Lusaka High Court

By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
A FIFTY THREE-YEAR-OLD headman from Shamasamu Village in Chief Mungule’s area has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lusaka High Court for beating his grandson to death.
Judge Judy Mulongoti said Pearson Shamasamu, who is Headman Shamasamu of Chibombo District, treated his grandson, Anderson Chali, like an animal because the latter died a humiliating and painful death at the hands of his grandfather.
Shamasamu, who was facing one count of murder, beat Mr Chali, 35, to death for disrespecting him by way of tearing and throwing the summons in his face.
The headman had issued summons to Mr Chali so that he could resolve a wrangle between him and another person but, instead, the deceased followed Shamasamu at a drinking place where he tore and threw the summons in his face.
This angered Shamasamu, who organised village youths to apprehend Mr Chali and started beating him with sticks.
Violet Mulofwa, Mr Chali’s cousin, told the court that on August 21 last year around 11:00 hours, while she was at home, she saw Mr Chali running into the kitchen, pursued by Shamasamu.
Ms Mulofwa said Mr Chali pleaded for forgiveness for his actions but Shamasamu organised three youths to apprehend Mr Chali and dragged him to a place known as ‘Manda Hill’, while beating him along the way.
When they got to the place, Shamasamu ordered the youths to tie Mr Chali’s hands and legs and continued with the beating.
Shamasamu then finally hit him on his head resulting in him bleeding.
In her judgment, Ms Justice Mulongoti said despite Shamasamu’s mitigation through his lawyer that he was forced to discipline Mr Chali because he was disrespectful to him, he treated his grandson
like an animal.
“You treated him like an animal. He died a very humiliating and painful death at the hands of his grandfather,” Ms Justice Mulongoti said.
She said that as a headman, Shamasamu did not own his subjects for him to beat and kill them like animals.
Ms Justice Mulongoti said that she was sparing Shamasamu the death sentence by imposing a stiff punishment befitting the circumstances, which was life imprisonment with hard labour effective August 19, 2013.