Jabulani Ncube, 40, was on trial for assault of his wife when he raised the old Zimbabwe chicken defense. Ncube was upset that his wife, Nomusa Sibanda, 24, served chicken for dinner and kept the breast and one drumstick for herself. Sibanda gave her husband the gizzards, wings and the other drumstick. This apparently ruffled Ncube’s feathers and he assaulted Nomusa. According to the local tribal court, the tastiest parts of the chicken — the back, breast and drumsticks — are to be reserved for the man of the house. Thus, the tribal court found Nomusa guilty and fined her one chicken for the offense. The court also fined Sibanda’s grandmother, Gogo MaDawu, one chicken for failing to teach her granddaughter “how to treat her husband and dish out meals.”
