By SARAH TEMBO –
THE Lusaka Boma local court has heard how a female employee of Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZSIC) was swindled out of K4,500 by two unscrupulous individuals purporting to be estate agents.
Alice Tembo, 54, of Lusaka’s Kamwala Township, told the court that she was swindled by the two men who pretended to be house agents.
Tembo said one of the two men, who was not named in court, collected the money last year with a view of finding a house for rent on behalf of the plaintiff before he disappeared.
The court heard that a Mr Mulyanda, then signed as surety after his nephew was taken to the police and committed to pay back the money on behalf of the fugitive.
She told the court that when Mulyanda’s nephew was arrested with his friend, the two families pleaded with the plaintiff to settle the matter outside court with the commitment by Mulyanda to pay back the money on behalf of the two.
However, she submitted that the nephew disappeared while his friend managed to pay back half of the amount.
“I have been kind enough with this man, I sued Mulyanda because he was the one who signed as a surety for his nephew,” Ms Tembo said.
“I believe that it is his duty to ensure that he forces his nephew to pay me the money so that he does not end up in prison.”
But in his defence, Mulyanda told the court that his nephew had been refusing to pay the money, saying that he was not the one who swindled her.
Mulyanda said he only signed for his nephew so that he could not be taken to prison, not that he would pay the money for him.
He said he was not the one responsible of answering any questions because he was not involved in the matter and had nothing to do with what his nephew did.
“I am not the right person to be sued for for this matter because I was not the one who swindled her. I was just helping my nephew regain his freedom so that he could look for the money to pay her,” Mulyanda said.
But magistrate Abbyshine Michelo ordered Mulyanda to give Ms Tembo the money within one month on behalf of his nephew or else the matter would be referred to the magistrates’ court.

Wife seeks peace with AWOL hubby –

By SARAH TEMBO

A TWENTY-FOUR-year-old woman of Lusaka’s Ngómbe Township, who has been accusing her husband of changing women like clothes, has asked a local court to reconcile her with her spouse.
Ruth Lungu told the court that she had suffered insults and humiliation from girlfriends of her husband while efforts by family members to reconcile the couple had proved futile.
This was a case in which Lungu sued John Hamahilo, 25, for marriage reconciliation after the two failed to resolve their marital disputes.
The court heard that the young couple married in 2008 and have two children although their union has been on rocks from the time they got married.
Lungu submitted before the court that Hamahilo was in the habit of changing girlfriends like clothes and attempts to confront him attracted beatings and insults from his women.
Ruth said her husband left the matrimonial home after she learnt that he had fathered another child with a different woman.
“He went to stay with the same woman he had impregnated but when I went to tell his relatives they insulted me and told me that they wanted him to marry that same woman,” Lungu said.
In his defence, Hamahilo denied all the allegations levelled against him by his wife, saying he left the matrimonial home due to unnecessary harassment from his wife.
Hamahilo said the two families had tried to help resolve the problems amicably by sitting them down but nothing had worked, hence his decision to leave.
He, however, claimed that he had been trying to get his wife back but her relatives had been refusing, accusing him of having married another woman.
“She is my wife and I still love her, I am not married to another woman. If she wants we can go home together from here,” Hamahilo said.
The matter was adjourned to September 8, 2014 to give the two more time to resolve their marital disputes while staying together as husband and wife.

Kitwe man fined K70 – 

By CHATULA KAMPO
A TWENTY-seven-year-old man of Kitwe has been fined K70 and in default to serve fourteen days imprisonment for defying a local court order.
Chipulukusu local court magistrate Paul Kayula convicted and fined Bonley Simwanaza of D414 Wusakile Township in Kitwe upon his admission of guilt to the charge.
The convict was charged with one count of contempt of court which is contrary to the laws of Zambia.
Simwaanza defied a court order of paying a K200 monthly to Mary Change after he was sued for failure to pay K1,200 balance damage price.
On July 6, this year in Ndola, the convicted was ordered by the local court in Chipulukusu Township in Ndola to pay the damage balance of K1,200 in monthly installments of K200.
In mitigation, Simwanza pleaded for lenience and told the court that he was remorseful for his action.
“I am taking care of my mother, wife and children. I am the sole breadwinner of the family. I am asking for your forgiveness,” he told the court
Mr Kayula in passing the sentence took into account his mitigation and that he was a first offender who admitted to the charge.
“I will not send you to prison. I sentence you to a fine of K70, in default, you will serve fourteen days in prison,” he told the convict.

Insult cases irk court  –

By CHATULA KAMPO
A CHIPULUKUSU local court has noted with great concern the increasing number of insult cases among women are due to excessive beer drinking and has, however, called for stiffer penalties to deter would be offenders.
Magistrate Paul Kayula who was sitting with magistrate Chileshe Nsofu said that insult cases in Chipulukusu Township in Ndola were on an increase and that imposing a higher penalty would help reduce the behaviour.
Mr Kayula said the issue of reconciling people in insult scandals was not working as some defendants were in a habit of recommitting the offence.
“I have noted with great concern that insult cases among women are on a rise in this township, this means that people do not have respect for each other. No matter how we reconcile victims, people still come back for the same cases,” he said.
Mr Kayula made this observation when he was passing a Judgment in which a 27-year-old woman of Chipulukusu sued her 32-year-old sister-in-law for insults.
Astridah Chibale sued her sister-in-law Priscilla Zaka for insults and compensation.
The complainant in her testimony told the court that Zaka had been insulting her whenever she got drunk for no reason.
She told the court that the last time; she insulted her own 12-year-old daughter who she found playing at her house.
In defence, Zaka denied insulting the complainant but only asked her daughter who she found dancing seductively at her place.
In passing the judgment, Mr Kayula said the insults that were coming from the defendant were too big to be said in the presence of children.