spent a single night with his bride despite having paid lobola.
The dispute later ended up before Chief Mutasa’s traditional court, which reportedly ordered Aisha’s family to refund the money on or before August 31.
After four failed marriages, Togarepi says he has been left emotionally shattered despite believing he followed both traditional and religious customs by paying lobola, involving both families and respecting cultural protocols.
He says the collapse of his latest marriage pushed him to the brink, leaving him contemplating suicide after yet another relationship ended before it had even begun.
Togarepi also alleges that, during attempts to resolve the dispute over his fourth marriage, a woman began manifesting and speaking through what he believes was an evil spirit that warned his marriages would continue to fail. Those claims have not been independently verified.
Today, after four marriages, US$31,700 in lobola payments and years of heartbreak, Togarepi says he is no closer to understanding why every relationship he has entered has ended the same way.
The former wives and their families were not represented in the interview, and their side of the story was not available at the time of publication.