Marry Mubaiwa is depressed to the extent that she wants to kill herself to escape from her misery.
The former beauty queen and ex-wife of Zimbabwe Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has been critically ill for several months after she was diagnosed with acute lymphoedema.
Her arm was amputated in September after several applications to seek treatment in South Africa were rejected by the courts.
She accuses her ex-husband Chiwenga of blocking her efforts to seek treatment abroad despite the ill-equipped Zimbabwean hospital system having no specialists to treat her condition.
Speaking during an interview with a South African newspaper, Marry said that she was depressed because of her condition and being denied chance to see her kids.
The former Zimbabwean beauty queen is embroiled in a custody battle following a bitter divorce from her husband. She has not seen her kids since 2019.
She said she was having suicidal thoughts.
“I am not well at all, and I feel that if I had gone out of the country to seek better treatment, I would be better, but the court refused to give me my passport as part of bail conditions.
“Especially not seeing my children is very painful to me. Sometimes I start having thoughts of committing suicide — and don’t be surprised [if I do]. I have not spoken to my kids, and I have not seen them since 2019,” Marry said.
“Our children have nothing to do with what is happening between us … These are young children. I always ask myself what he says to them about me. These are kids who need their mother,” she added.
Marry who is facing a litany of criminal charges including the attempted murder of her ex-husband Chiwenga, fraud and money laundering.
The former model was accused of trying to kill Zimbabwe’s vice-president and faking marriage documents that would have formalised their eight-year relationship.
The relationship turned sour and Marry was charged with trying to kill Chiwenga in 2019, by disconnecting his life support while he was in hospital.
Around that time, she also forged his signature on documents that would have formalised their wedding as a civil marriage, which grants more rights to women in the event of a divorce.
Due to her illness, Mubaiwa avoided a prison sentence and received a fine of Z$60,000/Ksh60,000.
Her attempted murder case, as well as a $1 million/Ksh122 million money laundering case are still pending.
Marry Mubaiwa once moved among the cream of Zimbabwean society, first married to an international footballer who she left for then-army chief Constantino Chiwenga.
Her star kept rising after Chiwenga orchestrated the 2017 coup against Robert Mugabe, landing him the vice-presidency as his ally Emmerson Mnangagwa took power.
Marry’s rise was curtailed by money laundering, fraud and murder charges. The lymphatic disease also ravaged her body so badly.
“I spent nights and days crying, asking God: ‘Why did you let this happen to me?’ Everything I am accused of, I didn’t do it. Right now, I am so sick. I am having challenges with my legs that are swollen and so painful, and the doctors told me after the amputation of my right arm that my body has too much fluid,” marry said during the interview with South African paper.
She however wished her ex-husband Chiwenga well following his new marriage to Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi.
“I wish them all the happiness in the world.”
