• janet ngimu, the mother of the mailoni brothers.

By SYLVIA  MWEETWA –
“IT pains me to recount that the three pregnancies I  carried  for  nine  months each  would beget notorious  boys to be hunted and gunned down like animals by the Police,” mother of slain serial killer Mailoni brothers  said.
Ms  Janet Ngimu a widow  in her  late  70’s further said she regrets that her  three  sons, Mika, Fabian and  Stephano did not only cause pain to her alone, but  to the families whose relatives they killed in cold blood and to the  nation as a whole in Luano  District  of the  Central Province.
She spoke out as Zambian women join the world in celebrating the International Women’s Day with the theme; ‘‘Inspiring Change: Celebrating God’s Favour on 50 Years of women’s Excellence and Achievements.
Her sons’ atrocities were part of violence   against women and children which was the most frequent human rights violations not only in Zambia but worldwide.’’
On  the other  hand,  causes  of violent acts  lie in the continuing  discrimination   of  women estimating that  more than 70  per cent  of women were  victims of  violence.
By her slain sons’ actions, Ms Ngimu suffered all forms of violence ranging from physical to emotional nature.
More than eight months  following the  killing  of  her three sons, Ms  Janet  Ngimu said  the  crimes committed  by  sons  led to her  fleeing  her  home  in Luano after  villagers  attempted  to  set her  house ablaze, an act she describes as a form of violence.
“It  is  by God’s  grace that I am alive  today,  because  I  fled for  my  life with  only the clothes  I was  putting  on  and there was  no time  to park  anything, all other things  were  burnt  to  ashes,” she said.
She  explained that the  move  by villagers  to  attempt to  kill  her  by  setting her house  ablaze  came  after  word  went round  that  she was  shielding  and  supporting  my  children, an accusation she denied.
Speaking from her hut in Kawasaki area in  Kabwe, she maintained that all episode  of  the  killings were still traumatising.
She  explained  that she was  lucky  to be  whisked   away  from her  home  in Luano valley  by police officers after  villagers  set  her  house  and  requested  to be  taken  to  one  of  her  relatives in Kabwe.
She then, had to be turned into a nomad after continued threats from villagers,  a move that  forced her to seek refuge in the bush  and  to other  people’s homes  who  welcomed her.
“Sometimes I had to hide in the bush for many days without food and then I would  relocate to another  village where  I stayed.
I, however, had to immediately leave as soon as I was spotted by villagers and my hosts would ask me to leave for fear of being attacked by villagers, especially those whose relatives had been killed by my three sons,” she said.
She said Chief Chembe later picked  her  up  after seeing the  situation was  worsening  as it was becoming unsafe for her and those looking after  her decided that she  relocates in the year 2010.
She recalled that her relocation followed the killing of the Chief Chembe’s adviser, Christopher Nyama Champe of Shimpupula Village and headman Mbalakawe Chipokolo of Shitambeni Village.
She said the whole saga has brought misery on her life as she could no longer move freely and cannot return to Luano where many families lost lives at the hand of her sons.
“Many are the times  when I asked myself  why I went  through such pain because  of  my sons, I became  a  nomad  in my own land; yes they were  my sons and  they will remain my  sons in death,  but I should not be condemned by their actions,” she said.
She strongly suspected that her sons’ behaviour could have been ignited by the evil spirits after visiting a witchdoctor.
She  said trouble  started  after one of the deceased, who  was  not feeling well years  back together  with his brothers visited a  witchdoctor and that upon their return,  she  noticed that their  behaviour had  changed.
She said her sons first attacked their other brother who was her only surviving son, Nelson and also at one time beat her up forcing her to run away from home.
She said the first person to be brutally murdered using spears was a Mr Mwelwa who attempted to apprehend the three brothers after mobilising villagers.
“This  is  the reason I am saying my late sons caused  the  death  for  themselves for  killing  innocent  people for  no  reasons which has  left me  homeless, ”she said.
Given the scenario, Ms Ngimu said she would not get back to Luano because she did not know how people would react.
It  was  clear the killing  of  people  in  Luano  by  the  three  brothers left  scars  not  only  to  the woman who  gave  birth to  them  but  the  country as  a  whole,  such  is  the  woman who has  suffered and needs the  support from  all Zambians.
Should Ms  Ngimu  be  judged for  her  children’s  crime?