Tanzanian man whose genitals were severed by wife appeals for medical support, forgives her

“I am asking my fellow Tanzanians to help me get treatment and a device that will allow me to urinate. I am suffering a lot,” he said on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. “My condition is not good, and I have been told the bill has already exceeded Sh1.5 million.”

Melami has been admitted since November 19, following an incident in which his wife, Anna Melami, 30, allegedly cut off his genitals while he was asleep.

How the incident unfolded

Recounting the ordeal, Melami said the attack occurred shortly before 1:00am as he slept beside his wife.

“She began touching me, and once I was aroused, she took a knife and cut everything off,” he said. “She covered me with a blanket and tried to strangle me. I fought her until I managed to get outside and call for help.”

Neighbours rushed him to hospital where doctors later informed the family that the severed parts could not be reattached as the tissue had already died.

Melami insisted the couple had no recent conflict and had spent the previous day running their small shop before returning home to sleep.

“There was no quarrel. We closed the shop, went home and slept as usual,” he said. “She normally sleeps with our child on another bed and only comes to mine when she wants marital relations.”

He added that during the struggle, his wife attempted to strangle him further and later pretended to faint. Relatives and neighbours took them both to hospital.

Wife arrested as husband forgives her

Melami confirmed that his wife has been arrested but appealed directly to authorities to order her release, saying he has forgiven her—although he will not live with her again.

“You can sleep next to someone without knowing what they are planning,” he said. “I am asking authorities to tell the police to release her. She has already destroyed my life, but I forgive her. She should return to her family.”

He also appealed for assistance in supporting the couple’s only child, saying he fears he may no longer be able to provide as before.

His younger brother, Paulo Melami, said the family respects his decision to forgive and wants the suspect freed.

“We are asking the police to release her, since our brother has forgiven her. She should go and live her life,” he said.

Mother refuses to forgive

However, the victim’s mother, Natanywak Melami, strongly opposed the idea of pardoning her daughter-in-law.

“In Maasai culture, strangling a man is a grave offence,” she said. “My son will never father children again. What she did is unheard of in our community. I cannot forgive her.”

Local leaders, authorities speak out

Sub-village chairman Jonas Lendiki said he was alerted around 2:00am that a violent incident had taken place.

“When I arrived, the victim had already been taken to hospital. Nothing like this has ever happened in our area,” he said.

Arumeru District Commissioner Mwinyi Ahmed Mwinyi confirmed the suspect had been arrested and is being held by the police.

He added that a team of medical specialists from his office will visit the patient, and that the matter is being handled by the district’s security agencies.