By MUNAMBEZA MUWANEI –

A MAN of Ndola’s Chipulukusu Township has sued his ex-wife and four biological children for allegedly calling him a wizard.
This is in a case in which Lewis Nswana told the Ndola Main Local Court that his children teamed up with their mother and started accusing him of being a wizard.
Nswana said the allegations had caused a lot of misunderstandings with his children hence his decision to take them to court for possible reconciliation.
“My children accused me of being a wizard and they have now teamed up with their mother. This has now gone to the extent of them beating me up,” he said.
In her defence, Joyce Kasonteka who is the plaintiff’s ex-wife told the court that Nswana was a wizard who has also killed his children using his magical powers.
Kasonteka, who was defendant one, said while in her marriage, they visited a lot of traditional doctors who confirmed that Nswana was a wizard.
Prudence Nswana, defendant two, said her father was a wizard who had brought so much suffering among his family.
Defendant number three Godfridah Nswana said her father uses rituals to sleep with her and he also takes her blood from her monthly periods.
She said because of her father’s acts, she has stopped having periods even before reaching menopause.
Defendant number four Golden Nswana said despite being married for more than 12 years, he still can not have a child because his wife always sees the plaintiff each time they had sex.
Defendant number five, Catherine Nswana said her first husband left her because he kept on dreaming her father.
She said up to now her father has continued to sleep with her which has also caused problems in her new marriage.
Although court findings proved that the plaintiff practiced witchcraft, Ndola Main Local Court principal presiding magistrate Sarah Bwalya sitting with presiding magistrate Dismus Katampi and senior local court magistrate Kaala Nyambe dismissed the matter.
Magistrate Bwalya advised plaintiff to continue going for prayers so that he could reconcile with his children.

ZNS officer probed over rape claims

By SYLVIA MWEETWA –

POLICE in Ndola are investigating a case in which a Kitwe-based Zambia National Service (ZNS) officer is alleged to have raped his girl friend’s cousin and threatened to deal with her if she disclosed what had transpired.
Uncle to the victim, Henry Katebe is concerned over delays by health personnel to issue a medical report needed for police to conclude investigations.
The officer, who is a staff sergeant is allegedly to have raped the woman who was left at home alone while her cousin was away on February 3 this month.
Mr Katebe and police sources who disclosed the development in an interview from Ndola yesterday explained in an interview that the accused person earlier escorted the girlfriend who is a school teacher, but the victim was shocked to see the accused return alone and later forced her into the house where he had carnal knowledge of her.
He said her niece feared for her life after the ccused threatened to deal with her if she revealed his actions.
“Much as we appreciate issues of personnel shortage, we feel that matters of sexual offences should be handled with agency so that culprits face the law,” he said.
He said that the matter was reported to Masala police station in Ndola where a docket was opened and investigations commenced.
Police sources said they were unable to summon and interview the named officer before a medical report was issued.
And Copperbelt police Chief Joyce Kasosa when contacted for to follow up the matter and wondered why it was taking long for a medical report to be issued.

Sue for lobola, court advises  mother-in-law

By SARAH TEMBO –

A TWENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD man of Lusaka’s John Laing Township has refused to pay K10,000 in damages after he impregnated a woman who had been married before.
Chikonde Matindima, who is now married to the girl he impregnated, said he could not pay the money for impregnating a woman who was married to his brother and had a child with another man before he married her.
This was in a case where the mother of the pregnant girl, Brenda Chitimba, 36, of Lusaka’s Matero Township sued Matindima demanding K10,000 as compensation for damages after he allegedly impregnated her daughter.
Matindima told the court that he followed the right procedure when marrying Chitimba’s daughter and was shocked to hear that her in-law was now demanding K10,000 for damages.
Matindima told the court that he was surprised when his mother-in-law sued him for damages when she knew very well that he was not the first man to marry her daughter, neither was he the first one to impregnate her.
He said when his brother divorced Chitimba’s daughter he felt pity for her because the girl became frustrated and started patronising bars, hence the decision to offer her hope by marrying her.
“To remove her from that misery I went to her father and asked for her hand in marriage. I was told to pay K10,000 to which I paid K4,000, he said.
The pregnant girl also admitted during cross-examination that her husband followed the tradition before marrying her as he had paid the bride price and that she became pregnant after she stayed with her husband for seven months.
But when passing judgment, local magistrate Lewis Mumba, sitting with Petronella Kalyelye, dismissed the claim saying it was clear that Matindima followed tradition and should not be asked to pay for damages.
The court, however, advised Chitimba to sue for payment of lobola if she needed money from her son-in-law.

