64-year-old Oganne Johnson Chendo caused awe and shock in courtroom when he revealed why he wanted court to grant him divorce from his loving and caring wife.
Chendo told Moeti Customary Court of Arbitration in Botswana that he wanted his 32 year marriage to be dissolved because his 58-year-old wife Boikaego Chendo was too nice to him.
The sexagenarian told the customary court that his wife was always good to him and she had never done anything wrong in their marriage.
Johnson further stated that in their marriage, which has produced three daughters, he had always been the one to “go in and out” of the house as he pleased and sometimes without even telling his wife about where he was going.
“Whenever I returned home, she welcomed me back without a complaint but I could tell that deep inside she was in pain,” he said.
The father of three dropped his ultimate heartbreaker in December 2021 when he made his usual disappearance from home only to return with a court summons against his wife.
“When he returned from wherever he had been, he gave me a letter that demanded my presence at Moeti Customary Court. I obliged and went there,” his wife Boikaego told the court.
Boikaego noted that she was shocked when she honored the court summon only for her to find out that her husband was divorcing her. He had not discussed the matter with her prior to him filling for divorce.
Elders from both Johnson and his wife’s sides both expressed shock and disbelief as he never mentioned to them that he wanted to divorce his wife.
Elders from Johnson’s family side testified that indeed his wife Boikaego had always been a humble and obedient wife, but that Johnson said his love for her had died a natural death.
Johnson married Boikaego under customary law in 1990, they were aged 32 and 26 respectively at the time.
Boikaego agreed to divorce her husband without any argument because she didn’t want to force him to stay with her, she told the court ‘love can’t be forced’.
The magistrate Kgosi Oleyo Ledimo dissolved the couple’s 32 year marriage, he however noted that Johnson had been cold and heartless by failing to discuss his intention to divorce with his wife or family before dragging her to court.
The court said that since the couple had agreed to the divorce and even agreed on how they were going to divide their property, the divorce had to be granted.
