By SARAH TEMBO-
THE Matero Local Court has heard how a 41-year-old Zambia Army officer allegedly warned his wife never to touch a ‘magic knife’ in the house before he left for  a peace keeping mission in Sudan.
Esther Kabwe of Lusaka West told the court that her husband Geoffrey Chama left a knife he got from a traditional doctor before he left for Sudan with instruction not to touch it under any circumstances.
This was in a case where Chama also of Lusaka west sued Kabwe for divorce following persistent problems in their marriage.
The couple has been marriad from 1998 and has four children although problems emerged shortly after their wedding.
“When my husband was sent for peace keeping to Sudan, he told me that he was leaving a knife in the house, but that it should not be touched under any circumstances.
“But two months later I decided to move the trunk where the knife was hidden but it dropped accidentally. I was scared but I had no choice but to pick it and put it back in the trunk,” she said.
She said she became ill after ‘violating the rule’ from her husband and experienced bad nightmares including dreaming about her husband was trying to kill her with the same knife.
Chama was upset with Kabwe upon return from Sudan and told his wife that he would be marrying another woman who would abide by his instructions.
He ultimately left the matrimonial home in October last year and went to marry another woman who he is currently staying with in Mtendere Township.
But Chama told the court that his relatives had abandoned him because of Kabwe’s allegations that he was trying to kill his father as part of rituals for riches.
He told the court that he was no longer interested in his wife because she was a liar as well as a thief who stole his money meant to build a house in her mother’s village.
Local Court Magistrate Lewis Mumba sitting with Petronella Kalyelye granted divorce and ordered Chama to compensate his wife with K14,000 to be paid in monthly instalments of K500.
Chama was also ordered to pay monthly installments of K300 towards child maintenance.