Help me get my K4,000, bricklayer pleads with court 

By SARAH TEMBO –

A FORTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD bricklayer of Chunga Township has asked the Lusaka Local Court to compel his former employer to pay him K4,000 after he was dismissed from his job without pay.
Felix Kabwe told the court that Joseph Mwila, 32, of Lusaka’s Matero Township had asked him to build his house but terminated his contract and refused to give him his money as per agreement.
Facts before the court were that Mwila contracted Kabwe to build his 10-roomed house and the two agreed that the defendant would pay K6,000.
Apparently, Mwila paid K2,000 as down payment at the start of the construction but Kabwe was shocked to hear that his services were no longer required with 500 bricks remaining before completing the work.
“I was told to stop building and two days later, I saw another bricklayer on the site and when I demanded my money, Mwila refused saying I had not finished the work,” he said.
Kabwe also submitted that Mwila later changed that the amount remaining was not K4,000 but K2,900.
“So, instead, he said I would get half of K2,900 which was K1,450,” he said. “I refused to get half the money because it was not me who failed to deliver but it was him for reasons best known to himself.”
In his defence, Mwila told the court that he terminated Kabwe’s contract because he was giving his boys to build the house while he was not even on the site to supervise the work.
Mwila added that he never refused to give him his money but he refused to pay him the full amount as agreed because the house was never completed.
He also told the court that out of the agreed K6,000 he paid Kabwe K3,100 and not K2,000 which Kabwe told the court.
“I remember paying him K3,100, meaning that the only balance that I am remaining with is K2,900 and since he never finished building the house I will give him half of the K2,900.
However, local court magistrate Petronella Kalyelye, sitting with Lewis Mumba, ordered Mwila to pay him the K2,900 he admitted owing him because it was him who terminated the contract.

‘She was always calling my husband’

By SARAH TEMBO –

A THIRTY- FIVE-YEAR-OLD married woman of Lusaka’s Chazanga Township shocked a fully-packed Matero local court when she denied knowing a 43-year-old man who insisted that she was his girlfriend.
Idah Phiri claimed before the court that she had no idea of Robert Chifwabantu, who insisted that he had had a love affair with the married woman.
This was in a case in which Phiri sued Maxina Chifwabantu, for defamation of character after she accused her of having an affair with her husband.
Facts before the court were that Chifwabantu (Maxina) on several occasions insulted Phiri and accused her of having an affair with her husband.
Evidence before the court showed that Chifwabantu used to exchange bitter words with Phiri because of his extra-marital affair.
Chifwabantu submitted that although Phiri was denying having an affair with her husband, he used to go and sleep with her at her home every time her (Phiri’s) husband was away.
But Phiri told the court that since 2011 Chifwabantu had been calling her on the phone accusing her having an affair with her husband.
She told the court that her marriage was now on the rocks because her husband had started believing that she was truly having an affair with Robert Chifwabantu.
In her defence, Chifwabuntu admitted that she had insulted Phiri because she had suffered from the time her husband allegedly started going out with the plaintiff.
She told the court that many people told her that Phiri was having an affair with her husband and she later discovered that it was true when he personally found them walking together.
“He is my husband and no one would want to share the person they love.
“This woman used to call my husband at any time to the extent that he started switching off his phone when he was home,” she said.
Local court magistrate Petronella Kalyelye, sitting with Lewis Mumba, dismissed the case saying although Phiri never admitted that he was having an affair with Chifwabantu, it was clear that the two were indeed having an affair.