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  Zimbabwe: Woman at Centre of Pius Ncube's Adultery Case Dies

The Herald (Harare)
May 7, 2008

http://allafrica.com/stories/200805070041.html

MRS Rosemary Sibanda, the woman at the centre of a sex scandal involving the disgraced former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, has died.

She died last Friday at Mpilo Central Hospital where she had been admitted. At the time of her death, Mrs Sibanda was lonely and miserable after being abandoned by Ncube and fellow parishioners.

She was buried at West Park Cemetery yesterday where members of the Catholic Church were conspicuous by their absence.

Neighbours said when news of her adulterous relationship with Ncube was broken by the media last year, she was deserted by people close to her. Even members of the Catholic Church had no time for her anymore.

As for the funeral wake at her Iminyela home, it was only attended by a few people mainly from her burial society.

Tellingly, the pastor who led yesterday's proceedings at the cemetery was from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

As if to part with her quickly, all eulogies which are usually conducted at the graveside were instead done at her home and they were rushed. At 1pm the funeral procession, which had several cars but few people, headed for West Park Cemetery where she was finally laid to rest at 2pm.

One of the her nephews gave her brief life history and said Mrs Sibanda was born on April 19 in 1964 in Gwatemba, Filabusi.

"She did her education there before she moved to Bulawayo where she met her husband (Onesimus Sibanda)," he said. A member of the burial society where she was a vice-secretary described Mrs Sibanda as a reserved person who loved her neighbours.

"She was reserved and had love for neighbours. As a burial society we have lost a friend and a sister who would from time to time give us advice. We pray that her soul rests in peace," she said. Mrs Sibanda, who is understood to have been unwell for sometime, was diagnosed with severe pneumonia.

A neighbour said Mrs Sibanda's last days on earth were painful. "No one was there for her. Her husband would come with some groceries even though they had their differences," said the neighbour. She said prior to her admission Mrs Sibanda had complained of breathing problems. "She was having some breathing problems and the situation later deteriorated," said the neighbour. The neighbour said when her condition deteriorated she was taken to hospital.

Mrs Sibanda has been in the news since her husband filed a $20 billion lawsuit at the Bulawayo High Court accusing Ncube of having an adulterous relationship with her, charges the wife publicly confessed to.

The lawsuit was later revised upwards to $5 trillion. Ncube on Easter Sunday confessed to his adulterous relationship with Mrs Sibanda.

 
 

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