I Want Sex, Not Bible Verses”– 7 Years Sexually Starved Pastor’s Wife Cried Out
This true story from Zimbabwe tells of the heartbreaking struggle of Mary Ngwenya, a pastor’ s wife, who felt neglected and emotionally abandoned in her marriage. Mary, the wife of Pastor Petros Tshuma, appeared in court after enduring seven long years without intimacy. Her husband, Pastor Tshuma, served with Zion Grace International Church, but their home life was far from what she had imagined. Since 2010, she claimed her husband had refused to be intimate with her, leaving her feeling hurt, unloved, and rejected.
During the court hearing, Mary shared her painful experience, expressing that she couldn’ t go on living this way any longer. She told the judge that whenever she tried to bring up the topic of intimacy with her husband, he would make excuses, claiming that he felt pain in his stomach or had swollen testicles. Mary explained that he would promise to ” make it up to her, ” but each time he found a reason to avoid her, deepening her loneliness.
Mary also alleged that Pastor Tshuma’ s refusal to be with her was not due to health problems, but because he was involved with other women in his congregation. She claimed to have proof, including text messages on her phone, which she said showed that her husband was close with at least three women from the church. With tears in her eyes, Mary told the court, ” I am a human being. I don’ t survive on Bible verses. I need my husband to sleep with me. ” She said that the situation forced her to live a life of pretense, telling other women in her community that her marriage was happy while secretly suffering from loneliness and feeling unloved.
In his defense, Pastor Tshuma admitted that he had avoided intimacy with his wife, but he insisted it was due to genuine pain that he experienced whenever he tried. He denied having romantic relationships with other women, stating that his wife had misinterpreted text messages that were from women seeking his advice on their own marriages.
The judge, Justice Masuku, took Mary’ s distress seriously and ordered Pastor Tshuma to be intimate with his wife, stressing that neglecting her emotional and physical needs was a form of emotional abuse. This case became widely discussed in Zimbabwe, drawing attention to issues of marital neglect and the emotional struggles that can occur even in deeply religious households. For Mary, the judge’ s ruling brought hope that her husband would finally address her needs and repair the love that had been lost in their marriage.
